臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Next, let’s take a look at the life of Hong Xingfu.

Author’s Figure Photography Film - Hong Xingfu｜ (Huang Lichih / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

Hong Xingfu (1949-1982), from Changhua Erlin. He is the author of several books such as Black-Faced Qingzi, Field Village Man, and Reminiscing about the Sound of that Gong, etc. Hong Xingfu started publishing his works in the late 1960s. Born in a farm village, he was one of the important Taiwanese writers after the World War II. His works include novels, contemporary poems, proses, reportage, and critiques, and novels make up the most of them.

Picture of Smiling Hong Xingfu in a Gathering｜ (Donated by Mo Yu / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

Cultural Heritage Author Figure Series｜ (From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

“I grew up in a farm village and lived in the city for a while. These life experiences are the sources for my subjects. Especially, since I live in the period of the transition between an agricultural society and an industrial society, I am willing to record things truthfully and become a witness of this era.” - Hong Xingfu

How to Start Writing Novels｜The time period is unknown. Manuscript for the summary of the speech. (Donated by Lin Biyun / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

In 1982, Hong Xingfu was killed in a car accident on a typhoon night riding a taxi with his friends. He died at the age of 33.

Newspaper Scrapbook｜“Notes on Burning My Hair,” Taiwan Daily, 1982.8.8. One of the last works of Hong Xingfu, unfinished draft. (Donated by Lin Biyun / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

Wu Cheng once wrote the poem, “Sending You Two Trees”, in the memory of Hong Xingfu to record his mood of rushing the opening of the Hong Xingfu Memorial Park in Changhua Erlin. In 2007, Wu Cheng also wrote “The Park Named After You” that tells the twists and turns of the planning process for the park. Today, the Hong Xingfu Memorial Park has long been ruined and broken. Apart from a few sculptures symbolizing the farm village, it is almost the same as a common park.

Hong Xingfu Memorial Park in Changhua Erlin｜Source of the image: Chia Tshenn Culture Studio.

I was involved in the birth, planning
Of a literary park named after you.
It is indeed a bit barren.
Therefore I transplanted two beech trees
And Sent you two more eucalyptus trees.
These are my favorite Taiwanese native tree species.
You will like it, too.

Even if the sea breeze blows salty,
The tree that has just been planted is still fragile.
Like the local literature that is neglected,
They are still waiting for the folks
To water it with heart
And to care for it together.

──Excerpted from Wu Cheng’s “Sending You Two Trees – In the Memory of Hong Xingfu”, included in the poem collection He Is Still Young

Wu Cheng’s poem collection He Is Still Young

Wu Cheng’s “Sending You Two Trees – In the Memory of Hong Xingfu”