Welcome to the Chinese and Foreign Cultural Reading Series! - Taiwan Fables 台湾民间故事 This bilingual collection is tailor-made for advanced-level Chinese learners in HKS, IB, IGCSE, and AP programs. Dive into a treasury of diverse Chinese and foreign fables, mythologies, folk legends, and children's stories that transcend cultural boundaries. Taiwan, an island brimming with unique allure and a diverse tapestry of cultures, houses a treasure trove of rich and vibrant folk tales that form an integral part of Chinese heritage. These narratives are deeply intertwined with the lives, beliefs, and traditions of the islanders, preserving the invaluable legacy of Chinese culture while showcasing Taiwan's rich history and distinctive cultural landscape. The purpose of compiling "Folk Stories of Taiwan" is to preserve and promote these precious story legacies. May these tales be guiding lights, infusing this land with vitality and vigor, forever shining in the brilliance of Taiwanese culture.
When Joshua Samuel Brown first stepped out of the passenger terminal at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, he was a stranger in a humid land with insufficient funds, zero job prospects and an over-packed suitcase. Like much else in his life up to that point, his decision to move to Taiwan was based largely on random occurrence and cosmic coincidence. He was twenty-four years old, thousands of miles away from home, and at that moment the happiest man alive. This anthology of short stories, travel essays, photographs, random meditations, and political meanderings grew out of his years on the island formerly known as Formosa.
"Taiwan's peaceful and democratic society is built upon on decades of authoritarian state violence that it is still coming to terms with. Following 50 years of Japanese colonization, Taiwan was occupied by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) at the close of World War II in 1945. The party massacred thousands of Taiwanese while it established a military dictatorship on the island with the tacit support of the United States. Although early episodes of state violence (such as the 228 Incident in 1947) and post-1980s democratization in Taiwan have received a significant amount of literary and scholarly attention, relatively less has been written or translated about the White Terror and martial law period, which began in 1949. The White Terror was aimed at alleged proponents of Taiwanese independence as well as supposed communist collaborators wiped out an entire generation of intellectuals. Both native-born Taiwanese as well as mainland Chinese exiles were subject to imprisonment, torture, and execution. During this time, the KMT institutionally favored mainland Chinese over native-born Taiwanese and reserved most military, educational, and police positions for the former. Taiwanese were forcibly "re-educated" as Chinese subjects. China-centric national history curricula, forced Mandarin-language pedagogy and media, and the re-naming of streets and public spaces after places in China further enforced a representational regime of Chineseness to legitimize the authority of the KMT, which did not lift martial law until 1987. Taiwan's contemporary commitment to transitional justice and democracy hinges on this history of violence, for which this volume provides a literary treatment as essential as it is varied. This is among the first collection of stories to comprehensively address the social, political, and economic aspects of White Terror, and to do so with deep attention to their transnational character. Featuring contributions from many of Taiwan's most celebrated authors, and written in genres that range between realism, satire, and allegory, it examines the modes and mechanisms of the White Terror and party-state exploitation in prisons, farming villages, slums, military bases, and professional communities. Transitions in Taiwan: Stories of the White Terror is an important book for Taiwan studies, Asian Studies, literature, and social justice collections. This book is part of the Literature from Taiwan Series, in collaboration with the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and National Taiwan Normal University"--
"On February 28, 1947, a widow selling cigarettes on the street in Taipei was brutally beaten by government agents searching for contraband cigarettes. When a crowd gathered, shots were fired and a bystander was killed. Island-wide demonstrations prompted the Chiang Kai-shek government to send reinforcements from China. Upon arrival, the troops opened fire, killing thousands. The massacre was followed by large-scale arrests of anyone suspected of sedition or Communist associations, all in the name of national security. Martial law was declared and not lifted until 1987. What happened in 1947 is known as the 2/28 Incident, which led to a four-decade-long suppression of dissent, encroachments upon civil liberties, and the wholesale violation of human rights, all subsumed under an era referred to as White Terror. Its pernicious effects went beyond actual acts of atrocity, as the citizens practiced self-censorship and passed their fears on to the next generation. For many years, this part of Taiwan's past was talked about, if at all, with circumspection. As evidenced in this collection, literary representations often employed obscure references, which themselves could place the writers in serious jeopardy. Despite, or because of, differences in approach, these writers keep memories alive to ensure that the past is neither forgotten nor repeated. This book is part of the Literature from Taiwan Series, in collaboration with the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and National Taiwan Normal University"--
Fables reflect traditional culture, virtue and value. I found most of the teaching are the same as my hometown old folk’s story I heard from grandma and neighbors. This course is good for intermediate level students to explore Chinese culture, enrich your knowledge about China and Chinese, and expand your vocabulary through my elaboration using my unique Vocabulary Builder and Sentence Builder.
Fables reflect traditional culture, virtue and value. I found most of the teaching are the same as my hometown old folk’s story I heard from grandma and neighbors. This course is good for intermediate level students to explore Chinese culture, enrich your knowledge about China and Chinese, and expand your vocabulary through my elaboration using my unique Vocabulary Builder and Sentence Builder. 中华文化在海外广为流传，是各地华侨社会世代相传、延续发展的关键因素；亦为华侨生生不息，认同中华民族、热爱中华的主因。而各地华侨均能秉承文化道统，敬老尊贤，讲信修睦，尊重伦理，重视传统，相率和谐共处，存异求同，尤为中华文化经年累月教化熏陶。 The transmission of Chinese culture from generation to generation is a key factor in the continuation and development worldwide of overseas Chinese communities. It is also an important reason why overseas Chinese communities grow, identify themselves with the Chinese nation, and love the China passionately. The face that all overseas Chinese are willing to carry forward cultural orthoxy, revere the aged and honor the wise, cement peaceful relations by upholding good faith, venerate ethics, value tradition, coexist in harmony, and preserve differences while striving for similarities, is attributable above all to the civilizing educational impact of Chinese culture. “文化是人类历史和文明发展的重心、原动力；文化如同活水，是不断成长、永保青春的必需品。建设及宏扬文化，根本之道在维持传统之美，又能注入现代化的新精神。” “Culture is the driving force behind human history and civilization; it is like running water-a source of nourishment and growth that never stagnates. To propagate and advance culture, it is necessary to carry on tradition in all its original beauty and at the same time to instill it with a modern spirit.
