Experts from Taiwan and abroad voiced support for the Taipei International Book Exhibition’s theme of “green reading,” calling on the public to reflect on environmental issues and learn from the young about future lifestyles.
Gunter Pauli, founder of the Japan-based Zero Emissions Research Initiative, said on Tuesday that he was happy to come to Taipei to do “green reading” for children and adults at the fair, which started yesterday at the Taipei World Trade Center and will run until Monday.
Pauli, who was named one of the 10 Outstanding Young Persons of the World in 1983, is the author of a set of fables for children that cover more than 1,000 scientific subjects. His fables are aimed at helping children and young adults develop their emotional intelligence, eco-literacy and creative capacities, while learning science.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“They [people] say children are the future. They’re wrong. Children are the present. We are the past,” Pauli said.
“[To change the world], children need to teach their parents the new things they find out thanks to their creativity and fantasy,” he said.
Noted Taiwanese literary figure Huang Chun-ming (黃春明) said the aim of “green reading” is to rebuild “the ethics of the environment” and a sense of respect for nature.
He said Taiwan spends too much money on activities such as fireworks displays and lantern festivals, which “leaves behind little impact and is harmful to the environment.”
Money should be spent on more meaningful events like book fairs, he said.
The 76-year-old writer encouraged adults to tell stories to their children instead of forcing knowledge on them.
“We often say do this, do that, but we don’t tell them how fun it is,” he said.
Another feature of the main pavilion at the fair is a rare collection of 53 ancient Chinese books and documents from the Ming Dynasty, seven of which are the only copies left in the world.
“It is the first time these ancient documents are being displayed outside the National Central Library,” library director-general Tseng Shu-hsien (曾淑賢) said.
The ancient works reveal the leisure time of Ming Dynasty academics, their taste for literature, emphasis on health and respect for nature, Tseng said, adding that “this was very close to the contemporary concept of green living.”
Other items on display at the pavilion include handmade books and the photography of French artist Claire Xuan, a Torah scroll, the photography of Italian artist Massimo Listri and various books on green living.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it