Governor General of Belize, H.E. Sir Colville Young, just recently concluded a productive five-day visit to Taiwan where he officially launched the Chinese Edition of his Belizean book “Pataki Full: Seven Belizean Short Stories” at a press conference hosted by H.E. David Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The book was launched in Taiwan to help Taiwanese learn more about Belize who has become one of the country’s diplomatic allies. It is believed that this translation marks the first time that a book by a CARICOM writer has been translated into Chinese. As such, this is a historic occasion and marks a notable strengthening of the ties of culture and friendship between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Belize.
The idea of a Chinese edition of the book was brought up in December last year. Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin said that when he visited Belize at that time, he received the English edition as a gift from Young. At that time, Young also expressed his desire to share the book with Taiwanese and “suggested that it be translated into Chinese and published in Taiwan,” Lin said.
The book comprises seven folk stories that portray the natural environment of Belize, the philosophy of the local people and the reality of society in the country. To help readers learn more about Belize, the book also includes a few pages of information on the country, such as its population (about 400,000) and its six main ethnic groups.
H.E. Sir Colville Young concluded his visit with a donation of his books to the Jimei Elementary School in Taipei, Taiwan.
H.E. Sir Colville Young and Mr. Alan Slusher, Mr. Alan Slusher, President of the University of Belize, called on His Excellency Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China, His Excellency David Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as His Excellency Timothy Yang, Vice President of the National Policy Foundation where both parties discussed areas of continued cooperation.
The Governor General H.E. Sir Colville Young and Mr. Alan Slusher also visited the Kaohsiung Public Library and the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) where the delegation was briefed on the ongoing projects between the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Belize. H.E. Sir Colville Young and Mr. Alan Slusher also took the opportunity to meet and engage with some Belizean students studying in Taiwan.
