The Chinese-language edition of a book written by the governor-general of Belize was launched in Taiwan yesterday to help Taiwanese learn more about the Central American country, one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.
The book, Pataki Full: Seven Belizean Short Stories, is a milestone, in that it is a book by a Central American writer published in Mandarin, Belize Governor-General Colville Young said at the book launch in Taipei, which was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It’s about the culture of Belize,” he said.
The idea of a Chinese edition of the book was brought up in December last year. Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) 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 there.
Commenting on the book’s title, Young said that the word pataki refers to a special kind of basket used in his country.
By including it in the book’s title, he said he wanted to help preserve the traditional heritage of Belize.
“It is a good read, especially for teenagers and young adults,” the Taiwanese publisher of the Chinese edition of the book said.
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.
Belize used to be a British colony and is a member of the Commonwealth after gaining its independence in 1981.
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