臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Taiwan in the Embrace of the Sea

Apart from describing lifestyles and values centering around the ocean, Taiwan's maritime literature also portrays the ocean as a cultural symbol of "home country," prompting the Taiwanese people to picture Taiwan as an "ocean country" － a status toward which Taiwanese people constantly pursue and develop feelings. In the 21st century, Taiwan's maritime literature has become more diverse in terms of themes, language, and form.

⚓︎ THE MISSING PACIFIC OCEAN NO.3｜Written by Dong Nian in 1985 and published by Linking Publishing. The book uses a "boat"to symbolize a dystopia. "Pacific Ocean No.3"indicates an unsteady Taiwan in the 1970s, when different political views clashed with one another. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

⚓︎ TAIWANESE LITERATURE MAGAZINE｜Published in 2015. The 40th issue of TAIWANESE LITERATURE MAGAZINE launched a special feature section dedicated to the ocean that included maritime literature written in Taiwanese, presenting a new type of maritime literature. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

⚓︎ RONIN'S SONGS｜Written by Wu Huai-Chen in 2015 and published by ECUS Publishing House. The writer is known as a surfer poet. "Ronin" here means surfer as well as wanderer. The topics of this poetry collection revolve mainly around mountains and the sea. Poems centered on observations about cities and the author's philosophy of life are also featured. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

⚓︎ OCEAN (album)｜Created by Chen Jian-Nian in 1999 and released by Taiwan Colors Music. The release of this album set a new benchmark for contemporary indigenous music. The songs on this album center on the lives of indigenous people. (Lent by Chien Hung-I)

Island Country──Li Min-Yong

Leaving their hometowns,
our ancestors went across the sea to the beautiful island
after many hardships.

As the Strait severed our umbilical cords,
we learned to work with blood, sweat, and tears,
and planted hope with love
despite the tumultuous waves.

Guided by the stars,
we dreamt of secretly walking on the rainbow stretching across the Strait.
But that was when our home country was still our mother.

In an era when our country has been overtaken by strangers,
we build another of our own.
This beautiful island is our home,
and its ever-warm blue sky
soothes our hearts.