臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Women's Voices Were Reflected in the Rhymes of Classic Poems｜The Theme of Fighting for Love Appeared in the New Literature｜Male Writers Voiced Support for Women's Rights from Time to Time｜Guide to Female Power

Literature on women and women's literature were rare before the Japanese Colonial Period. However, when Taiwan was under the Japanese rule, there were two kinds of women's writings that left their marks in the history of literature. One of these were penned by women in the gentry class, who were still able to receive education in Chinese and learn to convey their feelings through Chinese poetry. The other was penned by female students who used their literary abilities to reflect on the situation of women after being exposed to modern ideas through the new-style education.

However, most women were not born into the gentry class and had no means of receiving education or engaging in literary writing. They could only accept their traditional roles as women. Even though some were able to receive education, they were often forced to quit school during their early teens to learn embroidery and sewing and to prepare themselves to become competent wives and mothers.

Though progress was seen in this era, women were still heavily restricted, and only a few were able to write about their plight. They even had to rely on the sympathetic writings of male authors to express themselves.

    Women's Voices Were Reflected in the Rhymes of Classic Poems

During the 1920s, Taiwan was still under the Japanese rule, and written Chinese was highly valued in Japan's Kokugaku (academic movement). Thus, Chinese poems were influential. Tsai Bi-yin, Shi Zhong-ying, Huang Chin-chuan, Zhang Li De-he, Tsai Chih-chan, and famous sing-song girl Wang Xiang-chan, were all female poets famous for their Chinese poems. Furthermore, Yun Hsiang Poetry Society, led by Tsai Bi-yin, was a pioneering organization in women's literature.

These female classical poets expressed their feelings with elegant words and gained a modicum of visibility in the classical poetry scene, which had been long dominated by men.
 

► CHINCHUAN POETRY COLLECTION
Poet Huang Chin-chuan's work. One of the poems, Female Student, describes the poet's ambitions and how her future is still limited because she is a woman. This is a reprint from 1981. The first version was printed in 1930 by Shanghai Chunghwa Bookstore. It was the first poetry collection written by a Taiwanese female poet. The book contains poems made when the poet was between 18 and 23 years old. There are 237 poems in total. (Donated by Yeh Shih-tao / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)
 

    The Theme of Fighting for Love Appeared in the New Literature

The 1920s was a time when Japan and its colonies enjoyed a relatively more liberal cultural atmosphere. "New Women" began to appear in Taiwan. This trend of liberal thinking was put into action in the "natural feet movement." With respect to economic participation, there were "modern women" who went out to work. In the meantime, Taiwan's Government-General launched vocational education policies aimed at training "competent wives and mothers for the Japanese Empire." The policy eventually instilled Taiwanese women with modern ideas and nurtured "women of the new literature" who could read and write. Some of these women even openly challenged time-honored misogynistic traditions and norms. For instance, in 1926, the Women's Organization of Changhua published an article encouraging women to pursue love. However, the article was condemned for its indecency and derided by its detractors as the libertine "Free Love Incident."

Male privilege was no longer unquestioned. In 1930, Taiwan entered the "dancing era," which was marked by cultural breakthroughs. The first wave of New Women included many exceptionally talented and passionate women. Several shining examples include critic Yeh Tao, Huang Bao-tao, Xie Yu-ye, musician Lin Hao, pianist Kao Chih-mei, journalist Yang Chien-he, and writer Huang Feng-tzu.
 

► BIRTHDAY OF THE SEVEN STAR GODDESS
Huang Feng-tzu's first work at the age of 12 features many narratives on Taiwanese customs. It was edited and coordinated by her teacher Toshio Ikeda in 1940. Mitsuru Nishikawa contributed the foreword and Tetsuomi Tateishi took charge of the book design. It was published by Touto Publishing Company Taipei Branch. The vivid and playful cover and illustrations were made by Huang's classmate, Chen Feng-lan. (Donated by Wu Yong Fu Foundation / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► DADDY LOVES MUMMY: NEW SONGS
A koa-á book published by Ruicheng Bookstore in Taichung in 1933. The author was Xu Bohu. It was published earlier than NEW SONGS OF CANAL TRAGEDY and SONGS OF MARRIAGE REVOLUTION. The song book manifests a conservative attitude towards the widespread defiance of arranged marriages among young people at the time and the corresponding social phenomena, admonishing young people against the pursuit of romantic love. (Donated by Huang De-shi / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► NEW SONGS OF CANAL TRAGEDY (First Part)
A koa-á book (vernacular literature) published by Ruicheng Bookstore in Taichung in 1935. It tells a story of two lovers committing suicide in a canal in Tainan during the Japanese Colonial Period. The book was adapted into multiple versions of song books and operas. The story tells of a tragedy involving sing-song girls, adopted daughters, and traditional marriage, forcing society to reexamine the folk customs. (Donated by Huang De-shi / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► THE PEACH GIRL Vinyl Record and Lyrics Book
THE PEACH GIRL was released in cinemas in Taiwan in 1932. A promotional song of the same name that celebrated the fight for love was produced at the time. The lyrics were written by Jhan Tian-ma and the song was written by Wang Yun-feng. It was sung by Chun Chun and was recorded and released by Columbia Records. The song book was published in 1934 by Jiefa Publishing Company, which also contained STRANGE GENTLEMAN, a song from a movie of the same name in 1933, and "Spring Wind." (Donated by Hsu Teng-feng & Huang De-shi / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► Translation manuscript of "A Labor of Love"
Yeh Tao's short novel. This manuscript is the translation by Yeh Shih-tao in 1996. The original work was published in the auxiliary publication of TAIWAN NEW LITERATURE: NEW LITERATURE MONTHLY. The plot is based on actual events, and the night blindness symbolizes ideals that are swallowed by the darkness. In the end, two wounded women from different classes comfort each other, indicating that the public should work together to overcome obstacles. (Donated by Literary Taiwan Magazine / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)
 

► Manuscript of "My Thoughts on Taiwanese Literature During The Japanese Colonial Period"
Yang Chien-he's manuscript for her speech in 1995. It was also published in the 16th issue of LITERATURE TAIWAN. It was one of the few articles written from a female writer's perspective on Taiwanese literature during the Japanese Colonial Period. The article also mentions writings on female-related topics. The author claims that her writing style reflects the inner struggle of women, which differs from male writers' realistic portrayals restricted by ideologies. (Donated by Literary Taiwan Magazine / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► FOLK TAIWAN, Issue 4, Vol.2
Published in 1942. It was coordinated by anthropologist Takeo Kanaseki. This issue features a special collection of works by female writers, including Chang Mei-hwei, Yurik Fukuda, Yang Chien-he, Huang Feng-tzu, and Xu Qing-juan. The topics include Taiwanese girls, Taiwanese women, hair accessories, clothing, cooking, and family life. (Donated by Long Ying-zhong / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

    Male Writers Voiced Support for Women's Rights from Time to Time

In the later stage of the Japanese Colonial Period, Taiwanese male intellectuals mostly paid attention to colonial and class issues. However, some noted the disadvantaged status of women. Peng Hua-ying, Huang Chien-Tsong, and Wang Min-chuan, all members of the Taiwan Cultural Association, wrote editorials published in the TAIWAN MINPAO newspaper and advocated for education for women as well as new gender relations.

In the literary world, many works empathized with the social plight of women. These included Loa Ho's "Sad That She's Dead," Yang Shou-yu's "Beggar Woman," Zhang Wen-huan's "Home of Sing-song Girls," and Wu Chuo-liu's "A Gold Carp in the Mud."
 

► FOLK TAIWAN, Issue 11, Vol.3
The editor of this issue was Japanese anthropologist Takeo Kanaseki. It was published in 1943. This issue deals with "adopted daughters-in-law" in Taiwan and examines folk culture and customs. It features Yang Chien-he's "Women's Destiny" and opinions and discussions on related customs by male writers such as Zhang Wen-huan, Wu Xin-rong, and Lu He-ruo. (Donated by Huang De-shi / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► SONGS OF MARRIAGE REVOLUTION
A koa-á book published by Ruicheng Bookstore in Taichung in 1935. The author was Lin Da-biao, a resident of Dajia. The first part of the book reads: "…marriages in the past harmed lovers. The new-style marriage puts emphasis on the lives of the people involved. Bride-wealth and dowry are not the most important things. The concept of marriage must be revolutionized…" The book criticizes the restrictions imposed by traditional marriages and old customs. (Donated by Huang De-shi / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► TAIWAN ART, Issue 10, Vol.4
Published in 1943. This issue introduces women during the war and working women. There is also a review on Hosheng Theater's THE CAPON. The Japanese government imposed the National Mobilization Law in 1938, and Taiwan gradually entered the wartime period. Women's education and life were affected by military preparation, which could be seen in the publications at the time. (Donated by Long Ying-zhong / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► Original Manuscript of "The Capon"
This is the Japanese revised manuscript of Zhang Wen-huan's short novel "The Capon." It was first published in TAIWAN LITERATURE (Issue 3, Vol. 2) in 1942, when Yang Chien-he's short novel "The Time When Flowers Blossom" was also published. In 1943, it was made into a stage play of the same name by Lin Tuan-Chiu. In September of the same year, Hosheng Theater Society performed the play for the first time at Taipei Yungle Theater. (Donated by Wu Yong Fu Foundation / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)