Indigenous Traditions and Early Taiwanese Literature

As introduced by the Taiwan Yearbook 2006:

Indigenous Traditions

Expression of indigenous people's culture was marginalized for a long time. Since 1980, however, aboriginal intellectuals have been increasingly active in recreating their histories and recording their peoples' oral traditions. In this way, a large body of oral narratives about creation myths and tribal heroes have been transcribed and circulated in the form of bilingual texts (romanization of aboriginal languages accompanied by Chinese translations). Such texts constitute a belated hope for transmission and survival of many languages and cultures, as indigenous children are resisting the use of their native tongues, which are therefore threatened with disappearance.

Taiwan's Early Literature

A number of Taiwan's poets made names for themselves in the mid-19th century. Including Cai Ting-lan, Chen Jhao, Huang Jing, Jheng Yong-si, and Lin Jhan-mei, these poets belonged to the literati and cultural elite, and wrote in the classical lyric mode. As such, they played important roles in Taiwan's intellectual history, and their influence on local culture remains strong. Over the following two decades, other poets including Chen Wei-ying and Wang Kai-tai became interested in more everyday subjects and expressed nationalist sentiments. Two officials who were also poets, Tang Jing-song and Ciou Fong-jia, played prominent roles in the establishment of the short-lived Republic of Taiwan in May 1895, after they had learnt of Taiwan's cession to Japan.

During the subsequent colonial period, the local elite tried to preserve their cultural heritage and develop distinctive arts of improvisation. Hong Ci-sheng was probably the most famous writer of the period. In his poetical and prose works, Hong made frequent references to Taiwan's contemporary social and cultural conditions to display his patriotism and nationalism. The most important literary event of the first 20 years of Japanese occupation was the establishment of the Li Poetry Society. Including key members such as Lian Ya-tang, Lin Chih-sian, and Lin Sian-tang, the society supported nationalistic movements. Lian's monumental work on Taiwan's history, A Comprehensive History of Taiwan, remains a classic in the field. In 1918, Lin Sian-tang along with Lin You-chun and Cai Huei-ru founded the Taiwan Literary Society which, in January 1919, started publication of Taiwan's first Chinese-language literary magazine during the period of Japanese rule, the Taiwan Literary Miscellany.

Following Liang Ci-chao's introduction of various ideas from Western enlightenment and experimental literature to Taiwan in 1911, a shift toward modern literature became inevitable.