MW Brother Arthur Chen
by Richard Sanders, Staff Writer
The Grand Lodge of China in Taipei has held the Seventieth Annual Communication conference on October 25 & 26, 2024 at Masonic Temple, Taipei, Taiwan.
The Grand Master, MW Brother Arthur Chen, extended his brotherly invitation to various Grand Lodges to participate in the Annual Communication and the related festive events.
After reviewing a joint declaration that expressed common views on Masonic principles, members stood and placed their hands over their hearts for a solemn prayer, thanking God for guiding the conference and seeking assistance in fulfilling their goals.
They gathered for a day filled with speeches and discussions focused on attracting new members, especially through social media and other promotional methods.
This event has brought together various grand lodges from the Asia-Pacific region to discuss, share, and inspire one another regarding the principles of Freemasonry. The lodge’s history dates back to the 1930s, originating from lodges established in China by both foreigners and Chinese who were part of Masonic lodges overseas. After being banned by the Chinese Communist Party, the lodge relocated to Taiwan following a brief period in Hong Kong.
Fraternities are prohibited under mainland Chinese law. The application for hosting the conference was very smooth and received the “blessing” of the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provided financial support.
Grand masters at the conference represented 12 grand lodge jurisdictions from France, India, Japan, Russia, Australia, the Philippines, Chile, and the US. The Grand Lodge of China also engages in an annual global work conference and maintains strong ties with sister lodges in the Philippines and Japan.
In Taiwan, the lodge is quite internationalized, as foreigners often find ways to connect if they have been involved with Masonic lodges internationally. Foreigners constitute about 20 to 30 percent of the grand lodge’s approximately 600 members who come from all walks of life but are often from various professions such as government, banking, military, legal and academic leaders. Only two of the 11 local lodges hold their meetings in Mandarin Chinese, while the others conduct their sessions in English or French.
台北的中國大盜會於2024年10月25日至26日在台灣台北的共濟會廟舉行第七十屆年會。
大師，MW兄弟陳志明，向各大盜會發出兄弟邀請，參加年會及相關的慶祝活動。
在審查了一份表達對共濟會原則的共同觀點的聯合聲明後，成員們起立將手放在心口，進行莊嚴的祈禱，感謝上帝指引會議並尋求協助以實現他們的目標。
他們聚集在一起，度過了一天，聆聽演講和討論，專注於吸引新成員，特別是透過社交媒體和其他宣傳方式。
這次活動匯聚了來自亞太地區的多個大盜會，討論、分享並相互啟發有關共濟會的原則。該會的歷史可以追溯到1930年代，起源於由外國人和中國人所建立的共濟會分會。該會在被中國共產黨取締後，經過短暫的香港時期，搬遷至台灣。
根據中國大陸法律，兄弟會是被禁止的。此次會議的申請過程非常順利，並獲得了台灣外交部的“祝福”，該部提供了財政支持。
會議上的大師代表來自法國、印度、日本、俄羅斯、澳大利亞、菲律賓、智利和美國的12個大盜會管轄區。中國大盜會還每年舉辦全球工作會議，並與菲律賓和日本的姐妹會保持密切聯繫。
在台灣，該會相當國際化，因為外國人如果曾參與國際共濟會，經常會找到聯繫的方式。外國人約占該大盜會約600名成員的20%至30%，這些成員來自各行各業，但通常來自政府、銀行、軍隊、法律和學術領域的領袖。11個地方會所中只有兩個使用中文進行會議，其他的則使用英語或法語進行會議。
