wfn.org | TCN: Legacy of foreigners remembered in Taiwan

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>2995 Edition

>July 20~26, 2009

>Legacy of foreigners remembered in Taiwan

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

>Written by Lydia Ma

Academia Historica and Taiwan Public Television Service recently  worked

together on documenting the lives of foreigners who made  significant

contributions to Taiwan by creating a digital archive for  safekeeping purposes.

Both organizations also held a press conference on July 14th at  National Theatre

>and Concert Hall.

One of the three foreigners chosen recently for making significant  contributions to

Taiwan was James Laidlaw Maxwell (1836-1921) who came from England  as a

medical missionary and served in southern Taiwan.

Sin Lau Hospital CEO Dung Tsung-lin and Superintendent Huang  Tsuu-Yuan

were invited to attend the press conference as Maxwell was  instrumental in the

founding of Sin Lau Hospital, the first Western-style hospital in  Taiwan.

According to National Theatre and Concert Hall leaders, July 15th  is the 140th

anniversary of Matsunosuke Moriyama, the architect who designed  Taiwan’s

Presidential Palace. Matsunosuke Moriyama began a new era of  architecture

and design for public buildings in Taiwan and his legacy will also  be documented

>in the digital archives.

National Theatre leaders and Taiwan Public Television leaders  thought it was

fitting to use Matsunosuke Moriyama’s anniversary to honor  all foreigners who

>made exceptional contributions to Taiwan.

The other foreigner honored recently with a digital archive is  Isonaga Yoshi, who

>developed Taiwan’s Penglai Rice.

Dung said during his speech that, as one of the founders of the  Presbyterian

Church in Taiwan, Maxwell used Western medicine to serve Taiwanese  people

before and during the Japanese colonization of Taiwan. What set  Maxwell apart

was that he not only treated people’s physical ailments, but  also tended to their

hearts so they could be healed physically, emotionally, and  spiritually. Maxwell

fused medicine with evangelism and that is why PCT ministries have  always

emphasized medicine, evangelism, education, and service.

In the past, people in Taiwan had to endure epidemics such as  malaria without

hope or treatment, but thanks to the work medical missionaries,  the outbreak of

malaria and other diseases slowed down significantly as remedies  were found.

Maxwell’s contribution not only benefited Taiwan, but also  contributed to the

advancement of medical technology in the world.

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