The National Security Council has adopted an eight-point measure under which the Republic of China will seek the enhancement of public morality.
At its sixth meeting in mid-January, NSC decided to undertake a determined movement against vice and corruption, the importation of luxuries, traffic chaos and weaknesses in environmental sanitation.
The measure was proposed by the Council's National General Mobilization Committee headed by Defense Minister Chiang Ching-kuo. President Chiang Kai-shek presided.
Known as the "Guidelines for Improving the Current Social Atmosphere", the measure will be enforced in fiscal 1969 starting July 1.
The measure emphasizes:
1. Prevention of wasteful spending: A nationwide austerity campaign will be launched and importation of luxuries banned.
2. Anti-vice campaign: Control over places of entertainment will be strengthened.
3. Prevention and stricter punishment in cases of serious crimes. Reformatory training of juvenile delinquents will be emphasized.
4. Intensified control over hoodlums, habitual thieves and narcotics addicts.
5. Clean and orderly communities: Efforts to wipe out slums and improve environmental sanitation will be redoubled.
6. Anti-corruption campaign: Personnel, auditing and controller systems will be streamlined.
7. Promotion of wholesome recreation activities: A national drive will be launched to improve music and promote sports.
8. Codes of conduct: "Good People, Good Deeds" campaigns will be continued to help improve codes.
The meeting adopted three programs for the development of science and technology proposed by the Council's Science Development Committee headed by Dr. Wu Ta-yu.
The three programs aim at the long-range (10 years), medium-range (5 years) and short-range (2 years) development of science and technology in seven fields: education, scientific research, industrial and mining research, agriculture, medicine and public health, defense and nuclear energy. The Executive Yuan (Cabinet) was asked to prepare a plan for implementation.
Academicians share Chia Hsin awards
Professor Chen Ta-tsi, former president of National Chengchi University, and Dr. Wu Ta-yu, chairman of the Science Committee of the National Security Council, shared the Chia Hsin Special Award in Taipei ceremonies in mid-January. They divided the cash prize of NT$400,000 (US$10,000).
Vice President-Prime Minister C. K. Yen lauded the accomplishments of the two winners. He praised the Chia Hsin Cultural Foundation for encouragement given the academic community and urged other foundations to follow suit.
Dr. Wang Shih-chieh, president of the Academia Sinica, suggested that private enterprises set up chairs at local universities to encourage science development in Taiwan.
Prof. Chen was honored for his contributions to higher education and the humanities. He is a leading authority on Chinese philosophy and Indian logic.
Dr. Wu was cited for his efforts for science development and his achievements as a physicist.
Six authors received NT$40,000 cash prizes. Lin Chung-yung was cited for his book on Lin Tse-hsu, the Manchu official who tried in vain to stop the opium traffic in the last years of the Manchu dynasty.
Dr. Wu Ta-yu left for the United States immediately after the ceremony. He returned to Taipei in mid-December to put the finishing touches on the long-range science development project that was approved by the National Security Council in early January. Dr. Wu said he would be back in Taipei in the spring.
Chinese and Japanese calligraphers meet
The first Sino-Japanese Calligraphic Conference was held in Taipei in January. One hundred and seventy Chinese and 167 Japanese calligraphers participated.
Congratulatory messages from Vice President-Prime Minister C. K. Yen and Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato were read at the opening ceremony. Both leaders stressed importance of the revival of Chinese calligraphy and interest in Sinology and Oriental arts.
Ways and means to promote Sino-Japanese cultural ties and encourage Chinese calligraphy were discussed at the two-day conference.
An exhibition of calligraphy opened the day before the conference. General Ho Ying-chin, chairman of the Sino-Japanese Cultural and Economic Association, cut the ribbon to open the 200-item show.
To the Chinese and many Japanese, calligraphy is as much an art as painting. It must have originality, style, strength and personality. Writing may be neat or ornate but that does not necessarily make it calligraphy.
Development of calligraphy as an art owes much to the use of the Chinese brush and paper. The writing brush was invented before the 5th century B.C. It is subtle and responsive. Lines and strokes can be made exactly as one intends. Quickly absorbent paper was invented in the early years of the Christian era. It does not distort the characters while drying but defies correction. Unsatisfactory lines and strokes cannot be altered. This is a commandment of the calligraphic art.
The ideographic Chinese characters present an infinite variety of structural problems to challenge artistic imagination. They are formed of horizontal and vertical lines, dots, hooks and slanting strokes. It is for the artist to decide the thickness, length and shape of each stroke. He must take into consideration the size of the characters and the space between them. Size and space contribute to the beauty of the composition and its rhythm. For variety, he need not always write the same character in the same size and shape. To relieve the tendency of Chinese characters to be square, they may be elongated or rounded into a new gracefulness.
Chinese calligraphy is an art, a philosophy and a form of relaxation for many who will never acquire consummate skill. Its calm and orderly beauty is attracting an ever widening circle of admirers, including some Westerners.
Publishers return from Jakarta visit
Wang Tih-wu, publisher of the United Daily News, and Keng Hsiu-yeh, publisher of the Great China Evening News, returned to Taipei in mid-January after a 10-day trip to Indonesia. They made the visit at the invitation of the Army Force Daily Mail of Jakarta.
The two Chinese publishers, the first free Chinese newsmen to visit Indonesia since 1949, were warmly welcomed in Jakarta. They saw General Suharto, acting president of Indonesia, and other leaders and exchanged views on cooperation between the Chinese and Indonesian press. They also visited Chinese communities.
The publishers said the Indonesian government's anti-Communist stand is not to be questioned. They suggested people-to-people relations and trade promotion as steps toward the establishment of diplomatic ties between Taipei and Jakarta.
Overseas educator from Brunei honored
The Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission has decorated Cheng Tung-ho with the Order of Hai Kuang, the highest medal given overseas Chinese, for his contributions to overseas education.
Cheng, 69, of Anhwei, is the principal of Chung Cheng High School in Seria, Brunei. He came to Taipei to receive the award.
Cheng holds a master's degree from Columbia University. He was professor at National Taiwan University from 1949 to 1950, and vice minister of education from 1950 to 1954. He left Taiwan for Sarawak in 1957 to head Chung Hua High School at Kuching. He went to the Chung Cheng High School in 1960.
University presidents will come in June
The Republic of China has extended invitations to 80 university presidents to pay a two-day visit to Taiwan in June.
An official of the Education Ministry said the invitation seeks to promote cultural interflow.
The Education Ministry asked them to come to free China before or after their participation in a meeting at Seoul.
A special committee has been set up to make arrangements for the visit.
All is in readiness for PATA conference
Preparations are being completed for the 17th annual conference of the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) in Taipei in mid-February.
A spokesman of the organizing committee said more than 700 delegates and their dependents would take part. They will come from 27 countries and 34 regions of the Pacific area.
On the agenda are discussion of air travel, sightseeing tours, fees and visa applications.
A two-day workshop will be held at the Ambassador Hotel in Taipei February 8 and 9. Plenary sessions will take place at the Mandarin Hotel from February 12 to 16.
President Chiang Kai-shek issued a message of welcome. Vice President C. K. Yen will address the opening session.
Speakers at plenary session will include President Howard Jones of the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii and President Takeshi Watanabe of the Asian Development Bank.
The spokesman said the organizing committee plans to introduce Chinese culture to the participants.
"The timing is good," he said, "because we will still be celebrating the Chinese New Year," which falls on January 30. The traditional Spring Festival will continue until the 15th day of the first moon of the lunar calendar. This day, known as the Lantern Festival, falls on February 13.
Among special events will be folk dances, lion and dragon dances, Chinese operatic shows and exhibitions of lanterns.
Exhibition promotes Taiwan's tourism
Vice President-Prime Minister C. K. Yen cut the ribbon to open a 10-day tourism exhibition at the National Museum of History in January.
On display were posters, photos, designs and data on the island's tourism industries. Chinese music, opera and painting were seen. Seminars were held on urban beautification, tourist hotels, travel and entertainment.
Vice President Yen said tourism will help promote international understanding.
"The development of tourism also will contribute to cultural interflow," he added.
He said tourism will promote traffic order, environmental sanitation, recreation and a better moral code. The Vice President asked everybody to contribute his share to the movement.
Some 50,000 people visited the exhibition.
Designs of Gropius attract big throngs
An exhibition of architectural designs by Walter Gropius, famed German architect, was held in Taipei in January. The 87 designs were of theaters, museums, apartment houses, hotels and skyscrapers.
The exhibition was sponsored by the Sino-German Cultural and Economic Association. Mrs. Fridrich A. Schultz, wife of the head of the German Cultural Center in Taipei, cut the ribbon. General Wego Chiang, chairman of SGCEA, spoke.
Some 30,000 persons saw the exhibit, which went on to Japan after the week's showing.
Taipei conservatory will be established
The Taipei City Government is planning to set up a municipal conservatory to train gifted students.
Teng Chang-kuo, director of the Taipei Municipal Symphony Orchestra, has been asked by Mayor Henry Kao to work out the initial plans.
The projected conservatory will consist of departments teaching classical Chinese music and Western music.
Gifted primary school graduates will be admitted to the conservatory for courses of from six to nine years.
Photos, books tell of U.S. in space
A month-long bilingual space science exhibit was held in Taipei under U.S. Information Service sponsorship in January.
The display featured a pictorial National Aeronautics and Space Administration exhibit on the major U.S. programs in space exploration with a supporting exhibit of books on space science that can be borrowed from the USIS Library.
With explanatory data in English and Chinese, the NASA exhibit showed, in large full-color panels, U.S. projects in manned space flight (GEMINI and APOLLO), unmanned lunar exploration, space satellites and interplanetary exploration. Aeronautics research, propulsion systems and U.S. cooperation with other nations in space exploration were other aspects of the U.S. program depicted.
Knitwear Queen and princesses chosen
Macy Shih, a 21-year-old professional model of Fashion'n Flair magazine, outcharmed four other finalists to become the first "Knitwear Queen of the Republic of China".
The four runners-up, who received the title of "Miss Knitwear," are Chu Chien-li, Elaine Huang, Lo Ping-shou and Sun Wei-jen.
Chu Yin-ying, elected by vote of those attending, was crowned "Knitwear Princess".
General Ho Ying-chin, honorary chairman of the Taiwan Visitors Association, officiated at coronation ceremonies.
Besides receiving a cash award of NT$10,000 and trips to Hongkong and Tokyo, Macy was made the honorary public relations officer of a clothing company.
A total of 35 lovelies participated in the contest, which was sponsored by the Taiwan Visitors Association, the Fashion'n Flair magazine, Far East Co., Min Tsu Evening News and the Central Theater-Restaurant.
All the candidates were entered by local knitwear manufacturers.