Bountiful Harvest Brings Joy in Taiwan

TAIWAN is an island 240 miles [390 km] long by 90 miles [140 km] wide. With a population of more than 20,000,000, it is one of the most densely populated regions of the world. Most of its inhabitants speak Chinese, or Mandarin Chinese as Westerners call it. But several dialects and about 13 tribal languages are also spoken here.

Located on the Tropic of Cancer, Taiwan is a very fertile island, producing such bountiful harvests of rice and other crops that it has become a food exporter. However, a harvest of another kind is bringing great joy to those engaged in it. This is a spiritual harvest of those responding favorably to the “good news of the kingdom.”​—Matthew 24:14.

A Small Initial Planting

The work of sowing seeds of Bible truth in Taiwan began about 60 years ago, when a representative of the Watch Tower Society came from Japan and delivered some Bible lectures in Taipei, the capital. One young Japanese man by the name of Saburo Ochiai responded favorably to the Kingdom message and soon began talking to others about it. Later, two full-time ministers from Japan went about the island, sowing seeds of the good news. Finally, they were imprisoned by the Japanese warlords and gave their lives for the cause of God’s Kingdom. Many of the seeds they had sown sprouted quickly among the Amis tribe, but little interest was found among the numerous Chinese people living on the west coast of the island. They are predominantly Buddhists or Taoists.

The spiritual harvest work in Taiwan has gone on from that small beginning, so that today the island has become a productive field. For example, in the last five years, 529 persons were baptized, mostly from among the Chinese population. This brought the number of Kingdom proclaimers on the island to a peak of 1,552 in 1989. Yes, Taoists, Buddhists, and nominal Christians are responding to the good news and are learning about Jehovah God! But what is it like to talk about the Bible to people with such different backgrounds? And what have been the results?

Cordial Response Versus Genuine Interest

The preaching work in Taiwan is both rewarding and challenging because the Chinese people are cordial by nature. Generally, they politely listen to visitors. When Bible literature is offered, it is often accepted out of courtesy. Consequently, some full-time ministers have placed up to 300 magazines or have obtained 100 subscriptions to our journals in a single month. Over the years, many Bibles, books, magazines, and tracts have been left with the people. Why, then, has the increase in Kingdom publishers been comparatively slow?

One reason involves the Confucian ideas that have molded the people’s thinking for centuries. According to Confucius, he who “by respect for the Spirits keeps them at a distance, may be termed wise.”a The idea is that a wise person does not get too involved with the worship of spirits or gods. Thus, many may be curious about the Kingdom message, but few want to get involved in Bible study. Then, too, although the Chinese believe in many spirits and gods, the concept of a supreme Creator is quite foreign to most of them. Furthermore, even such common Bible characters as Abraham and David may mean little to them. Therefore, it is not difficult to see why much time and patience are needed to help people here to accept the Bible as God’s inspired Word and to develop a personal relationship with the Creator, Jehovah God. With Jehovah’s blessing, however, such efforts are being rewarded.

Stimulus for Growth

For many years, the congregations of Jehovah’s people in Taiwan used rented halls for their meetings. The need for a more suitable meeting place was brought to the attention of the elders in one congregation when an interested person remarked: “If you have the truth, what are you doing in such a place as this? Why don’t you have a permanent meeting place?” So with reliance on Jehovah, that congregation started looking for a suitable location for a Kingdom Hall. Finally, they purchased two adjoining apartments in a large building, and now they have a fine Kingdom Hall.

In the last six years, 11 Kingdom Halls have been built or purchased in Taiwan. In each case, this has resulted in an increased harvest and a large meeting attendance. One example was the congregation in the southern city of Tainan. In 1981 this large city of 600,000 people had only one small congregation of 44 Kingdom publishers. Out of necessity this group decided to build their own Kingdom Hall. With faith that Jehovah would bless them, the brothers and sisters pushed ahead with the project even though the hall would cost about $200,000. Some contributed their dowry gold; others postponed overseas trips. Everyone in the congregation gave full support. When the brothers at the Watch Tower Society’s branch office learned of this project, they decided to build a missionary home over the Kingdom Hall, thus sharing half the cost. The hall was completed within two years. The result? By the time the Kingdom Hall was finished, the total number of publishers had reached 74! At the present time, two congregations, with a total of 160 publishers, are using that hall, and the weekly meeting attendance averages about 250. The two congregations are now planning to build a second Kingdom Hall.

Harvest Among Tribal Groups

The harvest among the tribal groups on the east coast of Taiwan has been going on since the very beginning of the Kingdom work on the island. Some of the Amis people who first learned the truth over 50 years ago are still active. Over the years, they have met many challenges. During the Japanese occupation in World War II, they had to learn Japanese. When the island was returned to China after the war, they had to learn the Chinese language. In the early 1960’s, they faced a test of another kind. At that time many prominent ones of the Amis tribe left Jehovah’s clean organization or proved unsuitable for association with it. Through all of this, a core of faithful Witnesses continued to serve Jehovah. Many of the grandchildren of these loyal older brothers and sisters are now taking the lead in the preaching work.

People from other tribal groups have also progressed spiritually. For example, there is a faithful group of Kingdom publishers among the Bunun tribe. Some of their recent forefathers were headhunters. Now these people are preaching the peaceful message of God’s Kingdom. The Lukai and Paiwan tribes have also received a fine witness, and many among them have made major changes in their lives. Ba Chu Fu recounts his experience, saying:

“I was born in the mountainous region of Pingtung. Since my father was a chief of the Lukai tribe, people would bring gifts of food, so we did not have to do any heavy work. Because of this atmosphere, I developed a very haughty spirit. I became the ‘chief’ of a gang of young hoodlums, threatening people and extorting money from them. I was feared in my village. At the age of 22, I took one of my many girlfriends as a wife. But immoral living and heavy drinking were so deeply rooted in me that I found married life difficult to accept. Soon our marriage fell apart, and I returned to my old life-style.

“About this time, my wife started to attend the meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was not interested and considered myself an atheist. As a result of the sincere and zealous efforts of my wife, however, in 1973 I agreed to accompany her to an international convention in Taipei. We stayed with a Witness family. The Chinese sister’s kindness and unprejudiced manner made an indelible impression on me. Upon returning home, I started to study the Bible and made a sincere effort to change. I was baptized in 1974.

“Since then, there have been many tests. One was to learn to read Chinese. Isolation was another. Because there were no mature brothers to associate with or to seek help from, I was encouraged to rely on Jehovah. I learned to be humble and to stick to Jehovah’s organization. The result? Today, all in my family are active in the truth. I have the privilege of being a ministerial servant in the congregation, which now has 60 zealous publishers. Even though I do not have any special talent, Jehovah has blessed and supported my efforts in the harvest work.”

The Harvest Continues

Taiwan is just a small part of the worldwide field. Yet, Jesus’ words, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few,” also hold true here. (Matthew 9:37) Last year, 4,534 attended the Memorial of Christ’s death. And as the harvest moves on to a climax, the workers who have been toiling in Taiwan are reaping with a joyful cry.​—Compare Psalm 126:5, 6.

[Footnotes]

[Map/​Pictures on page 31]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

JAPAN

CHINA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

[Pictures]

A Kingdom Hall recently built on the east coast of Taiwan

Kingdom proclaimers bring joy to many in this verdant land