Taiwan Today

Those who happened to pass by Tai­pei's National Museum of History at the yearend, probably wondered what was wrong with the place? It had all the earmarks of a department store clearance sale. Or, perhaps, it more closely recalled the familiar crazy rush to purchase train tickets at Taipei Railway Station Square on the eve of a long holiday weekend.

A sea of people washed over the Museum's steps, occupied the area around the neighboring National Taiwan Arts Center, and inundated the flat land reaching to the National Taiwan Science Educational Hall, about two hundred meters away. Neatly dressed middle-aged housewives, nimble school boys and girls, and even a few hoary gentlemen in traditional Chinese robes, waited patient­ly, yet jocundly, only too aware of the constant bone-chilling cold amid an occa­sional, drifting-thin rainfall. Their vigil over the hours was propelled, of all things, by literary concerns. They wanted to be sure to obtain one of the limited number of complimentary catalogs covering the massive book exhibi­tion inside the Museum.

Sponsored by the Government Information Office (GIO) as part of a series of activities in coordination with the 1983 presentation of the Golden Tripod Awards (which honor outstanding publi­cations in the Republic of China), the most successful National Book Exhibi­tion in Taiwan's history drew 30,000 pa­trons daily in an eight-day Taipei run. The exhibition halls were so besieged that, often, access had to be physically limited. "This massive everyday crowd is unprecedented in the Museum's his­tory," a senior Museum staff member explained.

Some 55,000 volumes, supplied by 381 publishing houses, crammed the temporary wooden bookshelves criss­crossing the third and fourth floors of the Museum, entirely transforming its ambience to a massive echo of downtown Chungking South Road, Taipei's "book street." Among the Museum displays, people of both sexes and from all walks of life stood, sat, or leaned on walls, shoulder to shoulder, reveling in this grand feast of knowledge. Among them, slews of satchel-equipped school boys and girls continuously struggled their ways up, trying desperately for a look at various cultural highlights. One author­itative patron took it upon himself to advise his fellow visitors on crowd man­ners: "Don't push; this is a book show, not a traffic jam!"

Precious old volumes, including many a thread-bare Chinese traditional book, were supplied by the Central Li­brary and local publishing giants for the exhibit. The Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, a com­plete collection of Chinese books of the four major categories, compiled during the Ching Dynasty, Synthesis of Books and Illustrations of Ancient and Modem Time, a magnum opus of the Ching Dynasty, and The Chinese Local Gazetteers, and numerous others flaunted the wisdom of the ages from ceiling-high glass cases on the third floor. Many of these treasures made their first public debuts ever at this exhibition. A senior high cooed rejoiced, eyeing the famous books: "Look at their primitive simplicity. This is a really exciting experience for me!"

At the farther end of the same floor, a cozy, meticulously designed study focused all visitors' attention, waking the nascent intellectual dream-to have one's personal study. Carved rosewood furniture stood out in sharp relief against a cream-tinted carpet. An umbrella­-evoking table lampshade, warmly glowing on one corner of a giant-sized desk, enriched the sedate ambience. Rows of books in man-high bookcases along a sidewall whispered their entreaties through checkered-glass doors. A pair of combined Chinese calligraphic and ink painting works on the center wall ingeniously restated artificial scenery within an imitation window. A chessboard flanked by two chairs beckoned, ever ready to trigger a quiet war. "This study is the brainchild of an art designer at the Chinese Television Service (one of the three networks), created at our urgent, highly impromptu request," revealed Tang Chi-ming, director of GIO's publications department. "We hope to inspire philobiblists, at least, to prepare im­proved reading environments."

Rivaling the eye-catching features of the dream study were winding-walk displays of children's books on the fourth floor, an area inhabited by youngsters from 4 to 12, sitting on the floor, concentrating on the wonderful fancylands eagerly expounded in the volumes in their hands. Nowhere else were the exhibit's visitors so completely oblivious to the enchanting lotus ponds underneath the Museum's windows in the adjacent Taipei Botanical Gardens.

"This is the first national exhibition in classification format to be staged in Taiwan," Tang informed us. "All ex­hibited books are classified into ten categories, each one of the ten being cov­ered separately in our ten-volume complimentary catalog. A total of 25,000 catalog sets have been printed for distribution at this exhibition. A really comprehensive catalog is indispensable for a well-organized book show. Though our show will soon pass into memory, the catalog will be forever cherished by those who love books."

Lee Chia-chu, a library science graduate school student, spoke for many as he fingered his new catalog: "People patiently waited over two hours for this catalog, not because it is free, but because it is a necessity. Why hasn't this kind of reading promotion work been un­dertaken before?"

Too late, was the fate of 55-year-old Miao lung-chung, arriving after a four-hour bus ride from the metropolis of Kaohsiung at the southern tip of Taiwan. He had come to Taipei just for this event, and was sad, reluctant to return home without the catalog. Tang promised to mail a set to him as a special favor. Miao was ebullient: "This kind of activity should be staged all over the island to make everybody aware of the treasures buried in books."

Unlike former exhibitions, which had direct, on-the-spot sales promotion as a major consideration, this time all exhibited items, excepting children's books, could not be had on the premises. However, an order service featuring a 30 percent discount was staged at downtown sales outlets simultaneously with the exhibit-too good an opportunity to be missed by any true book lover. Purchas­ers were promised delivery of their choices within seven days. There was also a special order counter in the Museum basement, and noting the jammed crowd there, Tsai Yun-pei, a National Taiwan University senior, ponti­ficated: "Contrasting with the recent Christmas-sale purchasing rush at the department stores and supermarkets, this rush is more significant. It testifies to the growing appeal of enrichment in people's intellectual lives, part of the delicate necessary balance in an economically advanced society."

Eight successive afternoon lectures were staged on the days of the exhibit at the Museum's Tsung Peng Auditorium. They proved to be another highlight of the event. Prestigious savants propound­ed their views on the local publishing industry, and ushered audiences into their own marvelous, book-pervaded worlds in the spirit once outlined by an ancient wiseman: "Inside a book there is the great beauty; inside a book there is a vast treasure house."

All was not roses. Hsu Chia-shih, a professor in mass communications, used the term "the narrowing of knowledge selection" in taking to task local publishers for negligence in their roles as sup­pliers of quality materials for young people. "The publishing houses, catering overly to commercial considerations, are confined in their subject matter and are confining their writer's choices. How can you expect the reading public to broaden its horizons via such meager coverage? It is time for the publishing companies to reevaluate their roles relative to the cul­tural standards of this society." Hsu's indignant hectoring note elicited a chorus of audible affirmative response from his audience.

Lin Liang, an expert on children's lit­erature, remarking that the "spacious world expounded in books will surely widen children's knowledge, enriching their limited experience in life's confin­ing space," went on to advise on how to choose books for children. This involves a dilemma frequently encountered by parents, Lin said, recommending that the package and contents serve as joint guides toward basic discerning principles: "Do the contents leave the children with enough imagination space? Does the book have well-designed, creativity-inspiring graphics? Does the author dis­play a positive attitude toward life that is, at the same time, competent to serve as a guide for children?"

Professor Yen Yuan-shu of National Taiwan University shared his reading ex­perience with an obviously avid audi­ence: "An old saying goes that reading ten thousand books is superior to walking down ten thousand miles of road. A book can take the reader to abstract worlds unreachable via mankind's limit­ed experience. However, please don't devote too much of your time to leisure books. Concentrate on the challenge of tough books, because knowledge is ever the result of a learning process requiring your all-out energy and effort."

Publisher Liu Shao-tang of Biographical Literature monthly encouraged the younger generation to read biographical masterpieces: "The individual experi­ence revealed in biography, whether of success or frustration, will enrich the reader's maturity; sometimes it may result in the triggering of a pacesetting change in a man's life." Liu's line intel­lectual style has brought his magazine the devoted attention of 20,000 loyal readers, expounding the pleasant fact that though utilitarianism prevails in contemporary society, a significant fraction of the mute public will still actively read and support literarily creditable publications.

Coordinate with the book exhibition, the ROC Directorate General of Posts issued a set of commemorative stamps featuring a society tinted with literary fragrance.

"All of these efforts are targeted on one goal: to attract jade through casting a brick- That is to encourage civic organi­zations to organize similar programs, in a general effort to enrich people's spiritual lives in a 1980s' materialism-minded society," GIO's Tang explained.

Compared with the eye-focus emphasis of the book exhibition, publishing's Golden Tripod Awards presen­tation ceremony seemed dwarfed by the very absence of the mass fame and beauty of the print-stars. However, its colorful multi-media format delighted the audience with a sprightly inner rhythm, and a rich and varied content.

This year's awards, as usual, came in four categories: journalism, magazines, books, and recordings. In the book category, this year for the first time, the award list was grouped into four classifi­cations: humanity and the social sciences, nature and associate sciences, literature and art, and live and children's books. Each was allotted one winner, and then was an overall editor's award.

Consonant with past practice, two top television news anchor persons-Kao Hsin-tan and Miss Li Yen-chiu-wen selected as co-masters of ceremony. Kao opened the festivities, chanting a dog-gerel (in Chinese):

The Golden Tripod Awards
sparkle brightly.
The winners' honor will be known
far and wide.
I still serve as host,
Dressed in the same long robe over
three consecutive years.

His light approach together with the glittering entertainment enlivened the initially sedate ambience.

The winners were all from cultural fields, and their consequently well­-prepared remarks added interest instead of ennui to the awards. Tung Ta-shan, an award-winning book-art designer, noted: "A man must marry twice, once to his wife, and again to his career. So tonight, I come here to wed my career. I and my wife have just two children, but I hope to have many many more descendants after this new marriage."

Best editor in the journalism category was Chia Jen-chien, who mocked: "Many people criticize the editors of the third (local) page of the United Daily News (a major Taipei newspaper) for knowing nothing about editing and merely playing word games. This award proves that we live up to our reputations. I have worked at the UDN for 27 years, and I have always been proud to be one of its staff. But, tonight, it's time for the UDN to be proud it has me." The audi­ence applauded uproariously at his immodestly ingenious remarks.

Both Premier Sun Yun-suan and GIO Director General James Soong ad­dressed the ceremony. Premier Sun stressed the publishing industry's sacred responsibility to collect, arrange, and dis­seminate knowledge. In our rapidly changing world, knowledge must play the most influential role in directing the progress and development of the nation and society, he said. He praised the pub­lishing industry for accomplishments over the years that contributed to the en­richment of people's spiritual lives, as well as their material situations, and an­ticipated that the industry will continue to carry this ball.

Dr. Soong, pointing out that the Golden Tripod A wards are dedicated to promotion of reading, as well as to en­courage quality in the publishing industry, urged all associated with books to help with the refining of the publishing garden in order that the fragrance of books may permeate the nation.