The Great Robbery

The Great Robbery on the Fourth Day of the Lunar New Year—

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

Today is the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, known as “Welcoming the Deities Day.” On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month of the previous year, the deities are ceremonially sent back to Heaven to report to the higher realms on all human affairs of the past year. Not until today — the fourth day of the New Year — are they welcomed back into households to be worshipped once again.

On this sacred day, people are reminded to appease “Tai Sui” (zodiac sign conflicts with the year) and light the Lamp of Brightness, praying for peace and safety throughout the coming year.

On January 27, 2001, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year of the Xin-Si (Snake) year, what may be described as "the highest-value robbery" in human history occurred. Social-responsibility R&D achievements worth “tens of trillions of US dollars” were looted in their entirety, at least including:

1) Contactless TranSmart Chip Cards and their Reading Devices (TRD);

2) RF Transmitters;

3) Power Chips;

4) VAMs;

5) eStore Systems;

6) TSCM Software Systems;

7) ICT Control Centers;

8) Computer Hosts;

9)…and all related technical documentation and source codes.

These were the results of R&D into which I had invested an amount sufficient to purchase “the entire Dadu Plateau” (whole mountain) — all reduced to nothing overnight.

Fig 1: Linda Din's Inventions for solving unemployment

The “VAM” (Vending Machine Operated by a Chip Card) shown above (US6304796) was stripped down until only the outer shell of a vending machine remained.

When the police arrived to investigate after I reported the crime, they concluded: “This was done by insiders—those in the know. Just wait and see — whoever uses it first is the thief.”

Fig 2: Police Receipt of Criminal Complaint

My wife, Linda Din (Ding Lin-Hong), wiped away her tears and immediately began writing a book titled "The Daughter of a National Defense Employee" (A Lady of Rich Taiwan).

In it, she explained — point by point — why the daughter of a humble national defense employee chose to pursue "Social Responsibility Investment" (SRI); why the concrete SRI instrument had to be an "Electronic Store System" (TES) as known as new Tech-economic System; what effects this "genesis-level invention" could generate; why solving structural unemployment requires industrial innovation; and why it was necessary to seek legal foundations through a major international platform such as “APEC” in order to fulfill the mission of creating jobs and enriching Taiwan.

She printed 4,000 copies and distributed them to the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, political parties, and academia-industry-research circles.

Fig 3: The book "The Daughter of a National Defense Employee"

The book was also delivered to friends at the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association in Silicon Valley and to the San Francisco Scientific Community.

More importantly, it was brought to "Shanghai APEC 2001" and presented to President Jiang Zemin and representatives of all economies, and later taken to "Beijing" and given to fellow countryman Justin Yifu Lin and friends within the State Council.

Fig 4: Invitation to Shanghai APEC 2001

Based on this book, the color promotional flyer, and newly issued Chinese patent certificates, I successfully secured the inclusion of "IPR" (Intellectual Property Rights) and "ICT" (Information and Communications Technology) as two agenda items in the Leaders’ Declaration at Shanghai APEC.

A global wave advocating “rich and prosperity” was thus ignited.

Even in the long-arrogant United States, voices calling for a “Rich America” began to emerge — and continue to this day.

Fig 5: Color promotional flyer distributed at Shanghai APEC

Solutions to Government Failure

Many outsiders mistakenly believe that Chiang Kai-Shek and Chiang Ching-Kuo were adept at "managing the economy."

Yet in 1966, at the Kuomin Market, I saw mountains of bananas rejected and returned by Japan — while the Chiang regime stood completely helpless. That December, I defeated competitors from the US, Japan, and Germany to win an order from Avnet, helping NASA realize the "PTH" concept. When Apollo 4 successfully launched, foreign companies flooded into the "Kaohsiung Export Processing Zone" (KEPZ). However, Chiang Ching-Kuo responded by issuing the “Steel Prohibition Order,” banning private Taiwanese steel mills from producing "tool steel" —nearly strangling Taiwan’s industrial lifeline.

After Taiwan’s withdrawal from the UN, we established the factories in Yong-Kang to develop "next-generation applied materials" —only to be harassed by “Taiwan Garrison Command” (TGC).

While we struggled independently to transition "from vacuum tubes to the transistor era," Chiang Ching-Kuo was still asleep at the wheel.

The private sector, vigilant and self-reliant, developed hundreds of new products, eventually selecting "Satellite Receiver" and "Personal Computer" (PC)—yet I was still forced into two years of military service, squandering a golden opportunity. Indeed, President Jimmy Carter ultimately severed diplomatic ties with Chiang Ching-Kuo.

At a time when large orders for "Portable Transistor Tape Recorder" were pouring into Taiwan, I was instead filled with anxiety, working with Mr. Dieska to develop one new product after another. In the end, we selected the “Satellite Receiver” as our focus. However, because of the conscription system, I was unable to travel to the United States.

Most ironically, on January 25, 1977, Chiang Ching-Kuo summoned me to breakfast and presented me with a message: “The fiercest storms cannot drown a person of faith; … the most ruthless enemies cannot defeat a person of determination.”

To ease my father’s resentment toward me, I founded a 2,300-ping (81,841 ft²) company— "Baisheng Metal Industrial Co., Ltd."—on Chong-Cheng South Road in Yong-Kang and made him chairman.

Through this, I came to know Mr. Chang Li-Tang of Cheng-Yi Paper Factory, who was elected Mayor of Tainan in 1973 and invited me to help establish sister-city ties with "San Jose," building a direct "Taiwan–Silicon Valley Bridge."

When a delegation led by Mayor Janet Hayes of San Jose visited Tainan, my "Cheng-Kuang Precision Industrial Co., Ltd." became the dialogue window with Silicon Valley experts.

There, by the banks of the Yanshui River, we discussed the future of "Computer Personalization" with IBM engineers, and I personally crafted quick dis-connectors as gifts.

Fig 6: "Cheng-Kuang Precision" — cradle of global technology

“Taiwan never enjoys more than three good years”—sadly, this proved true.

From 1981 onward, Taiwan’s industry hit a transformation bottleneck. The government was powerless; even Minister of Economic Affairs Chao Yao-Dong resigned after declaring, “We can wait no longer.”

At that moment, my parents, A-Kun and A-Jin —joined with his cohort (my brothers) and launched a second property-seizure coup in June 1982. I was again robbed of everything — and lost an unborn child.

In deep sorrow, Ruth Handler, founder of Mattel, gave me the opportunity to move north to Taipei.

As I spread precision manufacturing across northern Taiwan, I also revived her invention—the "Barbie Doll" —proving the principle of “technologizing traditional industries.” I became known as the “Gadget Master,” while Linda Din was respectfully called “Shimu” (the Master’s wife).

Yet Mattel later told me: “Peter, using your production weapons, Barbie’s cost drops to one US dollar—and if produced in Malaysia or China, down to US$ 0.35.”

In 1986, while I was fully occupied introducing "satellite receivers and personal computers" to rescue Taiwan’s economy, Mattel —having obtained my high-tech semi-automated production systems without spending a single dollar of formal budget — shut down its Taiwan plant (MLT) completely, leaving 5,000 people unemployed.

The Genesis of the TES System

Some of the unemployed workers who addressed Linda Din as “Shimu” (the Master’s Wife) later changed careers to become taxi drivers — only to be robbed again.

Yet she calmly insisted that the solution was "entrepreneurship" to solve unemployment. With remarkable ease, she created one hundred jobs, while at the same time clearly seeing that 4,900 people still had no work.

After a family upheaval, Linda Din devoted herself daily to morning and evening spiritual practice, hoping to dedicate merit to all sentient beings so that they might be freed from suffering and attain happiness.

During her spiritual meditation, she captured inspirations she believed came from Heaven and turned them into a diagram she called “Electronic Commerce”— "The Electronic Store System," later abbreviated as "TES" (The eStore System).

Fig 7: TES schematic invented by Linda Din in 1986

She explained it this way:

The "eStore" in the diagram should be viewed as a "taxi." By using a contactless "TranSmart Chip Card," there would be no cash inside the vehicle — the taxi driver could earn a living without being robbed.

She then drew several posters and traveled everywhere to give explanatory talks, only to be mocked and labeled “Chen Jing-Gu”—a delusional savior, a madwoman.

She traveled around the earth, and everyone who saw her diagram laughed at the absurdity of the idea. Of course, no one believed her—including "Tatung Company, Siemens, and Philips." At that time, even A-Mao had not yet been born, let alone started a business.

In the end, she pushed the responsibility onto me, insisting that her "odd-looking TES schematic" could help countless people find jobs, earn money to support their families, resolve social problems, and ultimately “make Taiwan prosperous”--This is my personal credo.

Late at night, in complete silence, I carefully examined the TES schematic and reinterpreted it as a “TES Virtual–Physical (substantial) Integrated System Architecture.”

What I realized was astonishing:

1) Physical distribution channels could indeed create massive numbers of jobs.

2) Virtual channels could transcend time and space, traveling across vast distances to generate limitless business opportunities.

3) When integrated, the resulting economic output reached "astronomical figures" — at least tens of millions of times greater than the total value of all the products I had previously developed combined.

Fig 8: TES Virtual–Physical integrated system architecture

Recall that in 1979, while in the United States, William and I purchased a prophetic book titled "Home Computer." One illustration depicted how people would transact in the future. Linda Din’s TES schematic turned out to be a complete interpretation of both the front-end and back-end operations shown in that illustration —hence it truly qualified as a new “technological–economic system” (TES).

Fig 9: Illustration from "Home Computer"

This system architecture later became what the world now calls the "E-Commerce" industry.

Linda searched extensively through global sources and confirmed that the core transaction tool was the "TranSmart Chip Card," made from a contactless intelligent sensing chip (Contactless TranSmart Chip / RFIC), together with its corresponding "TRD" reader device.

We depicted this paired relationship as an RF Transmitter (RF Converter) and called them a "Coupler" (as spousal pair).

Fig 10: RF Transmitter for the TranSmart Card

I reported this national-level strategic opportunity to the highest authorities and was referred to the "Council for Economic Planning and Development."

When I met Chairman Zhao Yao-dong, a holder of a mechanical engineering master’s degree from MIT, he gave me three responses:

1) He could not understand it.

2) The government had no money.

3) I should go explain it to his junior alumnus (at MIT) at ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute).

His junior alumnus said to me bluntly: “What? A contactless chip? That won’t be possible for another 50 years!”

Yet in 1997, we brought our R&D results to APEC Vancouver, and in APEC 1998 we helped bring about "Electronic Commerce Legislation," establishing a cross-century e-commerce industry.

Linda Din’s original intention was fulfilled: “Taxi drivers would never be robbed again.”

Ironically, Chao Yao-Dong later allocated USD 70 million of government funds to his junior alumnus to start his own ventures.

In fact, we spent NTD 100 million almost immediately upon beginning TES research. This confirmed that our concept of “Coupler” was correct and laid the foundation for “intellectualization of technological industry" in Taiwan.

In December 1989, both the "Commercial Times" and "Economic Daily News" reported on our development of the "RF Transmitter," estimating concrete output values of USD 6.5–10 billion, with derivative value chains capable of positioning Taiwan firmly in the 21st century.

Fig 11: RF Transmitter media reports in 1989

Beyond conducting “Social Responsibility Investment” (SRI) on our own, Linda frequently helped companies in urgent financial distress avoid default—often extending "NTD 5 million" at a time.

There were even cases where borrowers who could not repay an initial NTD 5 million were given an “additional NTD 2 million,” while asking me to serve as an unpaid consultant to help them turn losses into profits.

Fig 12: Linda Din assisting companies in crisis

There were even bank managers who personally brought bill-finance executives to borrow money. In short, before the age of 30, Ding Ling-hong had not only independently realized the "Rich Taiwan Plan," but also possessed the capacity to "lend money to banks." No wonder some people called her President Lee Teng-Hui’s top student.

Fig 13: Linda Din lending money to banks

Carrying TES color promotional flyers, Linda Din attended APEC 1997 in Vancouver, igniting hope for rebirth among countries devastated by the Asian Financial Crisis. She was invited to serve as an APEC "International Advisory Expert," where she advocated establishing an "Economic Institute" (EI) to train seed consultants to assist economies with industrial transformation and upgrading.

She proposed a curriculum including:

1) Consulting skills;

2) Financial analysis;

3) Human resource management;

4) Interpersonal skills;

5) Business plans;

6) Code of Ethics;

7) Marketing;

8) Problem solving and decision-making I;

9) Government regulations and legal requirements;

10) Problem solving and decision-making II;

11) Electronic commerce.

Fig 14: APEC International Advisory Expert Meeting

Because "Electronic Commerce" was an entirely new concept, she personally authored that section.

Delegates from the US and Canada encouraged her to apply for "US Invention Patents." After organizing her teaching materials and diagrams, she filed applications that resulted in patents such as:

“1) US6304796; 2) US20030197061;3) US20030107468;4) US20040054595A1” — all benefiting the world.

When Linda Din was invited to serve as a speaker at APEC 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, she helped bring about electronic commerce legislation based on the TES proposal. TES was praised as a “Total Economic Solution.”

Fig 15: Scene of E-Commerce Legislation at APEC 1998

In recognition of her contributions at APEC, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) awarded her an official commendation.

Fig 16: MOEA Award to Linda Din

Because President Lee Teng-Hui was unable to attend APEC due to cross-strait issues, he entrusted ABAC responsibilities to Jeffrey Koo of Chinatrust.

Koo not only invited us to private dinners but also led large delegations to Taichung to see our R&D results, strongly seeking to become our “Collaborating Organization.”

Upon receiving my recommendations and learning that Linda Din had facilitated “E-Commerce Legislation” as an APEC lecturer, President Lee ordered a briefing at the "Taipei City Government" on supporting measures for "The Electronic Store System" (TES).

On May 24, 1999, I specially produced a "portable TRD reader" and introduced the "easy-to-use contactless TranSmart Card" to city officials — first applied to the "Taipei Metro," later known as the "EasyCard," and then expanded everywhere.

Fig 17: Taipei City Government proposal leading to EasyCard

On March 28, 2000, when we signed a contract at the Ministry of Economic Affairs with “Mühlbauer AG,” I told Director Li Chang-Yi of the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration that we planned to hold a Presentation of RD Results on June 2 at AIDC to present the “VAM + TSCM” electronic commerce system — and invited him to attend, as his support from APEC 1997–1999 had been crucial.

Fig 18: March 28, 2000 signing MOU at the MOEA

When Linda Din won the "E-Commerce Bill" at APEC 1998, I immediately announced in Silicon Valley: “The era of contactless electronic commerce has arrived!”

A global wave followed. Mr. William H. Gates Sr. recommended "Merrill Lynch" to assist us in moving toward NASDAQ.

However, Linda was misled into investing "NTD 500 million" to build a factory in the Taichung Port Export Processing Zone. Therefore, the “IPO” process was suspended.

Fig 19: April 30, 2000 report on NTD 500 million investment

Director Li Chang-Yi, who had returned from Hong Kong in 1996 to head the SME Administration, came to inspect our "SRI Results"—a "TranSmart-card-activated simulated vending machine" capable of debiting accounts and transmitting data to a control center.

He asked, “How much did all this cost?”

I replied, “NTD 100 million.”

He immediately changed expression and said, “Li-Chang, you always exaggerate!”

Fig 20: Demonstration of TES simulation to Director Li

At APEC 1999 in Christchurch, Li asked curiously, “Why were the Coca-Cola (Coke) people talking with you for so long over your flyer just now?”

I answered, “They want to develop our 'VAM' and are seeking our cooperation.”

Recognizing it as a matter of "National Importance," he urged me to keep him informed.

Unexpectedly, on the eve of our "Presentation of RD Results," Coke issued a "global PR announcement" stating it would spend five years and "USD 100 million" to develop smart vending machines — precisely our patented "VAM."

On the day of the Presentation, AIDC was packed beyond capacity. Grasping my hand, Li said apologetically:

“Li-Chang, I owe you an apology. I truly didn’t understand the value. Coca-Cola says building this 'VAM' costs USD 100 million — yet when I heard NTD 100 million two years ago, I scolded you for exaggerating…”

The key point was that our US invention patent—“Vending Machine Operated by a Chip Card” (VAM) — already had a confirmed patent number US6304796. Its complete structural claims formed a mountain that multinational corporations seeking to divide a tens-of-trillions-dollar market could not bypass — forcing them to cite or copy it.

I told him, “In fact, I’ve already spent USD 70 million.”

He replied, stunned, “Oh.”

Fig 21: June 3, 2000 report to RD Results

On the day of the Presentation, the Chinatrust team was present —as they had already conducted a site visit on May 31 to meet our staff.

Unable to attend APEC personally, President Lee entrusted ABAC responsibilities to Jeffrey Koo. Seeing us shine like stars at APEC, Linda Din was hailed not only as the “Mother of E-Commerce,” but also as the future world’s richest person of the 21st century.

Actually, During the COVID-19 period alone, TES’s annual "Cashless" transaction volume reached "USD 36 trillion"—hailed as the highest-value invention in human history, most importantly enabling "1.5 billion people" to earn global income from their homes.

Only “SRI” Can Solve Social Problems

On January 13, 1988, President Chiang Ching-Kuo passed away in office, and Lee Teng-Hui succeeded him as President.

As Taiwan’s trade deficit with Japan continued to widen year after year, we submitted policy recommendations to President Lee, which led to the establishment of a "Task Force on the Trade Imbalance with Japan." The task force regularly invited executives from Japanese Corporations to give lectures each month, studying the concept of “Japan as Number One.” Through this process, I became close friends with Yamaguchi Hiroshi, then General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation.

Mr. Yamaguchi told me that Mitsubishi did manufacture vending machines, but that developing a "VAM" would likely require an enormous budget and might still fail. Even Mitsubishi — capable of producing components for the "F-35"—held this view.

Yet my wife, Linda Din (Ding Lin-Hong), remained resolute that her invention could solve unemployment and proceeded with "Social Responsibility Investment" (SRI) without setting a stop-loss point.

In fact, Mr. Yamaguchi’s assessment was correct.

First, large corporations suffer from "technological inertia": although Mitsubishi possessed the precision required for F-35 production, the logic and architecture of a traditional vending machine were fundamentally disconnected from that of a "chip-card–activated vending machine" (VAM).

Second, large corporations are constrained by "conservative risk assessment": as a major trading house accountable to shareholders, Mitsubishi would halt any project deemed excessively risky.

Linda Din, however, could flexibly marshal whatever resources she obtained from me, effectively bridging the “valley of death” in early-stage innovation that governments and multinational corporations typically cannot cross. This was precisely why "SRI" achieved such significant results.

In late January 2001, during the Lunar New Year holiday of the "Xin-Si" (Snake) Year, our family of four traveled to Japan to celebrate and visit old friends. We spoke of how ideas conceived more than a decade earlier had already become reality.

Unexpectedly, corrupt cartel groups seized the moment to launch a “break-in-style robbery” (burglary). Coupled with our already-public "trade secrets" (as disclosed in invention patents), they were suddenly able to act with impunity.

Subsequently, under the pretext that we planned a "USD 600 million" pilot demonstration project in Sichuan, they fabricated baseless charges of “illegal fundraising to aid Communist Bandits.” Armed investigators were dispatched across Taiwan to visit our relatives and friends — severing our personal networks, and to comb through our banking records — cutting off our financial lifelines.

This escalated into a full mobilization of tax authorities, prosecutors, police, and investigators. Henchmen sent by Koo openly threatened us, saying: “We won’t let you survive past 2004.”

Mr. Li Chang-Yi, who was dismissed and investigated by the corrupt group, actually died of anger in 2004.

The internationally recognized “Mother of E-Commerce,” Linda Din, was also indeed frightened into collapse on November 21, 2004, falling gravely ill and suffering from dementia, aphasia, and memory loss.

Those same henchmen even tried to persuade me to place Linda in a nursing home, dangling the condition that they would “support me as Liu Bang (Emperor of the Han Dynasty).” When I drove them out, they shouted back: “You refuse to be Liu Bang, yet you choose to be King You of Zhou (a incompetent king)!”

I was left to support the wounded amid a sky filled with flying arrows. By God’s grace, Linda miraculously returned from the brink of death. What followed, however, was an even more brutal “Nest-destroying Operation” aimed at finishing her off.

After overcoming countless obstacles, I arrived at the 2006 APEC CEO Summit in Hanoi and was assigned to stay at the "Sofitel Hotel," where the lecturers were lodged. Political and economic leaders from various countries, upon hearing of Linda Din’s ordeal, shook their heads and said:

“You’re persecuted by your government!”

When Koo realized I had appeared at the Hanoi APEC, he hurriedly sent an “Invitation,” asking me to attend a luncheon at the Lotus Hall of the Melia Hotel—attempting to demote me as merely one of his entourage.

I confronted him directly, saying: “Please act in accordance with WIPO intellectual property regulations and honor the agreements.”

He retorted arrogantly: “Ha! Taiwan isn’t even a UN member —WIPO has no jurisdiction over us!” Their layered traps ultimately succeeded.

When contrasted with President Lai Ching-Te’s recent statement— “We will not allow any citizen to be harmed” —this “Hunt-and-kill Operation” appears painfully hollow.

Taiwan could have seized "Global Discourse Power" in mainstream technological society through the contributions of social entrepreneurs like Linda Din. Our SRI was founded on absolute confidence in technological leadership and deep emotional commitment to Taiwanese society — fundamentally different from corporations that pursue short-term net profits. This is the classic originator’s spirit that propels human history forward.

Instead, we were reduced to fugitives under pursuit. Today, by chance, I came across "old triplicate receipts" showing loans we once extended to banks and companies — just two slips totaling "NTD 10 million."

Yet under Koo’s orchestration, Taiwan Asset Management Corporation was able to lure us with the so-called “Promised Land of Tong-Luo Science Park” and successfully destroy us with a mere "NTD 9 million" mortgage.

Under normal business logic, we should have accumulated great wealth and used it to help those in need. In the reality of political power struggles, however, we became victims of “possessing a priceless jade becomes a crime.”

Corrupt cartels brazenly violated the constitution and international conventions to eradicate "IP Creditors." In this proxy war, their optimal strategy was to make the original inventors disappear — or to strip them of legal capacity.

Today is the sacred “Day of Welcoming the Gods.”

That a social entrepreneur who, at the age of thirty, was already capable of helping complete strangers with "tens of million dollars" —has, over the past two decades, had every bank account balance wiped out the moment it appeared (per Fig 22).

Fig 22: Bank balances are cleared to 0.00 as they are appeared

Now reduced to surviving the Lunar New Year holiday by buying 30 steamed buns for "NT$200" on New Year’s Eve, stretching them over 30 meals during the Bingwu (Horse) Spring Festival break — this reality should stand as a shameful proof that the global social security network has been torn apart.

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.