A Chronicle of Sixty Years

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

Confucius once said:

“At fifteen, I set my heart upon learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no more doubts; at fifty, I knew the will of Heaven; at sixty, my ear was attuned; and at seventy, I could follow my heart’s desire without overstepping the bounds of propriety.”
(The Analects – Wei Zheng)

In his later years, Confucius left this 38-character autobiographical reflection — his chronicle, which has become a precious treasure of Chinese culture.

Following the path of the sages and reflecting upon my own journey, my personal chronicle might be written as follows:

“At nine, I set my heart upon learning; at twelve, I took charge of the family; at twenty-one, I founded the precision industry of Taiwan; for sixty years I have labored tirelessly for the benefit of others; and at seventy, I still hold steadfast to the Way.”

Major Events Summary for “A Chronicle of Six Decades” :

Since 1965, the Year of the Snake (Yisi), when I took charge and founded “Cheng Kuang Metal Works,” my humble workshop was built from sugarcane boards. I surpassed my American, Japanese, and German competitors within a single year through exceptional precision craftsmanship. My ultra-fine "Eyelets" won contracts from American client and contributed to the Apollo 4 mission, helping America triumph in the Space Race.

In 1970, I led the transition from vacuum tubes to the era of transistors, helping local industries modernize.

In 1974, I was honored by Premier Chiang Ching-Kuo, who personally inscribed the four words“Usefulness for Benefiting the Country People”(利用厚生) and praised me as “the Father of Taiwan’s Precision Industry.” During my military service in the 26th Reserved Officer, I served as a Second Lieutenant and to promote as an Inspector for the 104th Division, establishing discipline and order.

In 1977, Mayor Su Nan-Cheng of Tainan adopted my proposal to construct East–West and North–South Chonghua Roads, initiating Taiwan’s outer ring road movement. Following San Jose of Silicon Valley, Tainan became a sister city with Kansas City, thereby contributing to the success of Reaganomics in the 1980s.

In 1986, I advocated for “Social Responsibility Investment” (SRI) and created innovative industries to solve unemployment. I introduced "satellite receivers," leading Taiwan’s successful industrial transformation. That same year, I and my wife Linda Din invented "The eStore System" (TES) of Contactless-tech, which eventually led to the 1998 "APEC E-Commerce Bill," offering a lifeline to Asian countries hit by the 1997 Financial Crisis.

In 2009, I once again contributed the way of "Rebuilding the Global Economy" at APEC CEO Summit 2009, and helping the world recover from the Global Financial Crisis.

Fig 1: Contributing the way of “Rebuilding the Global Economy” at APEC CEO Summit 2009

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Cashless System” of TES achieved an annual transaction volume of USD 36 trillion, benefiting 1.5 billion people worldwide by enabling work at home to earn global money. The Interphone (free Internet phone) became a daily essential for everyone.

Fig 2: Contributing a new Tech-Economic System (TES) that benefits the world

Now, in 2025, another Year of the Snake (Yisi) — sixty years since my founding year — though I have reached the age of “acting from the heart without overstepping,” the world remains in flux: carbon winds blow — NZE 2050, chaos clouds covers over true value. Yet, with my original aspiration unshaken, I continue to seek new breakthroughs — to transform carbon flows into financial flows, and to open a prosperous path for the next hundred years for my homeland and people.

To compose a poem "A Chronicle of Sixty Years":

In the Year of the Snake, a cycle turns,

Sixty springs and autumns have I traversed.

With skillful craft I soared to the skies,

As “Father of Precision,” helped space dreams rise.

Through frost and storm my will stayed true,

My name for benevolence reached ministers too.

Innovative industry lit the world anew,

Cashless networks blessed the multitude.

Now in the carbon age I seek Heaven’s way,

May golden flows guard the kingdom each day.

Unlike Confucius’ tranquil chronicle, mine was written amid peril — born into a family shadowed by “blind parents and a brother who found joy in killing Shun.” To preserve the family’s dignity, I had to live by the rule of “one bowl covering one lie” — protecting the bowl from being lifted, concealing what must not be exposed. Thus, I lived for decades in a state of great tension, rising daily at two in the morning, year after year without fail. By Heaven’s grace, I have nonetheless reached the age of “following my heart’s desire without transgressing the Way.” Facing the future, I remain pure in heart and free of desire — walking serenely in harmony with the Dao.

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.