1990: The Edison of the petrochemical industry
For the past 40 years, Chang Chun Petrochemical Corporation Chairman Lin Shu-hong’s zeal for invention has opened up new avenues of development in high-tech/small-volume/large-variety production for Taiwan’s petrochemical industry, traditionally a large-volume production industry.
1989: On the Eve of the Tiananmen Massacre: Money vs. Power
Deng Xiaoping may have opened China’s economy but he held on to absolute power politically. Those opposing forces led to policy clashes that bubbled into the Tiananmen protests. We look back at what CommonWealth Magazine founder Diane Ying saw in Beijing at the end of May 1989.
1988: The rise of Tsai Wan-lin, the richest Chinese in the world
He has a net worth of over NT$160 billion and is the eighth-richest man in the world. A solitary man who enjoys golfing alone, he works in a heavily guarded 1,653-square-meter private office. His heavy-handed manipulation of real estate investments has driven up land prices in Taiwan. How did this poor farmer’s son build an empire in half a century?
1984: The Legend of Chang Yung-fa, the Container Shipping King
Chang Yung-fa grew up in Keelung and like other children there depended on the sea to survive. But unlike the others, he was able to see beyond the port’s wharves and had the vision and daring to create a marine shipping kingdom.
1983: Who defined the Taiwan lifestyle?
The infamous “waterfall of scooters” that wowed the world; the highest concentration of convenience stores on earth; the successful bike-sharing service YouBike...these are all now part of the Taiwanese lifestyle. But how did they come to be?
1982: Eyeing global leadership
When you hear the phrase “number one in the world from Taiwan”, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) comes to mind. Taiwan's prime science incubator - the Hsinchu Science Park - was established amid a sense of crisis in the wake of the severance of diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan in 1979. Had it not been for the park, TSMC would not have been where it is today.
CommonWealth Magazine’s 40th Anniversary Special Tribute: Open · Taiwan
2021 is the fortieth year since CommonWealth Magazine was founded in 1981. It is the start of this century’s third decade. It is also year one of post-pandemic recovery. For the next forty weeks, we will showcase a year of CommonWealth Magazine’s history. We will tell the story of our publication and our country during that year.
Cruises Restore Glory of Keelung, Once Taiwan’s Largest Port
Keelung Port, whose history dates back to the 17th century, has always played a crucial role as Keelung City’s lifeline. While in the past the port thrived on handling and transferring cargo, it has now traded that business for the tourist trade. Today, elegant cruise ships towering over the pier like office high-rises count among Keelung’s most striking sights.
History of Malay Singaporeans in 10 Objects - Part 3
The Singaporean Malay experience is characterised by moments of triumph and struggle. Today, they continue to confront issues like socio-economic disadvantage and racial discrimination.
History of Malay Singaporeans in 10 Objects - Part 1
Singapore has always been part of a Malay world. To approach the history of the Malays in Singapore, we need to look deeper and longer. And so, we begin, 700 years ago.
School Uniforms in Japanese Colonial-Era Taiwan
Did you know that Taiwanese high school students had to wear uniforms during Japanese colonial rule? The design of these school uniforms changed over time to reflect current social and political trends. Let’s take a look at some typical school uniforms of that period.
Taiwan’s Best-funded Board Game Brings Wartime History Alive
A group of young Taiwanese unfamiliar with war fashioned a board game that recreates war-torn Taiwan 72 years ago to plug a gap in Taiwan’s collective wartime memory. Why has this board game found success in a relatively crowded market?
How Much do the Taiwanese Love to Travel? The Wandering Youths of a Bygone Era
The Taiwanese people began spending their vacations abroad after 1979. 470,000 people vacationed abroad during that first year. By 1988, the number was over a million, and it kept on climbing. In 2017, on average every Taiwanese visited another Asia-Pacific country—mainly Japan—more than once that year...
How Rich Was Taiwan?
The nation was dubbed “the Republic of Casino” by astonished foreign media, and just about every Taiwanese was a gambler.
Lifting Martial Law and Opening-up Taiwan
Under pressure from within and without, late president Chiang Ching-kuo firmly believed that developing the economy and advancing democracy were Taiwan’s most effective weapons to counter Beijing.
From Constitutional Reform to Democracy
Having hurriedly assumed the top seat of power, Lee Teng-hui rapidly set about pushing forward democratic reforms in Taiwan, becoming Taiwan’s first directly popularly-elected president. Yet populism and money politics reared their ugly heads from time to time on the road to democratization.
How the ‘1992 Consensus’ Colors Taiwan’s Fate
The so-called “1992 cross-strait consensus” has once again become a hot topic in the wake of Taiwan’s recent elections. What is it all about, and how will it impact future cross-strait dynamics?
From GATT to WTO, Taiwan’s Global Chess Match
Taiwan finally joined the WTO after three years of applications and a decade of negotiations, heralding an era of globalization.