The vice principal of the National Cheng Kung University in Greater Tainan is set to donate his extensive collection of more than 900 antique locks, which he has amassed over the past decades, to a state-owned museum where it will be better preserved and serve research purposes.
“[Making this donation] feels as if I’m marrying off my own daughter and hoping it is to a decent family,” Yan Hong-sen (顏鴻森) said.
“It was only after thorough consideration and seeing the sincerity of the National Science and Technology Museum [NSTM], which has specifically employed researchers specializing antique padlocks [for my potential donation], that I eventually resolved to ‘give my daughter away,’” said Yan, who doubles as a chair professor at the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Photo: Lin Hsiao-yun, Taipei Times
As an antique locks enthusiast and an engineering specialist, Yan has accumulated more than 900 antique locks over 26 years, a substantial collection he is set to donate to the museum in stages, starting in November.
“I was worried that if these antique locks were buried along with me [when I die], people who know their value may attempt to prise open my coffin and rob my tomb,” Yan jokingly said of his decision to give his collection away.
Changing his tone, Yan said that as he had collected the locks without carrying out detailed research on each one, he believed their value would be better appraised by professional institutions and specialists, as they would preserve them properly and delve into their backgrounds.
Yan’s infatuation with antique padlocks began after he saw one of his professors’ collection of mechanical steelyard scales during his studies for a doctoral program at Purdue University in the US.
In 1986, after attending a meeting in Taipei, Yan came across an antique brass lock for sale at a temporary stall on an overpass in front of Taipei’s Main Station.
The lock was a bit smaller than Yan’s palm and priced at just NT$250, but it caught his attention immediately and ignited his enthusiasm for collecting antique locks.
His fascination was so great that it motivated him to conduct academic research on antique locks and write a dissertation about them, a move which helped swiftly cement his international reputation as a “padlock master.”
A story once recounted by former minister of education Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) perfectly illustrated Yan’s expertise in the field as well as his well-earned esteem, both domestically and globally.
According to Tzeng, an elderly woman in the UK wrote to the China-based Chinese Academy of Sciences, which serves as China’s scientific think tank, asking for help to open a locked coffer left behind by her deceased husband, following several failed attempts by locksmiths in her country to unlock it.
Having their hands tied, the think tank subsequently turned to Yan for assistance. Yan promptly conducted research to ascertain the age and fabrication of the lock after receiving a picture of the padlock from the widow. He then made a key and shipped it to the UK, with which the woman was finally able to unlock the container, Tzeng said.
In response to Yan’s generosity, the museum’s director, Chen Hsun-hsiang (陳訓祥), expressed sincere gratitude to Yan and pledged to keep his cherished collection well preserved.
“[Yan’s] donation is the largest ever made to the museum and we will spare no effort in preserving it,” Chen said.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, Staff Writer
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
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
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