The nation’s leading research institute recently unveiled a new digital archive with the aim of making academic resources more accessible to the public.
The online database consists of information from the diaries of Tan Yankai (譚延闓), the first chairman of the Nanjing National Government, and includes graphs, photos and an interactive game, Academia Sinica said.
The diaries, which were written by Tan between 1895 and 1930, provide important information about the Qing Dynasty and the early development of the Republic of China, including the daily lives of people during that time, the institute said.
Writing in Chinese calligraphy, Tan recorded facts about the meals that were served in his family, and created character sketches of other well-known figures such as Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) and Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
The database is the first online archive of its kind and will hopefully encourage public interest in such digital resources, Academia Sinica said.
It also features a game in which users can fill in key words to create their own diaries in classical Chinese.
“It makes history less boring and more accessible,” said Wang Fan-sen (王汎森), vice president of the institute.
Tan, a well-known calligrapher and gourmet in his time, was the grandfather of Chen Lu-an (陳履安), a former president of the Control Yuan.
“My grandfather was keen on learning about new things and would be tickled if he could see this,” Chen said after a member of the production team demonstrated a game that created a n amusing diary on Thursday.
One of the major challenges in transcribing the diaries was the recognition of the cursive style of calligraphy, said Lin Ming-yi, a member of the production team.
It took five years to complete the work of transcribing the 2.5 million characters into a readable form, Lin added.
Tan’s diaries will be published in their entirety in about two years, said Chen Yung-fa (陳永發), director of the project.
The database can be accessed at digiarch.sinica.edu.tw/tan.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS