'Becoming Taiwanese' Inspired

Kuo Hsueh-hu 郭雪湖, Festival on South Street (1930)

In this famous painting of South Street 南街 (today's south section of 'Dihua' 迪化 street), two shops on each side identify Taiwan (products) during Japanese rule -
1. 高砂 Takasago ( papaya candy 木瓜糖) - right side

2. 蓬萊 Ponlai  (Dajia 大甲 rush straw crafts) - left side

Becoming Taiwanese

Ethnogenesis in a Colonial City, 1880s to 1950s

Evan Dawley

What does it mean to be Taiwanese? This question sits at the heart of Taiwan’s modern history and its place in the world. In contrast to the prevailing scholarly focus on Taiwan after 1987, Becoming Taiwanese examines the important first era in the history of Taiwanese identity construction during the early twentieth century, in the place that served as the crucible for the formation of new identities: the northern port city of Jilong (Keelung).

Part colonial urban social history, part exploration of the relationship between modern ethnicity and nationalism, Becoming Taiwanese offers new insights into ethnic identity formation. Evan Dawley examines how people from China’s southeastern coast became rooted in Taiwan; how the transfer to Japanese colonial rule established new contexts and relationships that promoted the formation of distinct urban, ethnic, and national identities; and how the so-called retrocession to China replicated earlier patterns and reinforced those same identities. Based on original research in Taiwan and Japan, and focused on the settings and practices of social organizations, religion, and social welfare, as well as the local elites who served as community gatekeepers, Becoming Taiwanese fundamentally challenges our understanding of what it means to be Taiwanese.

The blurb of 'Becoming Taiwanese' strikes me as important. The sentence about the local elites strikes a cord with my family and acquaintances. These alone (without reading the book) I readily acknowledge its importance and recommend to my Taiwanese microhistory friends. My referral, as expected, are met with welcoming approval.

"The book is a NICE one."

There are plenty to relate and connect with, but I will narrow down to a few 'facts' that I have stronger incentive to tell, given the opportunity.

Jilong 基隆 and Xiandong  仙洞

Source - Department of Cultural Affairs, Keelung City
基隆文化局

Many Taiwanese have no idea (or worse no interest) of Jilong's becoming a stunning city in the early 20th century. The third-generation Jilong Station opened in 1908 regarded the most beautiful in Taiwan. Jilong's European style architectures gained international praise and admiration. 

Xiandong 仙洞 is an intriguing place featuring a cave embedded with fascinating histories, from Qing and Japanese rule, military hide-out and literati, Sino-French battle, British tea merchant John Dodd visit to much much more during Japanese rule in Taiwan - including influential local elites and Wan-sei (Taiwan - born Japanese who returned to Japan (many from Jilong) after Japanese surrender in 1945).

SADLY recent make-over of Xiandong cave (currently run by temple organisation and nuns) removed/destroyed significant Jilong history. Institutional travesty and cultural ignorance.

photo credit Tobie Openshaw 2014

Four stone pillars (put up in 2004) bearing inscriptions of influencial Li Shizeng 李石曾 and Lee Shih-tsung 李嗣璁  disappeared and cemented (as of sometime around or before 2018)

To stress, it isn't the calligrapher nor poem that I want to bring up, but is specifically the name 臺陽 that is too important to ignore - for anyone learning about (Northern) Taiwan history. 

"臺陽海上留真宇，仙洞巖中禮梵宗" (Li Shizeng 李石曾)

臺陽 Taiyang is the mighty Taiyang mining cooperation 臺陽礦業株式會社 of the Jilong Yan family. 

(ps 臺陽 Taiyang Japanese staff left wall inscriptions with dates and signatures in Xiandong cave which I have personally seen and pointed out to my accompany).

臺陽 is 臺陽美術協會 Taiyang Art Association - 

Co-founded in 1934 by Chen Cheng-po (陳澄波), Liao Chi-chun (廖繼春), Yen Shui-long (顏水龍), Li Mei-shu (李梅樹), Li Shih-chiao (李石樵), and Yang San-lang (楊三郎) . Well established by 1950s.

臺陽 represents Taiwan Sun 太陽 and the famous 'Sun Cake' 太陽餅 (which plays a role in the Sunflower student movement) original logo was created by sunflower painting of one of the Artist Yen Shui-long (顏水龍) at Taichung Taiyang bakery 太陽堂. (More details HERE)

Xiandong Cave 仙洞巖

Published by Keelung Cultural Center 基隆市立文化中心編印, by author 陳青松, Xiandong cave preserves the largest number of stone inscriptions in Keelung city, from late Qing to Japanese rule. Earliest ones are two in 1874 夏獻綸仙洞遊誌和海外洞天, followed by 1887 合肥張士瑜1887年的仙洞景記 . 

Xiandong Cave Proud FIRST
The first  private school of Qing period in Keelung 綠竹齋書房 located in the cave. Established in 1908 by local elite 黃朝侯.
Location  一二八番地 by Japanese record. 

Kaliawan event 加禮宛戰役  (1878)

Located before cave entrance is an account of 1878 cave visit made by Qing officials listed after the Kaliawan 加禮苑 event.

( 光緒戊寅(1878)重九前五，隨吳春帆中丞剿加禮苑等社兇番 ，三日平之 。浙東潘慶辰 ，胡培滋 ，汪喬年，粵東陳代盛， 楚南周德至 ，浙西嚴樹棠， 皖北林之泉 ，山左趙中雋 ，江右劉憲 ，傅德柯 ，李麟瑞 ，福州施魯濱，同遊基隆仙洞 勒此以誌鴻爪)

Located at right hand side of the cave entrance is a poem made by my great grandfather Hong I-nan 洪以南 about a fond memory with his good mate Jilong elite  Khóo Tsú-song 許梓桑   (who I believe is one of the elites Evan Dawley researched for the book). 
Year of inscription 1905. Details HERE. 

Among accounts made by the notable includes John Dodd in 1885 (soon after French attacked Jilong in 1884), who described the four caves he saw dingy and unimpressive. He also ridiculed local's claim that at the end of a particular long narrow passage is Tamsui. 

Local claim Dodd ridiculed, however, was told again in some details by one of the four Jilong born Wansei in THIS article of 2019. The teller himself went to Xiandong elementary, among his Wansei childhood friends. 

" There is a very long, dark and narrow cave by the sea, it's very scary. Now it's sealed and prohibited to enter."

The 2019 Wansei reunion in Taipei was a big one and I was invited to attend the evening event at Kensei Shōgakkō  臺北市建成尋常小學校 （original name in Japanese rule). It was a touching,  emotional, educational experience and in the meantime, sad. 

Evening attenders were gifted a fabulous map made by a Wansei published in 2002 - with extensive details of roughly today's Datong/Zhongshan/Zhongzheng Districts of 1930-1945. Locations of Japanese governors and local elites residentials, buildings and structures of powers and influences were meticulously marked in precision.

It's a treasure - made from the heart and resonated by many.

三橋町 (roughly today Nanjing East Road Sec one)

Governor-General Akashi Motojiro's  明石元二郎 (1864 - 1919) cemetery. 

Count Nogi Maresuke 乃木希典 (1849-1912）mother's cemetery.

御成町市場 (today Zhongshan 中山 market ) shops and vendors location. 

Becoming Taiwanese - Accepting  Jokes!

In a recent post HERE - I wrote about Chiu Feng-chia 丘逢甲. 

Chiu betrayed Taiwan in 1895 by escaping to mainland China with funds intended for the defending forces. The latter became unruly as a result, so the merchants in Taipei sent Koo Hsien-jung 辜顯榮 to invite the Japanese in to provide security. 

Years later, Chiu FC's son 丘念台 published his father's famous (ironic) poem "宰相有權能割地，孤臣無力可回天；扁舟去做鴟夷子，回首河山意黯然 "

Chiu Feng-chia 丘逢甲 is still honored by KMT as an Anti-Japanese hero and a university was named in his honor. While Koo Hsien-jung 辜顯榮 is seen by some as a traitor. (some details HERE)

A CRUEL JOKE!

Dihua 迪化  Guisui  歸綏 derogatory terms for ethnic minorities in the 16th and 18th century.

FACTS to be known, simply: The implication is BAD that Taiwan did not and will not acknowledge.

Two street names of Taipei's major historical tourist attraction Dadaocheng are derogatory terms for China's ethnic minorities in the 16th and18th century. 

Both names were banned and rectified 70 years ago in China. The implication is BAD that Taiwan did not and will not change.
No Taiwan government officials over the last 70 years acknowledged or interested in this major travesty. 

Dihua 迪化 : 啓迪教化 'Enlighten the uncivilized people'

History 

"The Manchus began to construct a walled city in 1763 to the south of the first fort, and it was completed in 1767.The Qianlong Emperor named the new settlement "Dihua"  迪化 meaning 'to enlighten [the uncivilized people]'. 

On 1 February 1954, following the founding of the People's Republic of China, the city's name was officially changed back to Ürümqi, meaning 'beautiful pasture' in the Oirat language of the Dzungar people." (wikipedia)

Guisui 歸綏 ：歸化 'Return to Civilization' 

History

In 1570, Altan Khan successfully negotiated the end of the blockade by establishing a vassal-tributary relationship with the Ming, who changed Kokegota's name to Guihua  歸化 'Return to Civilization') in 1575.

Just northeast of Guihua the Qing built the strong garrison town of Suiyuan 綏遠 from which they supervised the defense of southwestern Inner Mongolia against Mongol attacks from the north in 1735–39.

In 1913, the government of the new Republic of China united the garrison town of Suiyuan and the old town of Guihua as Guisui  歸綏.

During the progressive Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s, the Japanese created the puppet state of Mengjiang headed by Prince De, who renamed Guisui "Blue City" Hohhot.

After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Republic of China changed the name back to Guisui. 

The Communist Party of China after the Chinese Revolution in 1949, Guisui was renamed Hohhot.  (wikipedia)

A IGNORANT JOKE!