| dc.description.abstract | Lions Clubs International (LCI), founded in the United States in 1917, is currently the biggest international charitable foundation in the world. Republic of China is the third country to establish LCI, following the foundation in the United State and Canada. After 1941, several branches ceased activities one after another. In 1953, with the help of Fernando R. Chua, overseas Chinese in Philippine, LCI was revived in Taipei.
LCI was founded by Melvin Jones, an insurance broker in Chicago. He thinks that commercial clubs should expand their concerns on society and world in their member’s power rather than pursue commercial interests. LCI is different from the traditional clubs which is differentiated by blood, locations, or industries; it also differs from the Chinese chamber in the twentieth century which is based on the guild and emulates western chambers. LCI is no doubt an international club with American service-initiated characteristic.
This study starts from the American society in the nineteenth century and investigates the background which fosters Rotary Club, Kiwanis International, and LCI. Originally, the business associations aimed at exchanging business interests. However, to meet the demands of middle class, the study discusses how LCI absorbed the characteristics of contemporary secret societies and fraternities, such as friendliness and mutual help, to develop an American service club.
Secondly, this study discusses how the American service clubs like LCI developed outside the United States and how Taiwan society contacted with them.
LCI was revived in Taiwan in 1953. As an international organization, with the coordination of national policies, how LCI expanded and developed during the Martial Law period, is another focus of this study.
Finally, this study investigates how LCI helped Taiwanese people and made contributions to the Taiwanese society during the Martial Law period through developing the eye banks.
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