The Taiwan Gazette translates and publishes original reporting from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Our goal with the platform is simple: We want original reporting from the Sinosphere to have a wider impact on global civil society.
All in Translations
The 1950s Taiwan was commonly known as an era of political suppression. Yet, elements of Taiwanese culture flourished during this period, paving the way for the growth of Taiwan’s entertainment industry. This article considers the role of radio and magazine in giving a “voice” to Taiwanese society under martial law.
On April 2, 2021, a Taroko express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derailed at the Qingshui Tunnel in Hualien, resulting in 49 casualties. Due to the collision severity, most of the victims’ bodies were severely disfigured. A group of volunteer mortuary cosmetologists from the 76 Monks – a non-profit organization which has assisted with many large-scale disasters – were immediately dispatched to assist in the reconstruction of the corpses with the intent of protecting the dignity of those who perished. The Reporter visited the restoration site of the Hualien City Funeral Home over several days and learned that the cosmetologists are willing to overcome all difficulties and come to serve from all over Taiwan. How did cosmetologists from the 76 Monks go about fixing the wounds of the deceased and heal the grief of the living with their bare hands?
During the 1960s and 1970s, Keelung was famous for its indent store business, a trade that specializes in consigning goods for sale or purchasing imported goods. How should we understand the rise and fall of the "indent store" business in relation to the historical formation of Keelung city?
Though short-lived for just less than four years, the Ren Jian (Human World) magazine, founded in 1985, was like a legend, shedding light on countless dark corners of Taiwanese society and revealing the wounds of the land in Taiwan before and after the lifting of martial law. With its powerful photographs and writings, it defines the core of in-depth investigative reportage. For more than 30 years, Ren Jian has been mentioned every now and then, commemorated through various exhibitions, conferences, or awards, including the Outstanding Contribution Award bestowed by the 2021 Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF). The Reporter meets with former Ren Jian employees and interviews them about their personal perspective of what the magazine means for their lives and for the era.
Taiwanese businessmen in China have enjoyed the spoils of China’s economic reform and political development after Tiananmen. Doing business in China could be risky, however. It is easily affected by the profound instability of business-political relationship in China, the shifting balance of global power, and other factors. As the Chinese Communist Party celebrated its centennial in 2021, what might be the fate of Taiwanese businessmen in China?
“Taiwan literature can be conceived of as every single mode of literary expression that has left an existential trace on Taiwan,” said Dr. Shuo-bin Su (蘇碩斌), director of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature. The research, preservation, and promotion of such modes of expression, however, either failed to receive organized institutional support or was subsumed under a China-centered historiographical perspective before the lifting of martial law in Taiwan. The establishment of Taiwan literature as a field of academic inquiry became possible thanks to the political liberalization of Taiwanese society and the emergence of a “Taiwan consciousness” since the 1980s. What might be the challenges and possibilities facing the field of Taiwan literature, then and now? What might be the new directions of the field? This interview features as part of our special issue: Encountering Everyday Life: Taiwan in Museums.
