Many important events of the history of the Republic of China are reflected in the history of the Central Broadcasting System. Pictured is Chiang Kai-shek in 1945 announcing victory over the Japanese from in front of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. (courtesy of CBS)

On December 3, President Ma was interviewed by Taiwan's Central Broadcasting System (CBS). The program was simulcasted live on the mainland's Phoenix network, and Ma spoke directly to the Chinese, saying, "Hello listeners, I am the president of the Republic of China, Ma Ying-jeou." With this sentence, he broke a 60-year taboo and brought the ROC "back to life" in the mainland. The act caused a sensation, and CBS attracted a lot of attention for its bold move.

Taiwan's only national broadcasting system, and one that only broadcasts overseas and not domestically, CBS is largely unknown to the Taiwanese general public. In actuality, it was founded on August 1, 1928 and just recently saw its eightieth anniversary. Its history is full of twists and turns, and stands testament to the twists and turns of the history of the Republic of China. The thawing of relations after years of cross-strait standoff, the development of Taiwan's image in international society-CBS has played a role in many stories worth hearing.

The Central Broadcasting System, which was founded in 1928 at the instigation of senior KMT party figure Chen Guofu, first served to broadcast government policies and educate the public. After the KMT government advanced into the north of China, the whole of China sought to modernize. Chiang Kai-shek personally delivered the first CBS broadcast. CBS also broadcast the memorial service for Sun Yat-sen. Teams of reporters were with the motorcade and in the Zhongshan tomb complex. It was the first live, on-location broadcast in Chinese history.