臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Xu Bingding (1900~1977), the author of Hsiao Fêng Shên (小封神), is an art enthusiast with a wide range of interests. He has studied on piano, chess, calligraphy, paintings, Nanguan, Peking opera, and folk literature. His talent extends his field of creation, including novels, comics, songs, and dramas. He was once known as the “Capital Scholar.” Described in modern expressions, he can be called the slash youth in Japanese Colonial Period.

The life experiences and scenery in Tainan are all sources of nutrients for his creation. Xu Bingding once said: “The materials and content of the book, Hsiao Fêng Shên (小封神), are a combination of the Buddhas in the temples of our old capital – the Tainan City, along with hearsay and the thoughts in my mind. It is a funny anecdote that is made out of nothing.”
 

Portrait of Xu Bingding.
Mr. Xu Bingding has multiple roles (as a novelist, classical Chinese poet, lyricist, director of the theatre, actor, cartoonist and so on). (Provided by Xu Bingding / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection).
 

In addition to being a cartoonist/novelist/musician, Xu Bingding founded the Tian Nan Peking Opera Theater in 1945 and participated in the performances. He was also once a member of the Tainan City Council, speaking out for the people.

In the 1950s, Xu Bingding was invited by the director of the Tainan Radio Station, Lin Zhizhong, to host a Taiwanese program talking about folklore, Taiwanese, and anecdotes of Tainan.
 

Photo of Tian Nan Peking Opera.
Xu Bingding founded the Tian Nan Peking Opera Theater in 1945 and participated in the performances.

(From 100 Pioneering Figures of Taiwan / Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature).

Tian Nan Peking Opera's promotional performance.
Advertisement for the Tian Nan Peking Opera Theater's performance.

Self-portrait introduced by the candidate of the Tainan City Council.
Self-portrait for introducing himself as a candidate for Tainan city councilor. Xu Bingding was once a member of the Tainan City Council, speaking out for the people.

Broadcasting draft: I am a mosquito.
It is about the author, Xu Bingding, looking at the human world from the perspective of a mosquito. This work introduces the characteristics of mosquitoes from a first-person point of view and ridicules the unliness of humanity. (Provided by Xu Bingding / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection).

Broadcasting draft: Confucius publicly choosing his son-in-law.
The content describes the cautious attitude people held when choosing the people their children are married to. It takes Confucius’ public selection of his son-in law as an example to discuss Xu’s observations of people and points out how a marriage decision has to take into account various conditions and personal characteristics. (Provided by Xu Bingding / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection).