Since the Cold War concluded almost two decades ago and military rulings were relieved, Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, is facing the unprecedented transformation which has risen across the Taiwan Strait. The National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), the National Kinmen Institute of Technology (NKIT), Xiamen University, Tunghai University, and Quemoy descendents now living in the Southeast Asia will gather together and collaborate to establish so-called “New Life Community of Quemoy-Amoy”.

According to Dr. Michael M.C. Lai, the NCKU President, the “Quemoy Summit Forum” to be held on 29th of September at NKIT is just the first step for NCKU toward building up the home to Min-Nan (South Fujian Province) Culture and a global stage to Quemoy.

“Not only teaching quality and research achievement, but social service also the primary goal to be achieved in the pursuit of becoming the top-notch university,” added Dr. Michael M.C. Lai, the NCKU President.

NCKU, as the oldest engineering school nationwide, has been cultivating many excellent engineers devoted to manufacturing, construction and social services. NCKU played a vital and critical role in creating Taiwan’s “economic miracle” by helping Taiwan transform from an agriculture-based society to an industrialized entity during the 60’s and 70’s. NCKU has great experience in taking challenges with new missions.

Quemoy is a set of islands geographically situated off the western shore of the Taiwan Strait and very near Xiamen, also known as Amoy. Influenced by Zhu Xi (朱熹), a Confucianism maestro with millennium impact, the inhabitants of the islands, whose ancestors mostly migrated from inland China in the 12th and 13th centuries, was able to embellish and widen the robust classical Chinese culture. In addition, through the millennium complex historical transformations, such culture was able to amalgamate and alter the colonial Southeast Asia culture as well as the modern war-time culture. The culmination of these cultures in the last millennium not only gives rise to a new culture but also allows its careful preservation.

Facing the new era, Quemoy today is undergoing political, economical, social, educational, cultural and environmental transformations. Hence, it seems to be an especially apt time to invite leaders and experts, through the Forum platform and take the macroscopic as well as regional view points, to discuss the pulse of Quemoy and to search for its sustainable future and opportunities. The discussion in the Forum, based on the past, present and future of Quemoy, may lead to some reflections on the possible developments of Taiwan, China, Asia and the world at large.

The NCKU President, Dr. Michael M.C. Lai, pointed out two possibilities of developing new Quemoy. One is to unearth more precious heritages and relics which can make Quemoy the well-known academic area, while the other is to transform Quemoy into the new life community of Quemoy-Amoy with the global point of views based on academics.

The early emigrants from Quemoy and Amoy to former European colonies in the Southeast Asia to strive for better lives formed unique Min-Nan culture in the Southeast Asia and possessed abundant capital, which will not only be the precious asset to Quemoy, but also be the strong supporter for sustainable development of new life community of Quemoy-Amoy.

For example, Mr. Wee Cho Yaw (黃祖耀), the Chairman of Board of Director of the United Overseas Bank in Singapore, Mr. Yeoh Tiong Lay(楊忠禮), the founder of YTL Corporation Berhad in Malaysia, Mr. Yun-Jung, Jang(張允中), the founder of Pacific International Lines, Mr. Jin-Yi, Huang(黃進益), the Chairman of Quemoy Society in Jakarta (雅加達金門互助會) have shown high expectation and given support to the idea of transforming Quemoy into new community of Quemoy-Amoy, which was brought up by NCKU.

The strategic coalition and idea of constructing “new life circle of Quemoy-Amoy” created by NCKU and NKIT have been attracting attention from Xiamen University and Tunghai University as well as well-known domestic and global experts and leaders from Harvard University, National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, and Taipei College of Maritime Technology to come to this Forum.

Indeed, NCKU’s origin can be traced back to more than 350 years ago in Quemoy, where General Koxinga resided as a base to launch an expedition in order to expel the regime of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (the Dutch East India Company) at Tainan and finally restored Taiwan. Almost fifty years ago, the National Cheng Kung University was changed to its name in order to commemorate General Koxinga (aliased Cheng-Kung Cheng). Nowadays, NCKU is tracing its origin back to Quemoy and finds deep-rooted relationship between NCKU and Quemoy. As a research intensive and comprehensive university, NCKU has the obligation to help construct Quemoy, since there have been many aids from NCKU faculty in Quemoy’s infrastructure, such as Chin-Tien Hall (擎天廳), harbor, airport, reservoir, and fishing vessels.

The “Quemoy Summit Forum”, held at 29th of September at NKIT conference room will invite many experts and leaders from official agencies, academia and industrial sectors and Quemoy emigrants to the Southeast Asia to explore the sustainability, Tai-Min cultures, Southeast cultures, and globalization in Quemoy. Academician Wei-Ming Tu, regarded as a contemporary Confucianism maestro and also the Harvard-Yenching Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy and of Confucian Studies, will also give a lecture entitled “Enlightenment from Zhu Xi to contemporary Confucianism: strategy of social, economic and cultural development of Chinese” (從朱子到當代新儒學的啟示：華人社會經濟與文化發展戰略).
NCKU, represented by President Michael M.C. Lai, and NKIT, represented by the President Chin-Cheng Lee, signed a MOU on 8th of July this year to form strategic coalition with the aim to establish new life community of Quemoy-Amoy as well as new landscape for Quemoy. The topics of the declaration involve to develop Quemoy to the most complete and the only preserved “museum on the ground” for Min-Nan culture, to transform Quemoy into new life community of Quemoy-Amoy with the global point of views, to push new life community of Quemoy-Amoy as shared trial market for both sides of the Taiwan Strait and to seek the possibility of creating an economic and cultural common entity among Quemoy, Xiamen and the Southeast Asia.