214 Allen Hall
Department of History, Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Telephone: (662) 325-3604


Shu-Hui Wu

Lien Heng (1878-1936): Taiwan's Search for Identity and Tradition


How beautiful is the island of Taiwan! Our Han-Chinese ancestors pioneered this land and we have lived here for several centuries now. We consolidate and we further develop our land. The majestic mountains stretch for hundreds of miles with their erect peaks reaching high into the sky, the highest exceeding thirteen thousand feet. They hug the lowland like grandparents protecting their grandchildren. To the east, the island commands the Pacific Ocean; to the west, it confronts the challenge of the powerful Taiwan Strait. Strong winds blow and storms roar across the island. But nature provides a rich source of food from the sea and a variety of animals from the land. Under the sunny blue sky, an abundance of special flowers and trees gloriously enrich the island. The grandeur is beyond description. As time passes, the sun, moon, and stars bear witness to the rise and fall of people. It is this island that enables those of us who were born here to prosper and grow. However the world may change, this island has supported and prepared its people. It is the will of Heaven, and so it shall be.


- Lien Heng, T'ai-wan t'ung-shih. 1992 ed.
vol. 3, pp. 1974-75 Wen-yuan lieh-chuan

Contents

  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Part I: Lien Heng as an Irredentist, 1878-1914
      1. The Setting
      2. Family, Early Education, and the Year 1895
      3. A Decisive Year, 1899
      4. Taiwanese Intellectuals under Early Colonial Rule
      5. The Formative Years, 1901-1904
      6. Amoy, Taiwan, China, and Japan, 1905-1906
      7. Turning to Nativism, 1907
      8. The Path to The General History of Taiwan, 1908-1911
      9. The Years in China, 1912-1914
  • Part II: Lien Heng as an Advocate of Taiwanese Culture, 1915-1936
      10.Articulating Traditional Taiwanese Culture, 1915-1921
        The Writing of The General History of Taiwan, 1915-1918
        The Battle for the Publication of The General History of Taiwan, 1918-1919
        The Publication of The General History of Taiwan and Its Aftermath, 1919-1921
        Reinventing Taiwan's Past in Poetry, 1921
      11.China's New Culture and Taiwan's New Culture, 1919-1925
        Between the Old and the New
        The May Fourth Movement in China and Taiwan
        Between the Traditional and the Modern
        Lien Heng and the Taiwan Culture Association
        Lien Heng and the Taiwan Journal of the Poets
        Lien Heng's Attempt to Reconcile Tradition and Modernity
      12.Shaping Taiwan's Homeland Culture, 1925-1929
        Outlining the Homeland Culture
        Opening Ya-t'ang Bookstore
        Going to the People
        Battling for Freedom of Thought
      13.Lien Heng's Last Years, 1930-1936
        The Completion of the Lexicon of the Taiwanese Language
        Moving out of Taiwan
  • Part III: Lien Heng as an Architect of Taiwanese History
      14.Lien Heng and Ssu-ma Ch'ien 15.Lien Heng and The General History of Taiwan: Historiographical Approach, Perspective, and Legacy
        The Settling of Taiwan: The Taiwanese Aborigines, the Chinese Settlers, and the Western Colonizers
        The Tung-ning Kingdom and Its Founders: The Rulers and the Ruled
        The Forerunners of a Settled Chinese Society on Taiwan
        Those Who Conquered and Those Who Were Conquered
        Those Who Rebelled and Those Who Suppressed Them
        Those Who Explored and Those Who Cultivated
        Those Who Led and Those Who Exemplified
        The Makers of Modern Taiwanese Society
        Those Who Planned and Those Who Implemented
        Those Who Increased Wealth
        Those Who Fought and Fled
        Those Who Fought and Died
      Epilogue