Taiwan Today

Written records in China began with inscriptions on oracle bones dated as early as the 14th Century B.C Chinese books, first written on bamboo and silk, then primed with wood blocks on one of the earliest forms of paper in the world, have a history extending back to the Eastern Chou Dynasty (770-256 B.C). Literacy and the printed word therefore have ancient roots in China's cultural development.

But just as the Spring and Autumn Annals, a history of interstate relations during the Spring and Autumn period (722- 481 B.C.) had great political impact on the times and subsequent generations, so today have books acted as a major force for social and political transformation in the ROC

There have been revolutionary changes in the local book market in recent years - with the pace of change visibly increasing monthly. At every level, from government policies to book marketing to reader preferences, there have been startling and sweeping new directions in the world of books.

It is no exaggeration to say that there is a rejuvenated excitement about reading throughout the island. The signs are many and complex. The following story by staff writer Leu Chien-ai, who began investigation of this contemporary phenomenon with attendance at Taipei's first international book fair, illustrates some of the major trends of this exciting new direction in a society that prides itself on both high literacy and a remarkably long literary tradition.

In recent years there has been a literal explosion in the size and variety of Taiwan's book and periodical market­ place. Only a few years ago it was difficult to purchase foreign publications away from hotels, bookshops near universities, and a couple of specially stores on Chungshan North Road. Today that has changed, and changed radically. Bookstores have come of age without much pause for adolescence, especially in metropolitan areas. New, expansive, modern bookshops are de rigueur for all parts of Taipei, for example, and day and night are crammed with people buying materials published in Chinese, English, Japanese, and various European languages.

And fancy bookstores are only the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the city, especially at night, small-scale book vendors add to the range of reading opportunities by selling up small stands to sell a broad range of books and magazines, many of which are limited publication runs by local writers or reprints of mainland Chinese publications. Chinese in Taiwan have long been noted as vora­cious readers; the difference today is that the range of available publications is simply unprecedented.

The sweeping exposure to foreign publications has already had a powerful influence on stimulating more sophisticated world views among the general populace, which is in line with the ROC's policy of internationalization. Policy has become widespread trend. It was therefore highly appropriate that Premier Yu Kuo-hwa, a key architect of the government's policy, should open the First Taipei International Book Exhibition, held last December in the National Central Library. His presence eloquently expressed the government's priority for promoting even higher standards of knowledge in the ROC's already highly literate society. His opening remarks stressed this point when he told the participants that "the development and prosperity of the publishing industry is both a mission and a symbol of a civilized nation."

The choice of exhibition venue was also symbolic. Although the new library's facilities were not actually large enough to accommodate the exhibition comfortably, it was chosen to emphasize the national importance now given to achieving the highest possible international standards of knowledge and scholarship, goals seen as necessary to ensure the ROC's future as a democratic and progressive nation. Government assistance to the domestic publishing industry, and the construction and provisioning of additional library facilities, are seen as integral parts of this process.

The government has implemented a series of measures to facilitate the rapid development of book and periodical imports. Beginning last year, over 20 categories of foreign publications were exempted from formerly required import documentation; they now pass directly through customs. This not only spares the publishers from bothersome application procedures, it is also a convenience to domestic subscribers and readers.

Statistics indicate significant growth in the import of publications. In 1987, for example, over 24,000 different titles of foreign books were imported, totaling over 563,000 volumes; 15,000 foreign periodicals, for a total of more than 4,830,000 copies; and 892 different newspapers, totaling over 2,200,000 copies. The totals are continuing to soar.

Since last November, the ROC's per capita GNP has exceeded US$5,000. According to the experience of other developed nations, a per capita GNP of US$3,000 begins to stimulate the automobile industry, and when it exceeds US$5,000, basic necessities are no longer a problem, for people have disposable income for pursuits that enhance the quality of life. As a result, cultural enterprises also begin to prosper.

Political and social progress, coupled with the policies of liberalization and internationalization, have stimulated the international now of information in Taiwan. The publishing industry has nourished in tandem with the changing environment. Especially since last July, following the lifting of the Emergency Decree which activated martial law, many restrictions on publications have been relaxed. New domestic publications have flooded the newsstands and bookstores, and even books by mainland Chinese writers in the fields of literature, sociology, philosophy and arts are found for sale in increasing numbers.

Another major shift has occurred, one much welcomed by overseas publishers and writers alike. Taiwan has made giant strides in leaving behind a less than desirable earlier reputation involving copyright laws. There has been a highly effective crackdown on copyright infringement in recent years, a process that has received international praise for its effectiveness. "Pirated" publications are almost a fact of the past as publishers are now becoming more diligent in paying copyright fees for legal sale of both domestic and foreign publications.

Chung Hwa Book Co., Lid. is a good example of local concern about burying the old image of Taiwan as a publication "pirate." The company recently entered an agreement with the Encyclopedia Britanica Inc. to have the reference set translated into Chinese in the ROC under the name "The Concise Encyclopedia Britanica, Taiwan Edition."

Beyond the efforts of government officials and publishers, other parts of the private sector are doing their best to increase the population of avid readers. With the birth of "Kingstone Culture Square" only a few years ago, for example, the style and operation of local bookstores experienced an epoch-making change. Up to five or six years ago, browsing in a bookstore was a congested and usually an unaesthetic experience. Bookstores were seen primarily as mere sales outlets for books. The shops were filled with walls of books and stacks of volumes overflowing on the floor through which patrons found only narrow passages.

Today, people no longer have to stand in such crammed quarters to re­ view potential purchases. The new trend, represented by the Kingstone bookstore chain, is for shops to be spacious and brightly lighted, with large display windows, light music, and huge numbers of books and periodicals. Moreover, there are now combination bookstore-coffee shops, which have become good places for reading and thinking; unlike libraries, they are places to talk as well. These cater especially to local youth-no small market, as a full 49 per cent of Taiwan's population is now 25 or younger.

The almost overwhelming volume of publications now available on the market has created new needs. The public requires more information about what books to buy and read. Unlike other developed societies, the book review trade has not yet become thoroughly developed on the island. Chu Chin, a reporter for the Min Sheng Pao, says in her recently published An Outline of The Development of The Present Publishing Business that "the system of book criticism is still not established. As a consequence, no other guide than the best-seller bulletin is available to readers when they want to purchase books." Although many newspapers and magazines have special book review columns, there is still no Chinese equivalent of the New York Review of Books or the Times Literary Supplement.

Steps are being taken, however, to improve the situation. To help stimulate the market, the "Top Best Sellers List" approach of the U.S. and Japan have a counterpart in the ROC, although the focus is on commercial, mass publications rather than in-depth critical assessments of more substantial fare. At least pushing best sellers has had the positive effect of stimulating more reading of foreign publications.

Other promotional techniques have been adopted from abroad with equal success. Bookstores sponsor autograph sessions where local writers can promote their works and meet the public. Book talks have also become more popular among various civic organizations. All have had the effect of promoting wider reading habits. Even comics, such as the cartoon renditions of the ancient classics done by Tsai Chih-chung (see the accompanying article in this issue of FCR), have become best sellers. And books-on-tape have also taken root in the ROC much as they did in the U.S. and Europe some time ago.

Professional publications targeted to smaller audiences have also grown in availability, much to the relief of the island's intellectuals. Formerly too expensive to import, the publications can now be purchased because of higher standards of living accompanied by the more liberal import policies regarding printed materials.

Some publishing phenomena have been less welcomed but not unexpected. Once a particular book achieves best seller status, other publishers often scramble to print similar books regard­ less of quality, a problem especially true of translated versions.

To help stimulate domestic publishing enterprises, the government has promoted local book fairs and has encouraged the innovative practice of giving "book coupons" as girls to children, which can be used to make purchases at local bookstores. Another successful innovation has been the government­ sponsored "Golden Tripod Awards." Since 1976 the awards have been presented to publishers, writers, and composers of outstanding publications. There are award categories for newspapers, magazines, books, and records. Last year 1,884 publications competed for the awards. There were 38 winners, including book awards in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, literature, and the arts.

"The Awards stimulate more Chinese to compose and play pieces of Chinese music," says Tsai Tsai-hsiu, a pianist whose concerto collection won an award last year. The awards have not only helped build up the winners' reputations and promote sales, but also have provided the public with suggestions for better quality purchases.

In addition to a growing number of domestic fairs held around the island, publishers are now beginning to extend their horizons by entering their wares in international exhibitions. "For quite some time we have encouraged local publishers to participate in book exhibitions in Singapore, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, and we even held a Chinese book exhibition in Japan in 1986. But not many domestic publishers went there," says Lee Mo-ping, former director of the Department of Publication Affairs of Government Information Office (GIO).

The success of the First Taipei International Book Exhibition has also helped encourage a better international marketing attitude. "We saw that holding an international book exhibition right here, and by ourselves, would be a great help to domestic dealers in foreign language publications-people who have contributed a lot to the interchange of knowledge between the ROC and other countries," Lee adds.

The first Book Exhibition was indeed a success. Sponsored by the GIO, the National Central Library, and the Youth Cultural Enterprise Company, it helped educate local publishers in the international market, and gave Taiwan's reading public a first-hand look at the newest publications from abroad.

The displays were accompanied by a series or lectures on building a literate society and by colloquia on the publishing industry. The events gave local and foreign publishers an opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions, especially about ironing out better procedures for fair application of translation and copyright laws. For thousands of years, Chinese have hoped that books could be reprinted and distributed as widely as possible. This cultural attitude has made it easier for publishers in recent decades to tend toward blindness when faced with copyright laws.

In 1903, the United States and China entered into a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation, which stated that Chinese subjects would be at liberty to make, print, and sell original translations in Chinese of any works written or maps compiled by a citizen of the United States. "Thus began a free translation grace period, which has continued for all these 84 years right up to 1987," says Sueling Li, chairman of Mei Ya Publications, Inc., which is among the main foreign language book dealers in the ROC.

But times have changed. As Li says: "The ROC has grown by leaps and bounds into a developed nation with an incredible reserve of wealth. The government and people, especially the publishers of the ROC, have awakened to the sense of copyright laws as well as translation rights." Because the ROC's thirst for cultural, scientific, and economic information has continued to ex­pand, the interchange of knowledge by way of Chinese translations is still seriously needed. Today, however, U.S. publishers expect to be compensated with reasonable royalties for extending the right to make and publish such translations, especially now that the ROC is no longer a so-called less developed nation.

Ever since 1983, the U.S. and the ROC have been negotiating a new Sino-American treaty on copyrights. The U.S. submitted a draft proposal of the treaty last October, and additional negotiations on the treaty are expected to begin soon. "Both the U.S. and the ROC should assume a stance of mutual understanding in the coming negotiations," says Marlow Mar, a consultant for Caves Books, a bookstore well-known to foreigners in Taipei.

Local observers hope that the new treaty will not be harsher than those the U.S. has signed with other countries, especially those considered to be developing countries. Otherwise there might be very few authorized Chinese versions of American books available in the local market. During one of the exhibit colloquia, Mar argued that "The ROC should conclude a treaty on copyrights not only with the U.S., but also with other advanced nations to enhance international cultural interchange." His attitude was welcomed as a good sign by the foreign publishers attending the meetings.

Another colloquium subject concerned the integration of Chinese books into the world market. To date there are three major sources of Chinese publications: the ROC, mainland China, and Kong Kong. "Among them, the ROC is best equipped to play the leading role in the field of Chinese publications," says H.T. Jan, general manager of Yuan Liou Publishing Company. "This is true because our publishing industry is more effective and imaginative than that on the mainland because we have better editors and writers than Hong Kong, and because we have a more literate population." Marketing, however, still remains a problem.

The exhibition itself was a busy affair. For seven days the National Central Library was packed with people viewing the 85 different display booths representing 67 publishers from the U.S., England, France, West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In addition, a total of 226 ROC publishers displayed over 15,000 high-quality books published over the past three years.

The exhibit drew praise from foreign and domestic participants alike, especially because it was more educational than intensely commercial. Archie C. McLaren, a representative from the 100-year old West Publishing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, said that the exhibition was "better organized" than others he had seen in the U.S., and was an "impressive" first effort by the ROC. His only complaint was that because he could not speak Chinese, he had difficulty learning the needs of local readers. His comment indicates that future exhibitions may well need additional translation services for participants.

Teresa Wang, head of the Bureau of International Exchange of Publications of the National Central Library and one of the managers of the exhibition, adds that the timing and location of future book fairs should also be better. "It was held near the end of the year-close to Christmas-and that prevented the management level personnel of many foreign publishers from coming. And because the display areas were scattered over five areas of the library, it was inconvenient for the visitors to easily see all the exhibits."

Compared with the long-established Frankfurt Book Fair in West Germany, Taipei's first effort clearly had shortcomings. "The next exhibition needs more preparation time and a larger budget," Wang says. She hopes that the next exhibition can be held at a more convenient date in 1989, and that exhibitors can pay part of the rent of a larger exhibition space. "The Frankfurt Book Fair has a history of 40 years, and at first only four countries participated in it. We hope that our second attempt will approach the standards already set by the Frankfurt fair," she adds.

The ROC publishes more than 12,000 new books each year on subjects ranging from Confucius to computers, and this number is expected to increase in the coming years. As worldwide publishing continues to accelerate, it becomes of national importance that domestic markets have a thorough selection of international publications. Through cultural interchanges like international book exhibitions, publishers and readers alike have valuable exposure to the new thoughts, trends, and information essential modern life.

The official policy and the now visibly popular trend toward internationalization in the ROC have been fueled by expanded reading opportunities. As the nation continues to raise its economic status, it must also continue expanding its intellectual horizons through up-to-date information in all fields. The process is well underway, and as matters of copyright, translation, and marketing are solved, the local reading public can only benefit from becoming more integrated into the world community of readers.