2021 marks the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s accession to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Through this multilateral platform, Taiwan is able to interact with many members with which it does not have formal diplomatic relations. In APEC, Taiwan shares its best practice with others and showcases its robust economic strength and ability to contribute to the world.
“Awesome!” On the Olympic archery range, Taiwan’s men’s archery team members Wei Chun-heng, Deng Yu-cheng, and Tang Chih-chun shout and bump fists to cheer each other on. Relying on their energy and rapport, they came from two sets down in the 1/8 eliminations and shot five tens in the fourth set to tie it up, then eventually won by scoring 28 points on three shots in the shoot-off. They maintained that momentum to reach the finals.
Twenty-year-old Lin Yun-ju was vaulted into stardom by his performance at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, when he and his female partner Cheng I-ching took a bronze medal for Taiwan in the table tennis mixed doubles. However, what most people do not realize about Taiwan’s new table tennis star is that he has already been in the game for more than a decade. This Olympics merely helped kick-start his rising career.
Taiwan’s citizens were deeply moved by the sight of their Olympic flag being raised at the Tokyo Games. The gold-medal-winning badminton men’s doubles pair Wang Chi-lin and Lee Yang were likewise overjoyed. Their performance showed the world the boundless potential of Taiwan’s badminton players.
At the Tokyo Games, weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun lifted 133 kilograms in the clean and jerk and 103 in the snatch, enough to set new Olympic records and win the gold medal she had dreamed of. But she still had one attempt left in the clean and jerk.
When Julia Chu was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 15, her life was turned upside down. Having undergone numerous operations, she is safe now, although she has lost her sight and the hearing in one ear. Picking herself up from life’s potholes, she has become Taiwan’s first blind counseling psychologist. For Chu, her vision loss has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
In her 12-year badminton career, Shen Yan-ru (Zoe Shen), now 22 years old and a student in the Graduate Institute of Physical Education at National Taiwan Sport University, has achieved a number of distinctions.
Known as “Grandpa Clown,” Chang Shih-ming is a street performer who suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. Sitting in his wheelchair and wearing a clown costume, he uses balloon art to interact with others. Laughter fills the air wherever Chang goes.
Lo Chia-ling, whose kicks in the Tokyo Olympics were precise, swift, and fierce, is outside the ring a sincere and upbeat young woman who scrupulously abides by the spirit of Taekwondo. “In fact, I was more nervous during the qualifying events than I was in the formal competition.” Thinking back on her experience, she can’t help but laugh. “By the time I got to the formal competition, my mind was calm, and I wasn’t worried about winning or losing.”
At age 21, Chang Bu, like her fellow undergraduates, was in the prime of life. No one guessed that in that year she would be diagnosed with a type of bone cancer with an incidence of only around one case per million people per year. With her life plans derailed overnight, the young woman ventured into a world she had never imagined.
