President Chen Shui-bian attended a press conference for the publication of "Literature Reader," stressing the urgent need of introducing Taiwan literature into youth education.
"Education and culture are the cornerstones of our country and the foundations of our national development. In order to promote our national competitiveness, our youths need to learn more about international cultures, and learn to respect and appreciate them," said the president.
At the same time, the president emphasized the importance of identifying with the land and its culture. "We will find ourselves rootless and lost in the trend of globalization if we are ambiguous in self-identification and apathetic to our homeland," accentuated the president.
Therefore, in order to deepen the youth's identification with the land and broaden high school students' horizon of Taiwan's literature and historical contexts, the Ministry of Education started a "Taiwan Youth Literary Treasury Series" project in 2004, aiming to introduce Taiwan study into youth education. "Literature Reader" is the first publication of this series.
"The Literature Reader has remarkable literary, artistic, and social values," the president said, referring to its plural and comprehensive scope. The "Literature Reader" has 12 volumes and is composed of works of such genres as poetry, fiction, and prose. The compilation of the reader also crosses spatial-temporal boundaries; it covers works of the Japanese colonial and the post-war periods and works written by native Taiwanese, Taiwanese born in mainland China, and new immigrants coming from overseas.
"The 'Literature Reader' will open the eyes of the youth and invite them to the world of Taiwan literature," said the president, believing that the rich contents of Taiwan literature will help develop a more liberal and all-embracing Taiwan culture.