There is one story that has been drowned out in the war of words in the media over the water shortage -- the story about Lee Chin-ming (
It is certainly moving to hear of an ordinary person nurturing such a dream in today's utilitarian society, but it is also distressing to discover that he is so far short of the funds needed to fulfil such a worthwhile dream.
Although President Chen Shui-bian (
A bowl of beef noodles is a very common dish in Taiwan. Most people believe that no special skills are needed to make it. However, it is not that easy to give the dish that special flavor or to become famous for serving great beef noodles. It is certainly no easy task to become wealthy by selling such a common dish. Even rarer is an entrepreneur who dreams of helping society with his wealth by establishing a university "as good as Stanford University." What vexes A-ming is that there are so many rich people that would rather donate money to build new temples than to establish good universities that would serve future generations.
Most people in Taiwan are put to shame by A-ming's quiet willpower and the spirit in which he has been pursuing his dream. His "Taiwan Spirit" is the very source of the power with which the Taiwan miracle has been built over the past 50 years, a spirit that has almost disappeared from today's society. At a time when most people are focusing on get-rich-quick schemes or dreaming of winning the lottery and becoming rich, people like A-ming, cooking his beef noodles bowl by bowl, taking one step at a time, are rare.
Will there still be hope for Taiwan if people are no longer willing to sacrifice themselves or donate their money for the education of the next generation? Will we still be able to be competitive internationally by the end of this century? Surely, the answer is no. If our politicians are absorbed by power struggles or competition for personal gain instead of the interests of the people and the welfare of the next generation, they will certainly leave an empty legacy.
While the media are flooded with the empty words of politicians, we can almost smell A-ming's sweat as he makes his beef noodles. We hope that this smell can be transformed into the fragrance of books and flowers at a university, realizing the dreams of an ordinary man.
In a meeting with Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste on Tuesday, President William Lai (賴清德) vowed to continue providing aid to Haiti. Taiwan supports Haiti with development in areas such as agriculture, healthcare and education through initiatives run by the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF). The nation it has established itself as a responsible, peaceful and innovative actor committed to global cooperation, Jean-Baptiste said. Testimonies such as this give Taiwan a voice in the global community, where it often goes unheard. Taiwan’s reception in Haiti also contrasts with how China has been perceived in countries in the region
The world has become less predictable, less rules-based, and more shaped by the impulses of strongmen and short-term dealmaking. Nowhere is this more consequential than in East Asia, where the fate of democratic Taiwan hinges on how global powers manage — or mismanage — tensions with an increasingly assertive China. The return of Donald Trump to the White House has deepened the global uncertainty, with his erratic, highly personalized foreign-policy approach unsettling allies and adversaries alike. Trump appears to treat foreign policy like a reality show. Yet, paradoxically, the global unpredictability may offer Taiwan unexpected deterrence. For China, the risk of provoking the
On April 13, I stood in Nanan (南安), a Bunun village in southern Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪), absorbing lessons from elders who spoke of the forest not as backdrop, but as living presence — relational, sacred and full of spirit. I was there with fellow international students from National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) participating in a field trip that would become one of the most powerful educational experiences of my life. Ten days later, a news report in the Taipei Times shattered the spell: “Formosan black bear shot and euthanized in Hualien” (April 23, page 2). A tagged bear, previously released
Young supporters of former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) were detained for posting the names and photographs of judges and prosecutors believed to be overseeing the Core Pacific City redevelopment corruption case. The supporters should be held responsible for their actions. As for Ko’s successor, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), he should reflect on whether his own comments are provocative and whether his statements might be misunderstood. Huang needs to apologize to the public and the judiciary. In the article, “Why does sorry seem to be the hardest word?” the late political commentator Nan Fang Shuo (南方朔) wrote
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