The Federation of Overseas Chinese Associations will establish a cultural foundation as a step in uniting Chinese abroad in opposing the Peiping regime. FOCA directors decided that overseas Chinese unity will be the organization's main task in 1969.
The cultural foundation will have initial capital of US$50,000. The site and details of administration will be decided soon.
Directors resolved to improve services to overseas Chinese communities, to support the Republic of China in its preparations for the counterattack against the Chinese Communists and to increase promotion of the Chinese Cultural Renaissance Movement.
Fifty-two regional directors, advisers and members of FOCA were commended for contributions to overseas Chinese.
The Committee for Chinese Cultural Renaissance has adopted a 12-point program to advance the movement in 1969.
The program will be carried out with the assistance of government agencies. These are principal goals:
-Establishment of a cultural center in Taipei with an auditorium and accommodations for visiting scholars.
-Construction of a social education hall in Taipei for stage presentations, concerts, dancing and other activities.
-Editing of Peiping dramas and classical Chinese music.
-Promotion of sports and physical education.
-Mandarin dialect teaching in overseas Chinese communities.
-Translation of the Chinese classics into the spoken language so as to make them accessible to the average reader.
-Codification of the rules of social intercourse and dress.
-Strengthening of citizenship training in schools.
-Augmented cultural and ideological struggle against Communism.
Vice President urges respect for skills
Vice President and Prime Minister C.K. Yen has called on the nation to abandon traditional distaste for manual labor and develop the skills needed for industrialization.
Speaking on the 22nd Industrial Day November 11, the Vice President said that the old exaltation of intellectuals is no longer meaningful.
Mere book learning does not meet the needs of today's society, he said.
Vice President Yen said China has a long way to go before it catches up with industrially advanced nations.
The first Industrial Skills Contest was held in Taipei November 11 through 16. Two hundred and eighty technicians competed in 14 fields.
The Provincial Education Department has a five-year plan to strengthen Taiwan vocational education and train 10,000 technicians annually.
The Council for International Economic Cooperation and Development is appropriating US$2 million to finance the project.
Taiwan has 11 public vocational high schools, seven public business and agricultural schools and 13 private business and technical schools. They graduate 4,000 technicians annually.
The plan calls for the expansion of existing schools and the installation of improved equipment.
Tourists like scenery, museum, Chinese food
Scenery, the National Palace Museum and Chinese food are the principal tourist attractions of Taiwan, according to a survey by the Tourism Council of the Communications Ministry.
The survey showed 80 per cent of tourists was satisfied with hotel and other tourist services.
The principal complaint was against speeding taxicab drivers.
Taipei is the principal tourist attraction, followed by Yangmingshan (Grass Mountain), a hot springs resort on the outskirts of Taipei, Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan and Kaohsiung in the south.
Nearly every tourist visited the National Palace Museum to see the world's largest collection of Chinese art treasures.
The survey included responses from 1,044 tourists in the May-September period this year.
Tourists numbered 249,819 in the first nine months of 1968 and spent an estimated US$46,652,000.
The Tourism Council of the Communications Ministry said there were 177,899 foreign civilians, 34,736 American soldiers on R&R leave and 37,184 overseas Chinese.
The civilian total, 215,083, represented an increase of 36,851 (20.6 per cent) over the 178,232 in the same period of last year.
Visitors stay an average of 5.59 days and spend an average of US$31.58 daily. American soldiers spend an average of US$50 a day.
A peacock park was opened near Sun Moon Lake October 31. Governor Huang Chieh presided.
Ninety birds from India are housed in the park. All the birds are over two years old. They will be able to multiply next year.
Many records broken at provincial meet
Five national records were established at the 23rd Taiwan Provincial Athletic Meet in Kaohsiung October 31 through November 4. Thirteen new provincial records were set.
These are the new national recordholders:
-Wu Pai-ching of Taitung county, 1:14.1 in the 100-meter men's breaststroke and 2:45 in the 200-meter breaststroke.
-Huang Chih-ming, Wu Pai-ching, Lee Tung-hsiung and Lin Yia-cheng, of Taitung county, 4:42 in the 400-meter medley relay.
-Lee Tung-hsing, Lin Yia-cheng, Hsu Tung-hsiung and Huang Chih-miog, of Taitung county, 9:31.8 in the 800-meter freestyle relay.
-Chen Yin-hsien of Kaohsiung county, 105 kilograms in the bantam-weight snatch.
The new provincial recordholders are:
-Miss Li Ching-fang of Kaohsiung city, 1:27.2 in the 100-meter butterfly.
-Lin Yia-cheng of Taitung county, 5:40.9 in the 400-meter medley.
-Hsu Ming-fa of Hsinchu county, 8:09.2 in the 4,800-meter and Hsu Ming-shih, 17:27.2 in the 10,000-meter cycle races.
-Tsai Ta-li of Pingtung county, 14 meters in the shotput.
-Chen Chun-hsiung of Kaohsiung county, 43.24 meters in the discus throw.
-Chen Pin-huang of Chiayi county, 61.65 meters in the men's javelin throw.
-Huang Chih-chieh of Taitung county, 0:55 in the 400-meter hurdles.
-Lin Hsin-wu of Miaoli county, 9:46.6 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
-Chen Shu-cheng, Chen Li-hsiu, Hsieh Chung-chia and Huang Pi-yin of Changhua county, 51.4 in the women's 400-meter relay.
-Li Tung-hsing of Taitung county, 2:13.5 in the 200-meter freestyle.
-Chen Chin-teh of Pingtung county, 1:14.9 in the 100-meter backstroke.
-Huang Hsien-chiang of Pingtung county, 97 points in skeet shooting.
Textile, electronics exhibitions held
More than 170 textile manufacturers are displaying their products at a November-December exhibition in Taipei.
Participating are cotton mills, artificial fiber and wool textile plants, clothing manufacturers, spinning and dyeing works and knitwear mills.
Ninety-two booths are showing silks, satins, cotton prints, woolen materials, ready-to-wear clothes, sweaters, gloves, hosiery and other items.
A fashion show is held each evening.
The second Electronics Manufacturers' Exhibition opened November 1 for 12 days at Taipei International House. Products of 67 Chinese and foreign manufacturers were shown. The industry has grown up since 1964. There are 125 manufacturers, nearly half of them with foreign investment.
Birth control gains cited by health chief
Birth control has made impressive advances in the last four years.
Dr. Hsu Tzu-chiu, director of the Provincial Department of Health, reported Taiwan's rate of natural population growth had declined from 3.02 to 2.3 per cent annually in the four-year period.
More than 460,000 women have been fitted with the "loop". This is one-fourth of married women aged 20 to 40.
Provincial authorities started distributing birth control pills in January of 1967. In 1969, pills will go to 50,000 women and another 120,000 will be fitted with loops. The program is wholly voluntary.
Dr. S.M. Keeny of the New York Population Council told a Taichung meeting that his office has decided to give a US$125,000 grant and a supply of contraceptive pills to free China.
The council will allocate US$80,000 and provincial authorities will match it to buy a computer to facilitate the keeping of population records.
Chia Hsin journalism awards presented
Six journalists and two newspapers won Chia Hsin journalism awards this year.
The winners were selected from among more than 70 candidates. Each received US$1,000.
The prizes have been awarded annually since 1965 by a foundation established by the Chia Hsin Cement Corporation.
Lam Bun, a Hongkong radio commentator who was murdered by Communist terrorists in 1967, was honored posthumously.
The other winners:
Cheng Kung, 34, of Shengyang (Mukden), pictorial editor of Everybody's Daily in Taipei, news cartoon.
Chung Chao-cheng 43, of Taoyuan, teacher at Lungtan Primary School, creative writing. His novel, which was serialized in the Taiwan Daily News, tells of the struggle of the Taiwanese people against the Japanese.
Jen Pi-ming, 68, of Kwangtung, writer for the Chinese-language Hongkong Times. He won for eight editorials concerning the Communsitinspired riots in Hongkong last year.
Li Chin-wei, 52, of Kwangtung, writer of the Kung Sheung Daily News in Hongkong, for 72 editorials on the Hongkong riots.
Lu Chen-nien, 40, of Peiping, assistant city editor of the China Times, for a series of stories about the victimizing of a peddler.
Pok Shau-fu, 59, of Kiangsu, Hongkong correspondent of the United Daily News and publisher of the magazine Newsdom, for feature articles about the Hongkong riots.
The Hsin Sheng Pao (New Life Daily News) for social service.
The Kung Li Pao in Manila for social service among Chinese communities abroad.
No prize was given for photography.
Seven outstanding young men honored
Only seven "Outstanding Young Men" were chosen this year instead of the usual ten.
Hsieh Kui, 37, an aborigine and member of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly, was among those honored.
The awards are sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce. The seven were chosen by a panel of nine judges from 40 candidates recommended by the public.
The judges decided to pick only those of exceptional merit rather than a set number.
The winners:
Hsieh Kui, who was credited with making great contributions to the improvement of living conditions among mountain communities.
Yu Ju-chi, 34, photographer, for a documentary film on the life of herons.
Dr. Li Chun-jun, 38, surgeon of the National Taiwan University Hospital, who performed the first successful kidney transplant in Taiwan this year.
Liu Kuo-sung, 36, artist, whose paintings bridge the artistic gap of East and West.
Chen-Tsai Chin-tang, 35, physics professor at National Tsinghua University, whose papers have been widely praised.
Chen Tsung-chuan, 38, chief judge of the Kinmen District Court, who was credited with righting several miscarriage of justice.
Chang Chia-hsiang, 40, deputy managing editor of the Young Warriors Daily, a veteran war correspondent.
Taichung county selected 10 "Outstanding Old Men" of 1968. Their combined age is more than 600 years.
Given awards by Governor Huang Chieh were Yang Chao-chia (politics), Huang Yen-wo (law), Li Chen-chung (architecture), Lin Wei-chang (education), Peng Huan-Iang (industry), Liao Chi-chun (fine arts), Chu Kun-tu (physical education), Fu Chun-kui (social service), Li Yi-hsiu (military-civilian relations) and Cheng Hsueh-wen (miscellaneous).
26 honored for their cultural contributions
The 1968 Chungshan Cultural Awards were presented to 20 winners November 11 at a Taipei City Hall ceremony.
Prof. Wang Yun-wu, chairman of the Chungshan Cultural Foundation, gave a medal, citation and US$1,250 to each winner.
Recipients were Lin Kuei-pu, 60; Prof. Chen Chi-lu, 45; Chen Yi-yun, 74; Prof. Ho Hsiao-yun, 72; Prof. Chen-Tsai Ching-tang, 33; Prof. Weng Pao-sean, 37; Prof. Wang Wei-nung, 34; Ku Cheng-teh, 36; playwright Chang Ta-hsia, 52; composer Tung Gung-sen, 56; Prof. Yao Yi-wei, 47; poet Chou Chung-hsun, 44; essayists Miss Wei Lien, 57, and Miss Wei Na, 55; novelist Tien Yuan, 40; painter Yuan Shu-chen, 40; sculptor Wei Li-chin, 40; meteorologist Tang Chien-hsi, 44; and Air Force Sgt. Li Hsiao-yi,42.
The Chungshan Cultural Fund was created during Dr. Sun Yat-sen's centennial in 1965. Public donations raised the fund of US$1.7 million.
Taipei pays tribute to two centenarians
Two centenarians of Taipei were honored on the occasion of the Chung Yang Festival October 30.
Bearded Ong Pu, 103, and Mrs. Kao Wang Mei, 100, received gold medals and other gifts from Mayor Henry Kao.
Similar ceremonies were held throughout the island to honor the elderly.
The Chung Yang Festival honoring old people falls on the ninth day of the ninth moon of the lunar calendar. Another activity of the day is mountain climbing to symbolize the attainment of great heights.
Speaking for the citizenry of Taipei, Mayor Kao presented tea sets, textiles, cakes and cash gifts to Taipei's two oldsters.
The day before the Chung Yang Festival, an old folks' home was dedicated at Peitou in suburban Taipei. The nine-building institution will accommodate 100. They will receive board, lodging, and medical care at government expense.
According to the Provincial Government, Taiwan has 35,815 persons over 80 years in age, most of them women.
In a population of 14 million, Taiwan has 173,208 persons of 70 or over. The octogenarians include 24,606 women and 11,209 men.
In the 75-to-79 bracket are 21,099 women and 20,076 men. The 70-74 bracket numbers 51,389 women and 40,827 men.
Lions Club sponsors first Taiwan eye bank
The first eye bank in free China was opened in November as a result of a three-year campaign by the Lions Club.
H.Y. Fan, president of the bank, presided at the ceremony in Taipei's Mandarin Hotel. David A. Evans of the United States, president of Lions International, was present.
Members of the Lions are willing their eyes to the bank. Others will be asked to join in the movement.
The bank will be located at Taiwan Sanitorium and Hospital in Taipei.