The Greater Tainan Government unveiled a bronze bust of Wang King-ho (王金河), a famed doctor popularly known as the “Father of Blackfoot Disease,” on National Doctors’ Day on Nov. 12.
The statue was a project of the city’s Tourism Bureau to honor Wang for his work in combating blackfoot disease, a condition caused by drinking arsenic-contaminated well water. The bust was installed at the Taiwan Blackfoot Disease Socio-Medical Service Memorial Park in Beimen District (北門), where Wang used to have his clinic.
Although some locals have expressed mixed feelings about the event — because of the customary practice of honoring someone with a statue only if the individual has passed away — Wang, 98, said he did not feel that the statue was a curse, adding that he was enjoying the occasion.
Photo: Yang Chin-cheng, Taipei Times
“I didn’t really do any great work. Actually, I feel guilty because the local government had to go through all the trouble of carving and producing this bronze sculpture for me,” he said modestly. “Anyway, I like it.”
“It looks a lot like me, very handsome,” Wang said.
The bust was made by bronze master Hsiao Chi-lang (蕭啟郎), who highlighted Wang’s esteemed attributes of benevolence and generosity in medical service.
Wang’s eldest son, Wang Chao-lung (王朝龍), said the idea of having a bust of his father did feel odd at first, but he later decided not to refuse the bureau’s good intention.
Greater Tainan Tourism Bureau Director Julian Chen (陳俊安) said the bust “is to salute Wang King-ho’s lifetime’s work on blackfoot disease.”
“His dedication and sacrifice for the cause is like the spirit of Albert Schweitzer [doctor and Nobel Peace Prize winner] for people in southern Taiwan. The Tainan government wants to commemorate his great deeds and dedication for future generations to remember,” Chen said.
Guided tours and information displays at the memorial park, along with Wang King-ho’s bust, give visitors a better understanding of the history and medical developments in blackfoot disease, as well as the doctor’s unselfish service to society, he added.
With the aid of the Mustard Seed Mission, a Christian charity, Wang King-ho set up a free clinic for the treatment of blackfoot disease in the then-Beimen Township in 1960.
That began his more than 25 years of practice mainly dedicated to the treatment of blackfoot disease. At one time, the clinic took in more than 80 patients who lived and were treated for free at the clinic.
For patients who died destitute, Wang King-ho also helped pay for their funeral expenses.
After World War II, Wang King-ho was elected the first township chief of Beimen, and went on to serve two terms on the then-Tainan county council.
Wang is also a recipient of the Lifetime Medical Service Award and Outstanding Tainan Citizen Award for his work.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS