Discovery Channel Premieres TAIWAN REVEALED

A Collaboration With R.O.C. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Taiwan's medical, agricultural and technological breakthroughs catch worldwide attention

Air time for TAIWAN REVEALED on Discovery Channel:

(June 3, 2014, Taipei) Did you know that toes can be transplanted to become fingers? This new-fangled technique is the creation of Taiwan’s very own Dr. Fu-Chan Wei. How can a membrane magically purify industrial wastewater that has been a giant headache for countries all over the world? Who would’ve known that unused coffee grounds can be turned into eco-friendly, odour-control apparels marketed across the globe? Discovery Channel has teamed up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to enlist top production teams in Taiwan to roll out a new series of TAIWAN REVEALED. This program features amazing feats—some of the world’s firsts—in medicine, technology and agriculture happening. Today, the TAIWAN REVEALED press premiere is held at the Taipei Guest House, and graced by President Ma Ying-jeou, ambassadors from around the world, key figures in the programmes and friends from the media. The invited guests have expressed their congratulations on the enlightening and touching TAIWAN REVEALED, which premieres every Thursdays at 10 P.M. starting from June 5 in Taiwan, with Discovery HD World airing on the same day at 10:40 PM.

"This year marks Discovery Channel’s 20th anniversary in the Asia-Pacific region. Discovery is committed to telling compelling local stories from a global perspective. Our collaborative programmes in Taiwan have been extremely fruitful. Over the last 10 years, Discovery Channel and the R.O.C. government have worked together to produce seven documentary series that have snatched numerous international awards. The new season of TAIWAN REVEALED series will be aired across the Asia-Pacific region in 36 countries and territories, reaching more than 190 million viewers. Discovery Channel puts the spotlight on the creative “Made In Taiwan” spirit, allowing global viewers to better understand this land, its people, and its contribution to our global community, while fulfilling its mission in quenching the thirst for knowledge and curiosity to learn," noted Arjan Hoekstra, President and Managing Director, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific.

"Taiwan is proud to be a frontrunner in the field of medicine, technology, culture, education and even humanitarian assistance. These hard-earned achievements should be shared with our friends across the globe, so that people can get a better picture of the modern Taiwan. The collaboration with the Discovery Channel dives into stories of innovation in Taiwan and the heroes behind the scene. Also, the programmes demonstrate how novel technology and traditional industries are creating sparks of ingenuity. We hope the new programmes can receive prestigious recognition and critical acclaim, alike their predecessor TAIWAN REVEALED: THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE that put Taiwan in the limelight," said David Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

TAIWAN REVEALED international premiere—ambassadors applaud Taiwan's innovative power

Forty ambassadors and representatives from various countries were invited to the premiere to be the first to see highlights from the all-new TAIWAN REVEALED. Key figures in the programmes include Dr. Fu-Chan Wei, a top surgeon and an Academician at Academia Sinica; professor Kuo-Lun Tung, who came up with a revolutionizing method for wastewater treatment; Dr. Jian-Hao Chen, manager at Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technology making next-generation eco-friendly fuel-cell motorbikes. Together, they’ve talked about the implications behind the innovative surge of energy in Taiwan. As the footage moves from an operating room, to laboratory, to plantations, to reservoirs and to plant factories, all attendees caught a sneak peek into how innovative technology is used in telecommunications, textiles, transportation, beauty products, electronics and animations. They’ve lauded Taiwan’s perpetual innovation!

President Ma, Minister Lin, Mr. Hoekstra and Tommy Lin (SVP & GM, North Asia, DNAP) officially announced the launch of TAIWAN REVEALED in the Asia Pacific region, and the occasion was commemorated by a group photo taken with guests appearing in the three programmes. Together, they cordially invited all of Asia to experience Taiwan's extraordinary capacity for innovation!

TAIWAN REVEALED: glancing into Taiwan's remarkable breakthroughs in medicine, technology and agriculture

Dr. Wei was the only Asian to be selected as one of the 20 most important innovators in plastic surgery’s 500 years of history by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In BODY RECONSTRUCTED, he shows how he performed miracles on a man who lost his right hand in an accident, a woman who suffered from a punctured water-leaking hole in her left jaw and another woman who lost her right-lower jaw to a gunshot. Dr. Wei connects blood vessels and nerves using suture thinner than the human hair, utilizing innovative enhanced surgical techniques in the toe-to-hand transfer, fibula bone flap and perforator flaps. Dr. Wei’s surgical techniques have become exemplary for operating rooms worldwide and are rewriting the standards for surgical treatment of injuries and cancer. With a whopping success rate of 97.5%, Dr. Wei’s reputation is magnetizing doctors from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, other distinguished medical institutions and Taiwan to study his incredible techniques. Dr. Wei fixed and repaired these patients' bodies and helped them restore their dignity.

Farmers in Taiwan are confronted with unprecedented challenges. This is where innovators come in to the rescue. Packed with four stories on new innovations, CONVENIENT TRUTHS takes the audience on a journey into the eco-friendly future of cutting-edge agriculture. One story features a new high-tech LED lighting calibrated to the optimal spectrum to help produce gorgeous water bamboos and to cut the electric bill by an astonishing 90%. A military-grade sensor system predicts fruit flies invasions for safeguard guava farms, so that farmers can save their fruits in advance. Also, tattoos on bees are a unique ID tracking system used to unfold the enigma behind their massive disappearance. In addition, a special membrane works wonders to turn strong acid and alkali wastewaters into reusable water.

INNOVATION ISLAND boasts ingenious out-of-box innovations hailing from Taiwan. Behold a new transparent touch-screen mobile phone made from optical glass and an eco-friendly odour-control clothing-line made from coffee grounds. Also, witness how Taiwan's Apollo Solar Car Team is applying solar electricity to commercial vehicles. And there's the emission-free fuel-cell-powered motorbike that uses only hydrogen and exhausts water, and the world's smallest MagLev motor fan that is durable, high-temperature resistant and only the size of your nail. Furthermore, witness how biotechnology turns ordinary sea salt into patented beauty products and get creative with world-leading 2D/3D simulation software. Soft power doesn’t get any better than this.

BODY RECONSTRUCTED, CONVENIENT TRUTHS, and INNOVATION ISLAND are respectively produced by Imaging Image Production, Flowing Films and Infocus Asia. They spent nearly one year preparing and shooting these programs in  HD. These captivating stories document Taiwan's harbinger status in microscopic reconstruction surgery, eco-friendly plus energy-saving agricultural technology to make crop production more efficient. The program showcases innovation-driven technology products that have shocked the world. TAIWAN REVEALED premieres on June 5 (Thursday) and the following Thursdays at 10:00 PM in Taiwan on the Discovery Channel, with Discovery HD World Channel airing at 10:40 PM of the same day.

Air time for Taiwan Revealed on Discovery HD World Channel:

Collaborative programme series between Discovery Channel and the R.O.C. Government: