The Origins of MJW Association

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

President Lee Teng-Hui regarded the “Science Division in San Francisco” as a vital diplomatic gateway and instructed the creation of the “Monte Jade West America Science and Technology Association” (MJW), a third-sector platform to foster Taiwan’s high-tech industries.

When Chiang Ching-Kuo visited my company, Cheng Kuang Precision Industrial Co., Ltd., in 1974 to inspect what he astonished my “automated mechanical corps,” he was deeply impressed. In his astonishment, he referred to me as the “Father of Taiwan’s Precision Industry” (at my age of 21 years old). He then asked me to use technological capability to assist the nation in conducting “people-to-people diplomacy.”

As a result, I helped my longtime friend, Tainan Mayor Chang Li-Tang, establish a sister-city relationship with "San Jose" in California, thereby building a direct bridge between Taiwan and Silicon Valley.

Fig 1: Li-Chang Kuo creating Taiwan’s Precision Industry in 1974.

In 1975, San Jose Mayor Janet Gray Hayes led a delegation to visit Tainan. Members of the delegation included engineers from IBM—many of whom were Taiwanese. Because I had long been interested in the "Third Sector" and was also a member of the Junior Chamber, I believed that establishing a “Yushan Technology Association” in San Jose could promote the exchange of talent, capital, and new products.

Indeed, we held discussions at "Cheng Kuang Precision" by the Yanshuei River — about how to invest in and develop what would become the future "Personal Computer" (PC) industry. In the authoritarian era of the time, establishing a Third Sector organization in Taiwan was virtually impossible, so Mayor Hayes and the delegation members all enthusiastically supported the idea.

A saying circulated in those days: “Silicon Valley technology influences the world, but Cheng Kuang Precision influences Silicon Valley.”

Fig 2: Cheng Kuang Precision — the cradle of world technology.

From the photographs, it is clear that by 1974 Cheng Kuang Precision Industrial already possessed a sizable modern factory complex, along with three affiliated companies. Our core focus at the time was "technology development and new product innovation."

This originated from my relentless effort in December 1966, when I succeeded in producing the "ultra-fine eyelets" requested by the American company (Avnet). With assistance from two professors at National Cheng Kung University — Professor Yao Jing-Bo of Electrical Engineering and Professor Ma Cheng-Jiu of Mechanical Engineering — we produced an "Approval Sheet" verifying the specifications. This enabled NASA to realize the "Plated Through Hole" (PTH) concept, leading to orders that triggered a wave of foreign investment into the Kaohsiung Export Processing Zone (KEPZ). That opportunity allowed me to help establish Taiwan’s Precision Industry.

However, Taiwan rarely enjoyed three consecutive years of prosperity. In 1969 I moved away from Chong-An Street — leaving behind a humiliating chapter — and relocated my family to Lane 451 on Park Road. At that time "vacuum tubes were being phased out," and numerous electronics factories collapsed. It seemed that only Mr. Chen Yung-Tien of Yongfu Electric Company was still struggling to continue.

We developed many products that ultimately failed, until orders for "Portable Transistor Tape Recorders" began pouring into Taiwan. The “Lucky” brand helped sustain Taiwan’s economy in the early 1970s.

Around that time, an American named Mr. Dieska arrived and spoke about the severe economic conditions in the United States. We proceeded to develop hundreds of products, eventually selecting the "Satellite Receiver" as the next-generation product. Together with the earlier discussions with the San Jose delegation about "Personal Computer" (PC), Cheng Kuang Precision effectively held the key to the future treasury.

Unfortunately, I had to fulfill my military service.

On January 25, 1977, Chiang Ching-Kuo unexpectedly came to Chenggongling Military Training Center and delivered a message to me:

“The fiercest storms cannot drown a man with confidence…; The cruelest enemy cannot defeat a man with determination.”

His intention was unclear. Yet I still had to remain in the military for two years, and therefore could not travel to the United States to develop “Satellite Receivers and Personal Computers” until January 1, 1979, the day when President Jimmy Carter announced the severing of diplomatic relations between the United States and Chiang Ching-Kuo’s Republic of China government.

The strangest episode during my service was that although I had been an infantry platoon leader, I was suddenly reassigned to the political warfare branch and transferred from a frontline unit to become the acting supervisory officer of the "Third Political Section" in the 104th Division.

One day in 1978, shortly before my discharge, the division commander suddenly asked me during a meal: “Brother Kuo, would you like to continue serving the nation?”

I replied: “I am preparing to go to the United States to develop satellite receivers and personal computers. That is my way of serving the nation.”

The officers present had no idea how to respond.

After leaving the military, I worked relentlessly and eventually earned NTD 6 million. I promptly used the entire amount to increase the registered capital of Cheng Kuang Precision “from NTD 1 million to NTD 6 million,” despite having already invested over NTD 10 million to establish the company.

I then entrusted the money to my mother — known simply as “A-Jin,” who had already become a well-known "Empress Dowager Cixi" in Tainan. I specifically instructed her to allocate funds for my younger brothers’ education.

Then, risking my life, on the very day diplomatic relations were severed, I departed from Taipei Songshan Airport, transferred through Narita International Airport, and flew to the United States.

Originally I had believed that all "SSC quotas" had already been transferred to China. However, when I applied, the interviewing officer asked about my purpose in coming to America. When I answered: “Creating jobs”— developing new products such as "Satellite Receiver" —he immediately issued me a SSC on the spot.

Thus, on March 13, 1979, in New York City, I founded "Black Stone Co." (BSC)—an angel investment fund designed to help vulnerable entrepreneurs survive difficult beginnings.

My greatest discovery was this: "In that environment, I had no natural enemies."

In 1979, old friends including Su Nan-Cheng and Lee Teng-Hui, then Mayor of Taipei, came to the United States to attend a "Conference of Mayors." In May they visited San Jose’s sister city.

During the visit, a pro-independence extremist attempted to attack the mayors with a gun. But Su Nan-Cheng — formerly a rugby player at National Cheng Kung University — charged the assailant with a “spear tackle,” knocking him down.

That evening I hosted dinner to calm everyone after the shock.

Since Su Nan-Cheng, as Mayor of Tainan, was the official counterpart to San Jose, both mayors listened as I described the idea originally proposed in 1975 at "Cheng Kuang Precision" by the Yanshuei River: "establishing the Yushan Technology Association in Silicon Valley." Local officials expressed strong support.

We therefore gathered a group of Taiwanese technology professionals in Silicon Valley and began drafting plans for the founding of the Silicon Valley Yushan Technology Association. At the same time, Chiang Ching-Kuo ordered the creation of a “San Francisco Science Section” to collect technological intelligence from Silicon Valley.

Unexpectedly, however, a devastating internal betrayal occurred.

My parents — whom someone bitterly describe as a modern pair of “Gu Sou” (the cruel father in the legend of Emperor Shun) — joined forces with my brothers to launch what amounted to a family coup to seize my assets, "destroying the Yushan initiative."

First they summoned me back to Taiwan for an arranged marriage. On February 21, 1980, I married a woman I had never met before. Then, on May 4, they launched what I call the “New Xuanwu Gate Coup.”

Back in 1968, a fortune-teller named "Chang Xian" had come to Chong-An Street claiming he had followed the stars from Changhua to find me in Tainan. The following year he returned with my written "Annual Fate Chart."

When I opened it, the first line read: “Parents without affection; brothers without righteousness.”

I immediately threw him out. Yet he insisted on leaving me with one warning: “Ah-Chang, you are someone who will change the world. You must remember my words…”

Another friend once told me: “If you raise dogs long enough, one day they will bite your hand.” I chose to end my friendship with him for saying so.

Within the Tainan Junior Chamber, I had founded a fellowship group called the "Golden Orchid Society." One member with a legal background advised me:

“You should take this opportunity to clean up internally. A company with such promising prospects allowing dubious people to serve as chairman — no wonder trouble happened.” I felt deeply uncomfortable hearing that.

After calmly reflecting, I realized that not one person among my family that large group even had the ability to earn a living independently. In order to prevent the Kuo family from becoming a public laughingstock in Tainan again, I chose to leave with empty hands.

As a result, I lost contact with the preparatory committee for the Yushan Technology Association in the United States.

During my years of wandering, I happened to revive the life of “Barbie doll”. The inventor, Ruth Handler, called me a “Gadget Master.” In 1992, she invited me to attend a banquet in Los Angeles. When I later visited Silicon Valley again, the West Coast Yushan (Monte Jade) Science & Technology Association — commonly referred to as "MJW" —had already been established in 1990 under the guidance of the San Francisco Science Section, led by Dr. Chuang Yi-Te. The then-current director, Chou Jen-Chang, warmly received us.

After making such a long circle through life’s journey, I unexpectedly became one of the early members of the MJW.

Later, when I discussed this matter with President Lee Teng-Hui, he remarked that when predecessors propose a good idea, successors should continue to carry it forward. During his visit to the United States to attend the "Conference of Mayors," he had learned a great deal — particularly from the profound impression left on him by Silicon Valley. At the time, companies such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, along with many other renowned enterprises, formed the technological core of the region. Of course, the attempted assassination incident during that visit also left a deep impression on him.

After he suddenly assumed the presidency on January 13, 1988, there were many things he could not immediately carry out for about two years. Nevertheless, he carefully recorded the tasks that needed to be done. One of them was the transnational Third Sector organization I had mentioned years earlier— "the Yushan (Monte Jade) West Coast Science and Technology Association" (MJW).

Therefore, after he became the fully empowered President in 1990, he instructed the National Science Council to proceed swiftly with the plan and to establish "the Yushan (Monte Jade) West Coast Science and Technology Association" in Silicon Valley.

In fact, the Yushan Technology Association in the United States is not limited to the West Coast. Branches also exist in culturally rich Boston, the world center New York City, and Dallas. We also traveled to the Vancouver Yushan chapter to report on TES’s major achievements at APEC.

At the same time, we advertised TES—highlighting its spirit of “a technological mind with a humanistic heart” — in MJW Newsletter, the most authoritative technology publication within the Silicon Valley community.

Fig 3: TES advertisement in the MJW Newsletter.

When our company suffered a major robbery on January 27, 2001, the book written by Linda Din, "The Daughter of a Defense Employee," had just been printed. We brought copies to share with our friends at MJW, hoping they would understand the future shape of the world and prepare in advance.

Fig 4: Book "The Daughter of a Defense Employee"

When I informed Mr. Bill H. Gates Sr. that “we had suffered a major robbery,” he recommended that “Merrill Lynch” guide us through the process of listing on NASDAQ. Merrill Lynch estimated that our company’s valuation in the U.S. market could reach “$ 250 per share.”

Originally, we had planned to invest NTD 500 million to build factories in Taichung Export Processing Zone, but after the robbery the investment was withdrawn, leaving us with more than USD 10 million in funds. At that time, shares of NVIDIA we bought were priced at only “USD 2.6” per share. Unfortunately, the subsequent waves of corruption-driven attacks exhausted our resources. Otherwise, if those shares had been held until today, their value would have increased by at least “5,500 times.”

Fig 5: The building factory project that was halted because of the robbery.

Today, upon seeing the cover of Issue 139 of MJW Newsletter, I was astonished to find our names appearing in the same frame as “Mr. K.T. Li.” The most important report in this issue highlighted the genesis-level invention we completed to address unemployment— “The Electronic Store System” (TES), also known as the "Total Economic Solution." It serves as a crucial piece of evidence demonstrating both strong technological validation and profound social responsibility value.

From the composition of the figures on the cover to the article’s discussion of the "Electronic Store" (eStore), it is clear that both I and the “Mother of E-Commerce,” Linda Din, had a significant influence in Silicon Valley and within Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) during those years.

Fig 6: Cover of Issue 139 of MJW Newsletter.

The fact that our invention appeared alongside Mr. K.T. Li demonstrates that "TES," which helped facilitate the APEC E-Commerce initiative, was regarded at the time as a major technological breakthrough for national or regional economic transformation. This recognition effectively served as an authoritative endorsement and also had a positive impact on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry.

For example, the edge computing and "Virtual Asset Management" (VAM) concepts stimulated by TES helped create the application environment that enabled Nvidia to turn losses into profits after 2015 and achieve rapid growth.

The key point is that we consistently promoted “Social Responsibility Investment” (SRI) in Silicon Valley, emphasizing that the TES system was designed “to solve unemployment” and create entrepreneurial opportunities. In this vision, humanistic value stands above mere technological output.

After I secured "satellite support" at the 2006 APEC meetings, I immediately returned to Silicon Valley to reopen the Panhonic office, hoping to collaborate with one of the world’s most powerful financial institutions— "Merrill Lynch" —to prevent the formation of a global financial tsunami. To this end, we organized a series of "SRI Briefings and Forums."

Fig 7: “Prophetic Report from Silicon Valley”

On April 3, 2008, World Journal reported on one of these "SRI Briefings." At the event, I proposed that APEC issue 1.7 billion TranSmart Cards and establish a "Social Responsibility Investment (SRI) Fund."

The core concept was to redirect capital away from purely speculative financial activities and toward "Real-world Innovative Industries" with social responsibility. By issuing 1.7 billion TranSmart cards, the plan essentially aimed to build a global value system based on real transactions and innovative technologies, particularly RFID and contactless sensing application.

If the SRI fund were invested in creating job opportunities through the "eStore micro-enterprise model," the economy could be stabilized from both the consumption side and the employment side, rather than allowing mortgage defaults to trigger a cascading financial collapse.

Coincidentally, our Panhornic office in the United States was located in the same office building —Techmart as the San Francisco Science Section and the “MJW Association.” As a result, we often shared with them the progress of developing the "TES E-commerce System."

Fig 8: The author at U.S. Panhornic office

In particular, when the "Mother of E-Commerce," Linda Din, successfully promoted the "APEC E-Commerce Bill," I immediately informed our friends at MJW. The “Color Pamphlets” and the “Science and Future Newsletter” to them created tremendous visual impact and inspiration, offering a pathway of the coming digital economy.

Fig 9: The “Color Pamphlet” that influenced Silicon Valley

Unfortunately, due to intense sabotage from cartel-like corruption groups in Taiwan, I was forced to return to protect the “Mothe of E-Commerce." Humanity ultimately could not avoid the financial tsunami. Meanwhile, the institution that had worked hardest— "Merrill Lynch"—became a victim of the crisis, swallowed by the flood and disappearing from the financial world forever.

Fortunately, at the 2009 APEC Summit in Singapore, President Barack Obama invited me to contribute the way of "Rebuilding the Global Economy." I proposed the initiative “IIA-TES.”

Fig 10: The author at APEC CEO Summit 2009

This proposal emphasized that an SRI fund combined with the electronic store system—functioning as a “social stabilizer”—and the widespread use of contactless TranSmart chip-based cashless systems could create "a self-generating and sustainable economic ecosystem." Such a system would provide a “shock absorber” for the global financial structure that was then on the verge of collapse, while also fostering the application environment required for advanced semiconductor technologies.

Peter Li-Chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years. Peter was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit and an expert in the third sector. He advocated "anti-corruption (AC)/cashless/e-commerce (E-Com)/ICT/IPR/IIA-TES / Micro-Business (MB)…and etc." to win the international bills and regulations.