Chou Wen-yi (周文一), an assistant professor at De Lin Institute of Technology, has spent more than two decades studying longhorned beetles and has two species named after him — all because of a light remark by a fellow student years ago.
Chou, who teaches at the institute’s Department of Leisure Business Management, has published his findings on more than 10 new species of longhorned beetles, while his unpublished finds are said to number in the hundreds.
He is also the author of the Taiwan Longhorned Beetles Illustrated Handbook.
Photo: Hsieh Chia-chun, Taipei Times
Though born and bred in Taipei, Chou said the city was markedly different when he was young, with bushes and trees near his home and school offering him many chances to observe insects of all kinds.
Chou decided to specialize in the study of longhorned beetles when he was studying for his master’s degree.
His path was decided when one of his classmates half-jokingly told him not to choose longhorned beetles because the large number of varieties would take years to research and would not guarantee results, Chou said.
Instead of being discouraged, Chou picked up the challenge, convinced that he could make new discoveries or breakthroughs in the field.
The longhorned beetle’s feeding and rest schedule often forced him to keep a vigil 24 hours a day, which he said has led him to indirectly deepen his knowledge of botany.
To expand his research knowledge, Chou visited many countries, efforts that not only put him into debt, but also put his life in danger on several occasions. He was on the Tokyo subway during the 1995 sarin gas attack by the Japanese cult Aum Shirinkyo, fell off a cliff on Nantou County’s Hohuanshan (合歡山), barely avoided being robbed during a bus trip in China’s Sichuan Province and had a car accident in Meinong (美濃), Greater Kaohsiung.
Though Chou had brushes with death a few times, it did not lessen his enthusiasm. Quite the contrary, the close calls only affirmed his motivation to devote every minute of his life to research until he is unable to do so anymore.
Chou lamented, however, that the domestic research environment lags behind that of Japan or east European countries. Many long-term research projects that need to be conducted over a long period of time are not encouraged or supported.
Some students have come to the department to study under Chou. However, Chou said he plans to retire in a few years and settle in eastern Taiwan to concentrate on his research.
Chou said he admires the lifestyle of Taiwan’s Aborigines because they are “wise ethnic groups” who know how to respect nature.
Chou said that constant contact with nature makes one more aware of the rapid rate of extinction of many species and the need to protect natural habitats and the environment.
Environmental change is an issue that cannot be ignored and governments as well as people should endeavor to ameliorate and protect the environment, Chou said.
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