Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) has agreed to let one of her novels be made into a TV program in the hope that it can help men obtain a better understanding of women, the Presidential Office said yesterday.
Cho Chun-ying (卓春英), deputy director-general of the Presidential Office's Department of Public Affairs, told reporters yesterday that ETTV producer Tsai Chih-ping (柴智屏) visited Lu on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of turning Lu's novel, These Three Women, into a TV program.
Lu accepted the request and said she would be happy to help promote the show. She also stated that she did not have any preferences when it came to casting.
Tsai is the producer of the popular local soap opera Meteor Garden, which was a massive hit with young people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and China in 2002.
Lu's novel, written when she was in jail because of her involvement in the Kaohsiung Incident, is about the contrasting lives of women. One gets married and moves to the US, and to her friends it seems as if she has everything, but she remains dogged by a strong sense of loss.
Another character is a university teacher, who despite being single leads a very colorful life. The third woman is a widow, who reminisces about the good old days with her late husband who she loved dearly -- yet also abhorred.
Cho denied that Lu, who is single, wrote the book to encourage women to stay single.
"The vice president hopes that it will help men learn more about women and help women have a better understanding of their role in modern society," he said.
Lu was sentenced to 12 years in prison by the then Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration on charges of "abetting a violent rebellion" for a 20-minute speech she made on the evening of the Kaohsiung Incident. The incident, which took place in December 1979, involved a state crackdown on an anti-government parade organized by Formosa magazine, for which Lu was vice president in the 1970s.
Lu wrote two novels during her imprisonment.
She dedicated These Three Women to her mother, who passed away when Lu was in jail. It was published by the Independence Evening Post Group in 1996. Lu has published 13 books, including the two novels.
Tsai said she would like to see the program broadcast abroad and not just at home. Her goal, she said, is to enter the show for the Golden Bell Awards.
In the meantime, Lu will soon be acting as a real-life matchmaker. The Taiwan Heart, a non-governmental foundation established by Lu in 2001, announced yesterday that it would hold a series of matchmaking events for single men and women.
The first of the events for this year takes place on Sunday. Forty single men and women have signed up for the one-day event, which will be held in Yangmei (楊梅), Taoyuan County.
Lu said that all participants have been carefully screened and that she would be delighted to attend the weddings of those who find a suitable mate.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old