Land and the People--The Republic of China

In 114 color photographs, Harmon, who has worked for Newsweek and Time-Life, captures Taiwan's scenic beauty and portrays an island of contrasts--bustling cityscapes and aboriginal tribes, modern factories and terraced hillside farms, neon-lit Taipei nightlife and colorful Buddhist festivals. Introducing this visual showcase is a short but powerful piece by Madame Chiang Kai-shek, widow of the Republic's first constitutional president. Here she outlines the nation's history, but also displays her contempt for the mainland's Communist government, calling her country ``the legitimate government of all China.'' Not all contributors are as contentious, however: in brief essays, some Taiwanese business and government leaders call for greater economic cooperation with the People's Republic. In another essay, former U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger (now publisher of Forbes ) urges U.S. policymakers to forge closer diplomatic ties with the rapidly changing nation of Taiwan. ( Aug.)