Tags: archive | Buddhism | database | documents

In response to the electronic information age of the 21st century and the new era’s trend such as the rapid expansion of Internet, brisk growth of digital documentation and electronic publications, and information sharing, Dharma Drum Buddhist College aims to establish comprehensive “Buddhist Digital Reference Databases” and embarks on long-term constructions of multiple databases. The following projects, with the exception of the last one, are currently sponsored by the National Science Council. ......

Tags: KMT | reunion | Waishengren

The term“Taiwan waishengren” in general refers to Chinese of mainland origins who settled in Taiwan since 1945 but before 1987, when ban on cross Taiwan Strait visits was lifted after thirty-six years. The term also refers to the younger generations who grow up in Taiwan with mainlander family background. The majority of early generation mainland Chinese arrived in Taiwan between 1949 and 1951 when Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) was on retreat in gruesome civil war with the Communist Chinese. About one to one and half million of people escaped to Taiwan with the KMT government as a result. Many of them had previously been teachers or students, or worked for the government or the military. Waishengren’s journeys of migration and final settlement in Taiwan, and later, their “homebound movement” which challenged the government’s taboo restriction were not only significant in modern history between China and Taiwan, but also a rare incident in refugee history.

Tags: culture | street life

In the agrarian society of years past, the covered sidewalks in front of shops and the corners of streets where temples, marketplaces, organizations, and railway stations were found were the cradles of Taiwan's street culture that comprised the daily experience of Taiwan's people. ......

Tags: development | JCRR | KMT

After retreating to Taiwan, the Republic of China's (ROC) Kuomintang government became determined to improve the people's lives. In addition to building basic infrastructure and implementing social and spiritual measures, it promoted land reform. With US aid, it established the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Construction (JCRR) to push forward various rural projects. The US Economic Cooperation Agency (ECA) (later reorganized into the Mutual Security Agency; MSA) supplied Taiwan with essential goods such as flour and powder milk. ......

Tags: democracy | DPP | KMT | politics

The word "democracy" has been an indelible part of the past 2500 years of human history. Over such a long period, democracy has been continuously explored, debated, upheld, attacked, ignored, built up, practiced, and destroyed. It has been put into practice time and again. Whatever setbacks it has encountered, democracy has, without question, remained germane to people's lives. Looking at democratic nations around the world, it can be said that most have undergone three phases in their democratic development. The first was a transformation from non-democracy to democracy. The second saw the establishment of various democratic institutions. Finally, democracy was strengthened in a comprehensive manner. ......