臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Women in Taiwan Counterattacked by Writing｜The Literary World Worked Together with Society and the Legal World｜Diversity in Gender Politics｜Burgeoning Queer Literature｜Guide to Female Power

In 1979, the democratic beacon of the Formosa Incident led to widespread gender movements. In 1982, AWAKENING magazine was founded. In 1987, "Women's Rescue Foundation" was established. There were also social movements focused on rescuing child prostitutes and protecting the safety of women. As a result, gender movements spread and flourished.

Female writers who were active in the 1980s brought new attention to women's experiences and criticized the patriarchal social structure through their incisive writings. For instance Yuan Chiung-chiung's "A Place of One's Own" illustrates deep emotions; Liao Hui-yin's RAPESEED depicts a tragic woman's story; and Li Ang's THE BUTCHER'S WIFE launches an astounding attack.

Discussions of gender diversity also took place. Literature addressing sexual minorities was led by Pai Hsien-yung's CRYSTAL BOYS, with successors appearing one after another. Lin Yan's A THRUSH WHICH LOST ITS VOICE and Qiu Miao-jin's NOTES OF A CROCODILE, both of which tackle the subject of unaccepted love, triggered a heated debate in society regarding whether the problems described should be attributed to the protagonists or to society?

    Women in Taiwan Counterattacked by Writing

In the 1980s, female writers who grew up in Taiwan began to win literature awards given by the most prominent newspapers, creating a second wave of female writings in Taiwan. Their topics were no longer restricted to the living room or kitchen. They instead directly looked into the patriarchy, people at the bottom of the social ladder, and city life. They also boldly examined public and private matters such as extramarital affairs, relationships between women and their mothers-in-law, marital property, and wages. The awakened female writers at this time included Chiang Hsiao-yun, Su Wei-zhen, Hsiao Li-Hung, Hsiao Sa, Yuan Chiung-chiung, Chu Tien-hsin, Chu Tien-wen, and Ping Lu.
 

► XIA FEI'S HOME
Hsiao Sa's work in 1980. It won the United Daily News Literature Award for Best Mid-Length Novel. The book features a group of female protagonists moving from China to Taiwan and depicts how they become more mature and persistent despite their tumultuous life experience. The writer worked with director Chang Yi on the movie KUEI-MEI, A WOMAN in 1985, which won Golden Horse Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

► A THOUSAND MOONS ON A THOUSAND RIVERS
Hsiao Li-hung's work in 1980. It won the United Daily News Literature Award for Best Long Novel. The story is set in Budai, Chiayi in the 1970s. The town's gradual industrialization reflects the changes in society. The protagonist is a traditional Min woman. This work is a cultural contrast to XIA FEI'S HOME, which also won the award in the same year. Both stories feature similar predicaments. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

► Clipping of "What Do I do If My Husband Cheats on Me?"
From the 1980s, the literary supplement of each major newspaper regularly published women's writings and articles on female issues, attracting female writers to submit their works and open columns to join in the discussions. This clipping is an article written by Liao Hui-ying and published in INDEPENDENCE EVENING POST on April 14th, 1985. The article shows the changes in women's approaches to resolving marital problems. (Donated by Jiang Mu (Muye) / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)
 

    The Literary World Worked Together with Society and the Legal World

In 1982, Lee Yuan-Chen founded AWAKENING magazine together with Liu Yu-hsiu and Yu Mei-nu. At the time, gender discrimination was still rife and the legal system still favored men. Gender pay gaps, unfair inheritance rules, and domestic violence were all injustices still permitted by society. Underpinned by feminist ideals, AWAKENING magazine fostered revolutionary ideals. Later in 1987, Cao Ai-lan and Shen Mei-zhen founded "Women's Rescue Foundation." Organizations from every corner of society joined forces to promote gender movements and legal reforms. For instance, a protest against child prostitution was held in 1988. Moreover, in 1990, Part IV of the civil law governing martial property was amended. The power of literature grew to a position that was on a par with that of social movements. The myriad voices calling for revolution came into sync and merged into an irrepressible trend.
 

🎬 I WANT TO WORK AND RAISE CHILDREN: A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT WORKPLACE PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION  Director: Kuo Shiao-yun (1999)
To raise public awareness about the seriousness of pregnancy discrimination in practice, the Awakening Foundation entrusted Fullshot Foundation to shoot the documentary I WANT TO WORK AND RAISE CHILDREN. The film interviews many expectant mothers suffering from pregnancy discrimination and records their journeys of adaptation and resistance. At the time, Awakening Foundation went on a screening tour to various communities and unions, hoping to draw attention to self-awareness among female office workers and to reach a consensus on fighting for their basic rights. It also facilitated the enactment of Act of Gender Equality in Employment, which was passed in 2002 and implemented on Women's Day in the same year. (Source of the Video: Awakening Foundation)

► LITERATURE STAR, Issue 105
The 105th issue of LITERATURE STAR, published in March 1987. The person appearing on the cover is Alva Myrdal, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner. The issue introduces feminist ideas such as "Third Gender" and "Post-feminism." It also features Li Yuan Zheng's article about the reasons for her participation in the women's rights movement. (Donated by Lin Zi-fen / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► WOMEN'S POETRY
From 1995. Li Yuan Zheng is a poet and women's rights activist who has long been dedicated to the women's rights movement. The display is the cover of her WOMEN'S POETRY, which was published by Taipei County Cultural Center. (Donated by Li Kuei-hsien / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► First issue of COMMOTION QUARTERLY
The first issue of COMMOTION QUARTERLY was published in June 1996 by Awakening Foundation. The publisher was Su Chien-Ling and the editor in chief was Hu Shu-wen. The introduction of the first issue puts emphasis on the magazine as a publication different from regular academic publications on women's and feminist studies. Instead, the magazine honed in on the real needs of women and on the goal of women's liberation. This premier issue contains discussions on new men and women's opinions about their country and its political scene. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

► Clipping of "A Letter to My Ex-Husband"
"A Letter to My Ex-Husband," an article written by Hsiao Sa and published in the literary supplement of China Times on October 19th, 1986. (Donated by Jiang Mu (Muye) / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► Clipping of "Goodbye 'My Love': Hsiao Sa Decides to Live for Herself"
He Sheng-fen's "Goodbye 'My Love': Hsiao Sa Decides to Live for Herself" was published in INDEPENDENCE EVENING POST on October, 1986. (Donated by Jiang Mu (Muye) / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)
 

► "Female Writers' Macroscopic and Microscopic Views on Society"
Li Ang published this article on the role of female writers and female issues in the literary world from the 1980s in the youth column of CHINESE FORUM JOURNAL. At the end of the article, the author claims to be a feminist instead of a women's rights activist. The article aims to examine the problems resulting from the role of women in modern society. (Donated by Jiang Mu (Muye) / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

    Diversity in Gender Politics

Around the time that martial law was lifted in 1987, the government slightly loosened its grip on the people. As a result, the literary world began to boldly draw inspiration from current political issues. Several works interlacing personal lust and nationalistic allegories appeared. Chen Ye's MUD RIVER tells the tale of a big family in Tainan during the February 28 incident from a female perspective; Li Ang's "Bloody Sacrifice of The Makeup Face" touches upon two sensitive topics. The female protagonist's husband is a victim of the February 28 incident and her son is gay; Ping Lu's A LOVE STORY OF SUN YAT-SEN AND SOONG CHING-LING writes about Soong Ching-ling's personal life and overturns her vaunted image as "Mother of the Nation."

Magazines, theaters, and movies also joined this cultural experiment. In the 1990s, magazines such as GIRLFRIEND, THE EDGE OF THE ISLAND, and STIR, SISTERS, IN REVOLT provided channels to air opinions on gender equality and diversity. In 1994, Ho Chuen-juei chanted a shocking slogan in protest against sexual harassment, "Yes to Orgasms, No to Sexual Harassment!" This advocacy for sexual liberation and sex workers' rights forced later gender movements to pay attention to marginalized groups.

While social movements were making great strides, the literary world was thriving with works on women, homosexuality, the stigma of disease, and sexual minorities, which provided a platform for people in these communities to communicate with mainstream society.
 

► SILENT ISLAND
Su Wei-zhen's work published in 1994. It uses sex as the theme and tries to respond to emerging discussions on sex and sexual desire in society and the literary world. It won a Jury Recommendation in the first China Times Literature Awards. It was published by China Times Co. in the same year. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

► THE EDGE OF THE ISLAND, Issue 14
THE EDGE OF THE ISLAND was founded in 1991 and was suspended in 1995 after releasing 14 issues. It was a very important magazine addressing issues of cultural theory in the 1990s. Just like the copy soliciting article submissions on the back cover, the magazine had almost no taboos. Common topics included gender, the body, and national identity. There were even discussions on queer issues in the beginning. This issue was the last issue. It is an advanced edition based on the theme of "Sexual Nation" in combination with topics on "Women's Land (False) Identity" from the 9th issue and "Queer" from the 10th issue. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)
 

    Burgeoning Queer Literature

The literary atmosphere in the 1990s gushed with "end-of-the-millennia magnificence." There was a boom in the publication of gay literature. Lin Yan's A THRUSH WHICH LOST ITS VOICE was followed by Xu You-sheng's REWARD FOR ROMANCE, Chu Tien-wen's NOTES OF A DESOLATE MAN, Qiu Miao-jin's NOTES OF A CROCODILE, Chen Ke-hua's THE CONTROVERSIAL POEMS, Ji Da-wei's MEMBRANE, Chen Ying-Shu's HUMANS SHOULD NOT FLY, Chen Xue's BOOK OF WICKED WOMEN, Du Xiu-lan's UNFILIAL DAUGHTER, Wu Ji-wen's THE CHAOTIC GALAXY, and Tsao Li-chun's DANCE OF A MAIDEN. For ten years, the literary world continued to force society to examine various gender issues.

However, Taiwanese society was slow to accept new ideas. Gays suffered from HIV stigma and most lesbians chose not to reveal their sexual orientation. Unable to gain approval, some retreated into denial of their sexual identities, while some chose to end their lives.
 

► NOTES OF A DESOLATE MAN and Award
Chu Tien-wen's NOTES OF A DESOLATE MAN, a novel centered on the theme of homosexuality, was the first-prize winner of the first China Times Literature Awards in 1994. It was published by China Times Co. in the same year. (Donated by Chu Tien-wen / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)

► TAIWAN LITERATURE, Issue 158
The 158th issue of Taiwan Literature (December 1996). This issue features multiple writers' works on older women and Chiu Kuei-fen's interview with Chen Xue. (Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

► ALWAYS BE WITH YOU, a manga book
In 1997, Shen Lian-fang created the manga book ALWAYS BE WITH YOU published by Tong Li Publishing Co. This work was inspired by the suicide of two Taipei First Girls' High School students in Yilan. The book illustrates the event and the impact it had on society. Although one of the protagonists dies while the other survives to face harsh public criticism alone, the story ends positively. The book anticipates the state of Taiwan's LGBTQ community 20 years later. This book was the first manga centered on shoujo-ai (girls' love).
 

► Reaction to CONFESSIONS OF A MASK
Notes from Qiu Miao-jin after she read Yukio Mishima's Confessions of a Mask. Her response shows her attention to the human aspects of the characters, their spiritual lives, sorrows of humans and the meaning of death. Her writing shows her deep impression of the unique story and aesthetics of the book. CONFESSIONS OF A MASK, a partly autobiographical book, was Yukio Mishima's second long novel. The book is set in Japan during the chaotic social situation following the Second World War and boldly deals with homosexuality. The book caused quite a stir in the literary world at the time. (Donated by Qiu Rui-qi / From the National Museum of Taiwan Literature permanent collection)