Li-Chang Kuo’s Gold Card

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

As Christmas 2025 approaches, U.S. President Donald Trump, holding a “Trump Gold Card” in his left hand, announced at the White House a fast-track immigration and residency program introduced by his administration. Since the official website, TrumpCard.gov, went live, application revenues have reportedly exceeded USD 1.3 billion. This visa program, aimed at wealthy foreign nationals, exchanges substantial donations for permanent residency, demonstrating strong demand.

Fig 1: Trump promoting the Gold Card (sourced online)

Confucius said, “People who can proclaim the Way.” On my journey of sharing the Way, I have long held a habit: I hope that my audience will truly “receive” something. Therefore, whenever I convey truth, I always provide "written materials" to those present. From Taiwan, I do much efforts spread to the United States, Japan, Europe, and Mainland China, with considerable impact. Among these, the most beneficial to the human heart has been the “Peace Gold Card”— also known as the “Gospel Gold Card”— which has brought psychological comfort to many, saved souls, and awakened memories of hardship and reflection.

Fig 2: The “Gospel Gold Card” used to comfort hearts

On April 1, 2016, Principal Mei Ke-Wang passed away peacefully at the age of 98. It is said that in the pocket of his suit there was a “Gospel Gold Card.” Having been given to him nearly ten years earlier, he still carried it with him at all times. When Principal Mei saw that the Gold Card was engraved with "The Lord’s Prayer," he happily recited it aloud:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come—”

He then went on to recount scenes from the great evacuation from Nanjing.

During the Chinese Civil War, after the Nationalist forces were defeated in the Xuzhou–Bengbu Campaign, the Nationalist government urgently evacuated Nanjing. He was ordered to escort goods onto a train. Hearing gunfire from the enemy while the cargo had not yet been fully loaded, he prayed continuously. When words failed him, he recited “The Lord’s Prayer” — first in Chinese, then in English (for the Gold Card given to him had Chinese on one side and English on the other). Only when he heard the footsteps of the enemy did the train finally depart. Principal Mei said, “The Lord’s Prayer has been my lifelong comfort.” As he spoke, he placed the Gold Card in the upper left pocket of his suit. Years later, when we met again, he still took the Gold Card out of his pocket, raised his right thumb toward everyone, and said, “This Gold Card is really good!”

I used 0.7-millimeter-thick “mirror-finished brass”— originally material for drawing copper caps for "AV connectors"— cut it to business-card size, "plated it with pure gold," and engraved it by laser with Scripture or maxims. I called it a “Gold Card” and gave it to those with spiritual needs or inner wounds. One day, while passing through Zhonghe, Mrs. Chen saw me and happily went to her household altar to retrieve the “Peace Gold Card” I had given her years before. She said, “Thank you for giving me this ‘Divine Card.’ It has been placed on our altar for more than thirty years and is still as good as new. Our family has remained harmonious, and our children are diligent and successful—” It seems that even as regimes change, the Gold Card endures.

In 2009, I was invited to attend the APEC CEO Summit and, at the request of President Barack Obama, contributed the way of “Rebuilding the Global Economy.” Before this major international conference began, I presented each member of the U.S. delegation with an "English Gold Card" engraved with "The Lord’s Prayer." On the 25th floor of the Fairmont Hotel in Singapore, the conference chair smiled, asked everyone to take their seats, and then read aloud what was engraved on the card:

Our Father in Heaven

Hallowed be Your Name

Your Kingdom come

Your Will be done on earth

as it is in heaven

Give us today our daily bread

Forgive us our debts

as we also have forgiven our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from the evil one

For Yours is the kingdom and

the power and the glory forever

Amen!

The meeting proceeded smoothly. Our initiative, “IIA-TES” (Investing in America and Leveraging New-Technology Economic Systems), gained broad recognition and acceptance. The world subsequently entered the new technology-driven economic society we helped shape, and the unprecedented “financial tsunami catastrophe” dissipated like without materializing.

Fig 3: US-Taiwan Collaboration of "IIA-TES"

Now, seeing President Trump holding up a “Gold Card,” one cannot help but smile knowingly — the influence of Peter Li-Chang Kuo truly seems to be visible everywhere.

Confucius said: “Set your heart upon the Way, base yourself on virtue, rely on benevolence, and take delight in the arts.” (Analects, Shu Er). Following the teaching of the Supreme Sage, to be born human one must first establish a life goal — fix one’s eyes on the target and run straight toward it. Second, one must uphold fundamental principles of conduct; hence, “When you see the worthy, think of becoming like them; when you see the unworthy, examine yourself inwardly.” (Analects, Li Ren). And, “Wealth and rank acquired through unrighteousness are to me like floating clouds.” (Analects, Shu Er). Only thus can one be in harmony with Heaven and Earth and act in concert with all things. Third, one should treat others with sincerity: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not impose on others.” Therefore, “To restrain oneself and return to propriety is benevolence.” Anything contrary to propriety should not be done. And again, “Wishing to establish oneself, one helps others to establish themselves; wishing to succeed, one helps others to succeed.” (Analects, Yong Ye). Finally, one should roam freely within one’s own field of expertise, refine the skills one excels at, and make meaningful contributions to society.

When U.S. President Jimmy Carter unilaterally severed diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on New Year’s Day in 1979, I was compelled to travel to New York to help clients develop new products — only then could Taiwanese companies continue to receive orders. To achieve this goal, I prayed silently in my heart, and a U.S. pastor appeared to help me improve my English, enabling me to go for an interview at the “Social Security Administration.” The interviewer asked, “What can you do?” I replied, “I’m a skillful craftsman; I’m very experienced in all kinds of bronze work—” almost quoting the words describing the master craftsman Huram in 1 Kings 7:14. I obtained my papers on the spot, and on March 13 founded "Black Stone Co." in New York, allowing my "KSI Incubator" to operate and quickly completing my mission in the United States.

Looking back to the late 1960s, I personally manufactured progressive dies and automated machinery to produce precision copper components for "vacuum tubes." In the 1970s, I went on to develop thousands of copper products, ushering the world into the "transistor" era. Copper material costing "NT$80" per kilogram could, after automated machining, become copper caps worth "NT$500" per kilogram; when processed into ultra-fine micro-wires thinner than a strand of hair, their value rose to "NT$5,000" per kilogram, creating "high added value" and enabling people to escape poverty and attain prosperity. The "audio/video connectors" (AV terminals), couplers, and universal serial bus (USB) interfaces developed at that time are still used in electronic devices today, and I really unified the I/O standards of NTSC and PAL. Thus, like Huram, the Temple builder who was “skilled in bronze work,” this claim is indeed true.

By a convergence of circumstances, in the 1980s I left Tainan for Taipei and taught the skills of precision industry that I excelled in to local people, immersing myself in Confucius’s teaching—“Set your heart upon the Way, base yourself on virtue, rely on benevolence, and take delight in the arts”—and opening up a new horizon in Taipei.

Because my wife, "Linda Din" (Ding Ling-Hong), has always “worried before the world worries,” continually reaching out to help the poor —practicing material giving, teaching the Dharma, and giving fearlessness— I too came to see that society contains many groups trapped in hardship, including public officials, private business owners, and ordinary citizens. Thus, we created a new industry—the TES New "Technology Economic System" — and wrote "books" to convey our ideas, hoping to “show the right path to those who have lost the Way, be a light in the darkness, and help the poor uncover hidden treasure.” Surprisingly, some people complained that the books had too many words to read.

Fig 4: Li-Chang Kuo’s inventions and book

To accommodate different needs, some of my Gold Cards are engraved with only two characters—"Ping An"(Peace) — yet they have achieved equally powerful results.

A friend once mentioned that his ninety-year-old mother often felt as if something unknown were pressing on her chest while she slept, and he hoped I could pray for her. I gave her a Gold Card engraved with the word "Ping An"(Peace) and told her, “God will command His angels to guard you on all your ways, so that you need not be afraid.” She said that the two words “Peace” were exactly what she needed most. Turning the card over, she saw an engraving of an angel. The deeply furrowed brow of the elderly woman relaxed into a smile, radiant like the winter sun. She reverently accepted the card and said, “Now there are angels protecting me. I have peace.” Thus, although “attachment to forms” may be illusory, it can truly comfort the human heart.

Fig 5: The “Peace” Gold Card comforting an elderly woman’s heart

For those whose careers and marriages have both been struck by hardship, I present a gold card engraved with the Scripture: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3) Those who receive it are, without exception, moved to a shared joy of the heart. Moved by this, I also wrote a Taiwanese hymn:

A wounded reed—

He does not break it;

a dying flame—

He does not extinguish it.

It is love that calls me to rise again;

He anoints my head with oil.

It is compassion—

loving us for a lifetime,

loving us as His own children.

For those suffering from illness, I give cards engraved with: “A joyful heart is good medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22) Almost naturally, their pain seems to be reduced by half.

Once, at Seattle Airport, I met a friend from mainland China who was anxiously trying to find the person sent to pick him up and asked how to make a phone call. After helping him get in touch, I casually gave him a Gold Card engraved with: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want—” (Psalm 23).

A few months later, I received a letter from him saying that after he returned to the mainland and showed the Gold Card to people in his village, someone exclaimed, “How can there be words so beautiful and powerful!” The entire village then began seeking out the "Holy Bible" to read.

My Gold Cards also bear many inspirational verses:

For those hesitating at a crossroads —“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15).

For young people about to enter society—“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked… but whose delight is in the law of God, and who meditates on it day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2).

For those about to travel far—“God will command His angels to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11).

And at weddings, Paul’s teaching on love —“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud… Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4–8).

Of course, there is also the most powerful "Mantra"— the sacred incantation practiced in Shingon Buddhism. In 2004, when Linda was besieged, persecuted, and gravely ill, this mantra became a "life-saving spiritual remedy" that pulled her back from the deepest abyss. Its true power lies not in magic, but in its ability to bring solace, to rekindle hope, and ultimately to lead one toward “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

The “Gold Card” currently being promoted by President Trump, according to comments by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House officials on December 18, has accumulated approximately USD 1.3 billion in revenue since its launch on December 10. Trump has described it as a “green card on steroids,” aimed at attracting global capital and talent. It originates from an executive order issued in September 2025 and does not require congressional legislation.

Application process: Applicants first pay a USD 15,000 DHS processing fee. After background checks, they make an unconditional "USD 1 million" donation to the government to obtain expedited visas — similar to EB-1/EB-2, processed within weeks. Companies sponsoring employees must make a "USD 2 million" donation, plus a USD 15,000 processing fee per person. All applications undergo strict national security and criminal background reviews by USCIS and DHS.

Mr. Lutnick stated that the program targets “top-tier talent” and is expected to bring in "tens of billions of dollars" for debt reduction and economic strengthening. Supporters emphasize its role in boosting investment, consumption, and employment, while critics worry it could create a wealth-priority, two-track system. The official website, TrumpCard.gov, also mentions a future “Platinum Card”—a "USD 5 million" donation with tax incentives — which has not yet been launched. Clearly, opinions on this initiative remain divided.

Confucius said, “The gentleman cherishes virtue; the petty man cherishes land.” He also said, “If one acts with profit as the sole guide, one will incur much resentment.” (Analects, Li Ren). Those who possess virtue hold fast to fundamental principles and carry out "the Mission" and purpose endowed to them by Heaven; such people invariably find that “those who attain the Way receive abundant support.” By contrast, those who busy themselves with narrow self-interest ultimately find that they “unite by profit and part by profit.”

In Confucius’s view, a person needs only four things in life: “set one’s will on the Way, base oneself on virtue, rely on benevolence, and take delight in the arts.” These twelve characters in Chinese succinctly summarize Confucius’s lifelong educational and scholarly philosophy and portray how he established himself while helping others to do the same. At the age of thirteen, I happened to meet a mainland Chinese scholar surnamed Nan who revered the Confucian Way. Even with brief periods of quiet sitting, I could experience a state in which my spirit roamed beyond appearances, seeing the paradoxical behavior of modern heart-blind couple and their Shangs (my brothers), yet still doing my utmost to care for them in love. Regrettably, later on I could apply Confucius’s “four things” only to the work of conveying the Way.

Fig 6: Gilded bronze statue of Confucius

The Way is the ultimate truth of life in the universe. The formation of the cosmos belongs to the Way of Heaven; the pressing concerns of humanity belong to the Way of Humanity. Whether human or heavenly, these are lofty ideals—realms that people today have not yet fully attained. Fortunately, the Way I convey— "IIA-TES"— through my crafted works, the “Gospel Gold Cards,” helped the United States rebuild the global economy after the financial tsunami, and there are still subsequent endeavors continuing from this ongoing work.

Along the journey of transmitting the Way, although I have been able to impart “Peace” according to the hearts of different people, I have also inevitably encountered struggles between good and evil. I have faced road-blocking tigers by day and poisoned arrows by night. Yet by holding fast to the good Way and running straight toward the goal, even when thunder shatters mountains and gales stir the seas, I remain unshaken. Instead, I am able to ride the clouds, travel with the sun and moon, roam beyond the four seas, and continue onward on the path of the Way.

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.