Tue, Apr 06, 2010 page12

• Taiwanese version of ‘Big Issue’ magazine makes debut

  SOCIAL BUSINESS To date, the small publisher has hired 30 homeless people to act as distributors for the magazine, which is sold outside MRT stations in Taipei

  • STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
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  The Chinese version of the ­London-based The Big Issue magazine — which is sold by homeless people — was launched in Taiwan recently, facing unknown prospects.

  Fines Lee (李取中), founder and editor-in-chief of the Chinese-­language version, said he and his partners were bracing for all types of challenges running the magazine at a time when online literature and electronic books are flourishing while the print sector struggles.

  “Each step is a challenge for us,” said Lee, whose magazine has a staff of three, including himself.

  Even though many of his friends expect an uncertain future for his business, Lee, an Internet whiz and founder of Blog.Roodo.com — an online chatroom for art and culture — said running the magazine provides him with a clear sense of direction while helping homeless people, called “street friends” in Taiwan, regain their dignity.

  The Chinese-language version of The Big Issue — the first social business model of its kind in Taiwan — made its debut on Thursday, with an inaugural print run of 100,000 copies.

  Lee said his company had so far recruited 30 homeless people to be the first group of vendors. The magazine is sold at 29 exits of the MRT system in Taipei City and Taipei County.

  Each vendor was given 20 copies to help them launch their operation. After that, the vendors will earn NT$50 for each magazine sold, which is priced at NT$100, Lee said.

  Lee’s company has also recruited volunteers to monitor the vendors to prevent “undesirable behavior” and to help them secure sales, he said.

  The magazine, written in a populist style featuring science and technology, fashion trends, design, environmental issues, essays, culture, travel and the performing arts, is also available at convenience stores in other parts of the country, he said.

  “The next issue will be published on May 1 and after that we hope to publish every two weeks,” he said.

  Yang Kuang-ming (楊光明), a homeless man who lost his job two years ago and now relies on free lunches at a church in Taipei, said selling the magazine was like riding a roller-coaster.

  “I sold 10 copies in a short period one day, but only sold one in several hours on another,” he said.

  He said it takes time to attract customers.

  “At present, they don’t buy the magazine because it’s unknown to them,” he said.

  Enlightened by the magazine’s spirit, Yang said he has started to donate NT$5 from each magazine he sells to the church that fed him.

  “Now I’m able to help people who are more disadvantaged than me,” he said.

  About 3,800 homeless people were identified in Taiwan last year, of whom 1,300 were in Taipei City and Taipei County, Lee said.

  The social enterprise model was created in 1991 by John Bird, the founder of the UK version of The Big Issue, which has helped more than 10,000 disadvantaged and homeless people there, Lee said.

  In the UK, 147,000 copies of the weekly magazine are sold, serving a readership of more than 670,000 people, Lee said.

  The magazine is also sold in other countries, including Japan, Australia and South Africa.
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