• 2010-07-18

NCL and the Publishers' Association of the Republic of China co-hosted the Exhibition of A Collection of Writings on 27 Cities along the Taiwan Strait. The opening ceremonies and book donation were held on July 18. Director of the Straits Exchange Foundation, Chiang Pin-kung came and gave a talk. With over 100 persons from all sectors of society in attendance, it was truly a grand occasion. The book exhibition was one of the joint activities publishers from both sides of the strait agreed to when they signed a formal agreement during the first cross-strait forum in 2009. Co-hosted by the Straits Literature Publishing Company, Taiwan Publishers Association, and the Fujian Min-Tai Book Company Ltd., authors from both China and Taiwan worked together with publishers to produce this important work. The collection was first made available on June 21 in Xiamen, following which it began being published on both sides of the strait. In July it went on sale across the island. An anthology of prose pieces written by both Chinese and Taiwanese authors, this collection describes the history and culture of 27 cities on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including 20 cities in the Mainland (Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Sanming, Putian, Nanping, Longyan, and Ningde in Fujian province; Wenzhou, Quzhou, and Lishui in Zhejiang province; Shantou, Meizhou, Chaozhou and Jieyang in Guangdong province; and Shangrao, Yingtan, Ganzhou, and Fuzhou in Jiangxi province), and seven cities in Taiwan (Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Jiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Hualien). Each volume follows the same structure arrangement of four chapters: “Searching for Historical Remains,” “Visiting the Sages of Yesteryear,” “The Verdant Landscape,” “A Taste of Local Customs.” These pieces can be read as prose, as literary compositions of hometowns, or even as travel guides for readers wanting to better understand a certain city. The publishers presented NCL and Director Chiang with complementary copies as a way of expressing appreciation for the many dedications and forewords written. The sets were presented by Vice-chairman of the Fujian Publisher’s Association Deng Baonan. The set donated to the National Taiwan University library was accepted by NTU library Director Chen Hsueh-hua. Political relations between China and Taiwan have been stable in recent years, leading to increasingly frequent interaction and cultural activities between the people of both countries. Economic growth and a rise in the standard of living in the Mainland have left people there with a greater thirst for knowledge. As a result, the cultural publication industry has flourished and publishers from all provinces in China have come to Taiwan in groups, putting on various kinds of promotional activities. In an expression of friendship, copies of the books on exhibit were presented to NCL. This not only deepens cross-strait relations, it also gives Taiwan readers more channels with which to understand China.