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In June 1956, four missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the first to ever visit the country, arrived in Taiwan after having studied Mandarin for nine months. At that time, the only members of the Church in Taiwan were a small group of American military servicemen. By the end of 1957, 50 people had joined the Church. Two large chapels, located in Taipei and Kaohsiung, were completed in 1960. By 1975, there were 30 congregations in Taiwan, with a total of almost 7,000 members.

In 1975, President Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th president of the Church, and other Church leaders visited Taiwan and held a regional conference at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. President Kimball's address was broadcast on television. In October 1980, President Kimball visited Taiwan again and held another regional conference for thousands of members.

In November 1984, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Taipei Taiwan Temple—a building specifically constructed for the most sacred rites of the faith, including eternal marriage. In the same year, membership in Taiwan reached 13,000. By 1990 membership increased to 18,000.

Among the services rendered to the community by local members have been reconstruction efforts following the 1999 earthquake and donation of medical supplies to a health care center.

For Journalist Use Only

George Mak
Wan Chai,
Hong Kong
Phone:  852-2910 2941