臺灣文學虛擬博物館

When not creating arts, Xu Bingding's is actually a police officer!

Xu Bingding entered the law enforcement career in 1920 after passing the examination, becoming the first group of Taiwanese patrol trainees. He was assigned to Nitoyo, Tainan as a patrol officer after the completion of training in September. When he was a police officer, he also actively developed his interests. He often participated in poetry clubs and published novels, Chinese poetry, and police-related articles in the Taiwanese Police Association Police Magazine and the Taiwanese Police Times., This is the beginning of his enriched slashed life.

The time that Xu Bingding published his comics was around 1929-1937. The subject matter was based on Senryu (one of the styles of Japanese poems), proverbs, and short songs created by the people at that time, and then they were transformed into comics. The content mostly describes the training and working conditions of entry-level police officers. Xu Bingding's comic style is humorous and amusing, often highlighting the facial expressions of the characters and resonating with the readers through exaggerated body movements.
 

Taiwanese Police Times No. 54 / Taiwanese Police Times No. 55 / Taiwanese Police Times No. 253 December Issue.
The content of these cartoons mostly describes the training and working conditions of entry-level police officers. The cartoons often highlight the facial expressions of the characters and attract the readers through exaggerated body movements. (Provided by Xu Bingding / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

Self-portrait of Mr. Xu Bingding.
In addition to police comics, he also draws himself. (From 100 Pioneering Figures of Taiwan / Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature).

In addition to the police comics, in 1943, Xu Bingding wrote a book, the Ture Detective Secrets, in Japanese based on 30 years of experience in the police force, documenting the crime history over the years. In 1960, Xu Bingding separated the chapters related to Yang Wanbao from the True Detective Secrets and combined the folklore of Liao Tianding into the novel, Liao Tianding’s Reincarnation. The story describes that after the death of Liao Tianding, his soul returned to the Underworld.

The judge found that his life expectancy should be 72 years old, but the messenger mistook it as 27 years old. Thus the judge made Liao Tianding reborn as Yang Wanbao, to continue his life of helping the poor.

The True Detective Secrets.
The True Detective Secrets is a Japanese creation by Xu Bingding in the name of Motoyama Taishaka. It is a documentation of his criminal. investigation and solved cases over the years. It was published in 1943. (Provided by Xu Bingding / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection).

Liao Tian-ding Reincarnation.
Chapter novel, Liao Tianding's Reincarnation by Xu Bingding. (Provided by Lin Juiming / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection).

Untitled: “The team far behind...”
Based on the remnant of the pages, it is Xu Bingding's novel Liao Tianding’s Reincarnation. This section is about the intense pursuit of Yang Wanbao when he tried to escape and evade the police and the encounter of some characters that help or hurt him. (Provided by Xu Bingding / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection).

Film of Xu Bingding's comics.