by Douglas Habecker

Needless to say, it isn't every day that a very large book store literally sails into town. However, that will be the case on September 6, when the MV Doulos docks at Taichung Port for a one-month visit.

The port call by one of the world's largest floating book exhibitions marks the third time that Taichung residents have had the pleasure of boarding the classic white liner to browse through a wide range of reading materials. The Doulos first visited in 1991, when a standing world record of 24,000 visitors in a single day was set. This was followed by another successful visit in 1996.

On her third visit to Taichung, the Doulos will be open daily to the public from September 7 to October 2. As in the past, visitors will be able to walk through a wide selection of reading material--in English and Chinese--for all ages. Ship organizers are anticipating at least 100,000 visitors during the Taichung port call, which follows a similar month-long stay in Kaohsiung and a May visit to Hualien. In addition to the book exhibition, the ship will also hold various cultural and English-learning programs and will be sending special teams to reach out to central Taiwan's earthquake victims.

Besides the 5,000-plus titles and 500,000 volumes that the ship carries, there are plenty of fascinating facts surrounding the Doulos. Current Guinness world record-holder for 'oldest active ocean-going passenger ship', the 6,804-ton, 130-meter-long vessel was built in Newport News, Virginia in 1914, about three years after the Titanic sank.

< NEXT >