Official sponsorship
Taiwan's tae-kwondo system is structured a bit like a pyramid, with the large numbers of children learning the sport providing the foundation for its development and the studios functioning as its promoter.
But when the sport was first getting its start in Taiwan, it had a distinctly official character.
In Korea, where tae-kwondo originated, tae means to kick, kwon to punch, and do a method or school. Martial arts like tae-kwondo have been used throughout Korean history to train soldiers in hand-to-hand combat techniques.
After World War 2, many of the Korean martial arts experts who had fled abroad during the war returned home with new techniques from the countries in which they'd taken refuge. Korea formed the Tae Soo Do Association in 1961 to promote the martial arts. A few years later, that organization changed its name to the Tae-kwondo Association. Korea then placed the sport under the auspices of the Korean Sports Council, and began using it in the military.
When Chiang Ching-kuo visited Korea in 1966 during his tenure as defense minister, the Korean military arranged for him to see soldiers undergoing tae-kwondo training. Impressed, Chiang decided to introduce the sport, which stressed manners, justice, obedience and patience, to Taiwan. He chose to do so via the division of the military most likely to engage in hand-to-hand fighting: the marines.
Acknowledging the widespread "recover the mainland" mentality of Taiwan in the martial-law era, tae-kwondo was introduced as the "recover the mainland" style of martial art.
"In the 1970s, Chiang brought Korean military instructors to Taiwan to teach tae-kwondo," recalls Wang Zheng-xiong, a former national coach. "These soldiers became seed instructors here." Wang says that he, like many other senior tae-kwondo coaches, first learned from a retired military trainer.
Tae-kwondo quickly spread to the police as well. In 1987 Luo Chang, a former soldier who headed the National Police Agency and the CTTA, made tae-kwondo a part of ongoing police training. With tens of thousands of soldiers and police practicing the sport, it soon put down deep roots in Taiwan.
Yang Shu-chun, who has chosen to continue competing in spite of her unfair treatment at last year's Asian Games, is focusing on preparations for the 2012 Olympics. In the photo, Yang takes a vow on behalf of participants in a contest to select the national team.