Taiwan launches cloud platform for book lovers

Taiwan now looms as a haven for book lovers on the go, after it launched its first cloud —or Internet-based— platform for books. On Thursday, the Taiwan Digital Publishing Forum launched the 1000ebooks website, which allows access to new literary canons. According to Taiwan Vice President Vincent Siew, this design is a major breakthrough for readers, injecting new life into classical literature and offering new methods of learning. He added the new cloud platform will allow Taiwan to enrich e-book content, and help build the digital book industry. Siew attended the website's inauguration ceremony at the National Central Library (NCL), Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. He Fei-peng, chairman of the publishing forum, said the cloud platform will enable access to new literary canons, allowing people to read wherever they go, share comments, interpretations and discussions through social websites, and edit typos of the books online. Siew noted literary works in the cloud can give Taiwan the opportunity to develop its culture and soft-power in both the global and Chinese-speaking communities. He also noted the project had to overcome the obstacles of selecting 1,000 books and obtain permission for copyright material. Books from 1840-1990 were selected by experts, netizens, and a panel of nine judges. Many out-of-print books can be accessed by 21st century readers through the online platform, such as Zhang Zhidong's "Extortion of Studies," said Siew. Zhang, a politician in the late Qing Dynasty, published the book in 1898, and his ideas of "Chinese learning for fundamental principles and Western learning for practical application" influenced many at the time. Not only is reading a method of self-enrichment, it is also the driving force behind the society's advancement, said Siew. He voiced hopes reading will become a nationwide movement and help raise Taiwan's competitiveness. — TJD, GMA News