A Turkish expatriate obsessed with studying how to use the abacus and do mental arithmetic has attained advanced proficiency levels and plans to become an instructor in the art of calculating with beads.
Murat Soylu, also known as Lu Mu-de, 36, who came to Taiwan 13 years ago as the Taiwan branch manager of a computer company, said he credits Shih Mei-ling, proprietor of a school in Taoyuan County’s Pingzhen City, for his remarkable achievement.
“I learned the basics from Shih and within two weeks had progressed to the sixth level, which was much faster than most children,” Soylu said.
A self-described “son-in-law” of Taiwan, Soylu said that after he reaches a higher level of competence, he intends to return to Istanbul with his Taiwanese wife and teach the skill.
Shih said that including Soylu, she has taught students from 13 nations from around the world.
“Everyone believes that learning how to use the abacus is both practical and convenient,” Shih said. “I hope that mental arithmetic will continue being passed on to the next generation, enabling people around the world to become familiar with this skill.”
(This article originally appeared June 8 in The Liberty Times.)