Introduction to Postwar Taiwan Fiction
Unit 12 Lost in a Big City:
Stories by Chang Ta-chun and Huang Fan
Lecturer:
Richard Rong-bin Chen,
PhD of Comparative Literature.
Unless noted, the course materials are licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Taiwan (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
1
The City in Literature
Two-way Migration
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
2
Urban Literature in the 1980s
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The city in literature
“The Taste of Apples” [蘋果的滋味]
“Hsiao Lin in Taipei” [小林來台北]
“The Drowning of an Old Cat” [溺死一隻老貓]
“A Love Letter Never Sent” [一封未寄的情書]
“My Son, Hansheng” [我兒漢生]
Urban Literature
“A Guided Tour of an Apartment Complex”
[公寓導遊]
• “A History of Condo Sales” [房地產銷售史]
3
Urban Literature
The Urban World Itself
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
4
The Rise of Urban Literature
• Made possible by economic prosperity
since the 1970s.
• Made possible by the writers’ urban life
experience.
• Political freedom.
• City is not only a setting, but also a
socialized and institutionalized space.
• Social problems: chaotic life, class
oppression, urban development, social
alienation, etc.
5
Crystal Boys [孽子] (1983)
by Pai Hsien-yun
• ”First Asian Gay Novel.”
• Taipei represented through a dichotomous
structure.
• The dividing line?
• West District vs. East District [Old vs.
New; The Poor vs. The rich; The Local vs.
The International.]
• Compare New York and Japan with Taipei.
6
Urban Literature in the 1980s
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Chang Ta-chun
“Speaker of the Aside” [旁白者]
“Alley 116, Liaoning Street” [遼寧街一一六巷]
“Lucky Worries about His Country” [四喜憂國]
Huang Fan
“A Man of Scruples, Shu-ming Fan, the Just and
the Fair“ [范銘樞的正直]
• “A Rainy Night” [雨夜]
7
Chang Ta-chun
• 1957: born in Taipei City.
• Education: attained both BA and MA degrees
from Fu Jen Catholic University (Department
and Graduate Institute of Chinese Literature).
• One of the most prolific Taiwan writers since
the 1980s.
• Used to be an instructor of Chinese Literature
in Fu Jen and a host of TV programs, now a
host in a FM radio talk-show (FM 98.1).
8
Chang’s Versatility
• Science fiction [〈病變〉]
• Historical and political novel
[“Lucky Worries about His Country”
（〈四喜憂國〉）and《撒謊的信徒》]
• Magic Realism [“The General’s
Monument”（〈將軍碑〉）]
• Postmodern meta-fiction [“If Lin Hsiuhsiung Had(n’t)”（〈如果林秀雄〉）]
9
• Post-1949 writing [“Birds of a Feather”（
〈雞翎圖〉）]
• Youth literature [Wild Kids（《野孩子》
）and My Kid Sister (《我妹妹》)]
• (Auto)Biographical fiction writing about
family lives [Listening to My Father (《
聆聽父親》)]
• Martial art novel [The Urban Legion of
Mobsters (《城邦暴力團》)]
10
”A Guided Tour of an Apartment
Complex” (1986) by Chang Ta-chun
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•
•
•
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First published in Unitas [《聯合文學》]
Story Structure?
Gathering place and episodes.
The ending.
The theme?
11
Spatially Connected, but
Socially Disconnected
• All the residents in the complex were
unknowingly closely related to each other.
• This story is both a micro and macroperspective of the society. Through this story,
we can understand how urban novels and
stories are written on the basis of the structure
of a city.
• Also, the many jobs of the residents make this
building an epitome of the society.
12
The Fortune Building [富禮大廈]
富禮大廈
The Fortune Building
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
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14
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
The Characters
• Kuan Yiu-kai (關祐開): the custodian.
• 12A Fan Yang-fan (范揚帆) and Lin
Nan-shih (林南施): the architect.
• 9A Ke Kai-ti (柯凱帝)and Tao Ta-wei
(陶大偉): the TV producer and TV
program host.
• 7A Wei Tan-cheng (魏丹誠) and Mrs.
Wei and kids
15
• 6A James Jennings and his girlfriend,
Susan: lawyer.
• 12B Mrs. Chi (齊老太太)
• 8B Yi Wan-chun (易婉君): a part-time
nightclub hostess
• 4B Liang Lung-jun (梁隆潤): a retired
general.
• 10C Chang Teh-chung (張德充): an
assistant manager of an insurance
company.
16
• 9C Liu Chih-jen (劉志仁): a tea merchant.
• 7C Huang Hsiao-ling (黃曉玲) & Chu Kuotung(朱國棟)
• 3C Lai Ching-tsai (賴進財) and his wife: a
lottery winner.
• 12D Kuan ti-fan (管滌凡): a painter.
• 11D Lin Ping-hung (林秉宏) and Mrs. Lin:
a manager of a trading company.
• 5D Wu Pao-ming and his kids
17
The Implication of the
Name of the Building.
• “Fully,” or “Foolish”?
• Fu Li Mansion, or Fortune Building?
• In the beginning of the short story, we are told
that the architect Fan Yang-fan [范揚帆] was
not satisfied with the English translation
because there is not any corresponding word
in English which can express the Chinese
phrase “Fu Li,” or “wealth and civility.”
18
Wealthy, but Not Civilized
• For example, the custodian, a retired lieutenant
colonel of high school, used to pee in the
elevator after drinking.(3) Every time he was
cleaning the elevator mat, he always thought
about the single lady Yi Wan-chun [易婉君] 8B
because she had nice breasts and well-padded
bottom (4).
• Yi Wan-chun was also a woman with secret: she
moonlighted three nights a week in Sister King’s
place, which might be some kind of high-class
brothel or nightclub (11).
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
19
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
• Lin Ping-hung [林秉宏], a trading company
manager and an insomniac, though hardworking and educated, cheated regularly on
his wife (6).
• Neither was Chang Teh-chung [張德充],
the resident of 10C and an assistant
manager of an insurance company, a
descent person, because he had been having
private deals with the auto repair shops in
order to jack up prices (15).
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
20
Social Alienation
• Lin Nan-shih, the architect’s wife, thought that
the building was “an instrument of alienation”
[疏離的象徵] (2).
Her impression on the building might express
the major idea that Chang Ta-chun wanted to
convey through this story. The residents there
were not civilized; what is worse, we can see
among them many cases of the alienation of a
highly prosperous modern society.
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
21
• Those Who Cheat
• Manager Lin cheated on his wife, and
General Liang would have done that
with his folkdance partner, a middleaged widow, hadn’t he had his prostate
operation already (7).
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
22
• Those Who Don’t Get Married
• Huang Hsiao-ling [黃曉玲] and Chu kuo-tung [
朱國棟], the couple in 7C, were not having a
stable relationship because, judging from Chu’s
concept of marriage, Huang thought Chu would
not marry her (12). After they fell out, Chu
would go to a dance hall in order to have a
good time with other women.
• Those Who Suspect
• Also, we see Wei Tan-cheng [魏丹誠], a man
thought his wife had been cheated on him,
living in 7A (13-14).
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
23
• Those Who Die
• Mrs. Chi, who died from a heart attack
because her son and daughter-in-law both
lived abroad (12).
• Toward the end of the story, we are about to
witness a “double tragedy”: after Lin Nan-shih
jumped down from the top of the building, she
was about to crash on Lai Ching-tsai [賴進財],
ironically a recent lottery winner of three
million NT dollars (23).
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
24
Chang’s Perspective on
Marriage in the City
• Why did the architect’s wife commit
suicide?
• The couples
• Fan Yang-fan and Lin Nan-shih
• Wei Tan-cheng and Mrs. Wei
• Huang Hsiao-ling and Chu Kuo-tung
25
• Chu Kuo-tung’s Perspective on
Marriage
• “That’s the way it goes after marriage,
a skirmish every couple of days, a
battle every 5 of 6 days.”(p.14)
Source: Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
26
Huang Fan
• 1950: born in Taipei. He is a graduate of Chung
Yuan College of Science and Engineering
[中原理工學院].
• In 1979, with “Lai Suo” [賴索] , his first piece
of fiction, he won the United Daily News fiction
competition. “Lai Suo” is a short story with the
theme of politics set in the 1970s, a period which
was both confusing and exciting for many
Taiwanese. (Lai Suo is a marginal and naïve
figure in Taiwan’s “Independence Movement.”)
27
• Though among Huang’s first pieces of
fiction, “Everybody Needs Ch’in Te-fu”
[人人需要秦德夫] had been rejected for
about two years before it was finally
published in Hsientai wenhsueh [《現代文
學》], the journal founded by Pai Hsienyung, in 1980, a year later than “Lai Suo.”
• “Everybody Needs Ch’in Te-fu”:
Huang’s version of The Great Gatsby.
28
“Urban Fiction” and “Postmodern Fiction”
• In the 1980s, Huang Fan developed himself into a
pioneer in both the spheres of “Urban Fiction”
and “Postmodern Fiction.”
• In the former category, his representative works
are City Life (《都市生活》, published in 1987)
and Tycoon (《財閥》, published in 1988).
• In 1985, he published “How to Measure the Width
of a Ditch” (〈如何測量水溝的寬度〉), arguably
the first postmodern work of fiction in Taiwan.
(For this piece, check Huang’s newly published
Zero and Other Fictions.)
29
Huang’s Literary Obsession
with the Urban World
• After Taiwan’s defeat in the sphere of
international politics and the political
tumults in the 1970s, an economic boom
greater than ever rose to stimulate its
urban development.
30
• A native of the area around Longshan
Temple, Huang Fan used to say, the urban
world in Taiwan was a mixture of New York,
Tokyo, and Calcutta where new communities
sprang up “like forests present a frightening
sameness,” no one was “obliged to be goodtempered,” English could be learned in seven
days, and anyone could intimidate the taxman
and be a success before forty. What is most
ironic for Huang Fan is that even the monk in
charge of Longshan Temple’s hospitality can
speak fluent English!
31
”A History of Condo Sales” (1987)
• First published in the supplement to
United Daily News [《聯合報》副刊]) in
May, 1987
• Like Huang’s “How to Measure the Width
of a Ditch” [〈如何測量水溝的寬度〉]
(1985), this story has always been
described as both his and Taiwan’s first
Postmodern short stories.
32
• Postmodern stories or novels do not try
to tell story or to make sense because
they are mainly about exploring the
possibilities of storytelling: that is, how
stories can be told and how a plot can be
manipulated in order to make readers
reflect upon the nature of fiction as a
genre.
33
The Story Structure
• I – The name of the construction company
• II – Juo and his complaints about the
architecture industry
• III – Juo’s monumental project
• IV – His project under way
• V – Juo’s boss wanted to join the project
• VI – Project completed with an
unexpected ending
34
The Opening Section
• The story’s opening section is mainly about
the relationship between the names of the
company and the owner, and the many
analogies brought out by the narratorprotagonist, Juo Yao-tsong. Toward the end of
the first section, Juo proposed a question: do
all those discussions about names and
analogies make sense? Actually, they make
no sense at all from the perspective of story,
but do make sense from that of storytelling.
35
The Ending
• “Everything about it is tiny. Tiny living
room. Tiny bedrooms. Tiny chairs and
tables. In fact, it’s made in the perfect
scale of a kindergartener.”
• The Complex of Inferiority?
36
The Characters
• The boss
• The wife
• the participants
37
The Participants of the Project
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chang Hong-zhong / Male / Age: 34
A Single
Lee Ching-li / Female / Age: 28
A housewife
Tsai Tien-lin / Male / Age: 53
A Feng-shui practitioner
Ke Yu-mei / Female / Age: 32
A fashion designer
38
•
•
•
•
•
•
Zhen shiang-yen / Male / Age: 45
A man with two wives
Zao Nien / Male / Age: 46
A private detective
Chien De-jing / Male / Age: 39
A lottery winner
39
The Theme and Social Background
• After the long diversion [離題], Juo
went back to the main stuff of this story,
the essence of architecture and how it
should be done in order to fit human
nature and the needs of people. The
name coined by Juo’s journalist friend is
most suitable for this theme: “the
buffet-style building.”
40
• The story is written in the first heyday
of Taiwan’s “condo sales.” Condo
prices started to rise higher than
ever, and many businessmen and
land owners also became wealthier
than ever for selling buildings or
lands.
41
• In 1989, two years after the story had
been published, a social movement
named “the Movement of the Shellless Snails” [無殼蝸牛運動] was
initiated to draw nationwide attention.
People who could not afford to buy
their own houses or departments stood
up to protest against the rising real
estate prices, but the effect was limited.
42
• The Urban Problems
• Many of the urban problems in those
days can be found in the fourth
section, the episode of the “teambuilding trip” around the island for all
the buffet-style building participants
43
The Urban Problems: Freeways
“ Freeways are absolutely the murderers
of traditional communities. The towns
that freeways cut through have been
completely bled of their unique
cultures.”
Source: This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS without
BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-of-condo-sales. The original source is
from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
44
The Urban Problems:
Sameness in the City
• “Isn’t that right? Just to accommodate
those freeways, everyone’s been
building the same cookie-cutter houses,
building higher fences. Grayness
envelopes everything. Darkness is
everywhere.”
Source: This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS without
BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-of-condo-sales. The original source is
from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
45
The Urban Problems:
No Urban Planning
“The way Taiwanese people trample
their own living environment is
simply astonishing. Roads need
repair all the time, bridges built
with no foresight, tunnels dug
everywhere. No street is spared.”
Source: This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS without
BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-of-condo-sales. The original source is
from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
46
The Urban Problems:
World Architecture Chop Suey
“It’s worse in the big cities. Buildings
sprout like weed. We might as well
call it a ‘world architecture chop
suey’—zero color coordination, no
fire escapes, no leisure spaces, all
concrete jungle.”
Source: This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS without
BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-of-condo-sales. The original source is
from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
47
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Licensing
Author/Source
2
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
4
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
13
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
14
National Taiwan University Richard Rong-bin Chen
19
For example, the
custodian, …used to
pee in the elevator
after drinking.
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.3) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
48
Copyright Declaration
Licensing
Author/Source
Page
Work
19
Every time he was
cleaning …had nice
breasts and well-padded
bottom .
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.4) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
19
Yi Wan-chun was also a
woman …kind of highclass brothel or
nightclub .
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.11) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
20
Lin Ping-hung [林秉宏],
a trading …educated,
cheated regularly on his
wife.
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.6) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
20
Neither was Chang Tehchung …shops in order
to jack up prices.
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.15) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
21
Lin Nan-shih, the …was
“an instrument of
alienation” [疏離的象
徵]
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.2) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
49
Copyright Declaration
Page
Work
Licensing
Author/Source
22
Manager Lin cheated
on his wife, …he had
his prostate operation
already .
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.7) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
23
Huang Hsiao-ling [黃
曉玲] and Chu kuotung …thought Chu
would not marry her .
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.12) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
23
Also, we see Wei Tancheng [魏丹誠], a man
thought…him, living in
7A .
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.13-14) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
24
Mrs. Chi, who died
from a heart attack
because her son and
daughter-in-law both
lived abroad .
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.12) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
24
Toward the end of the
story, we …of three
million NT dollars.
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989).
Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen,
(p.23) Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
50
Copyright Declaration
Licensing
Author/Source
Page
Work
26
That’s the way it goes
after …every couple of
days, a battle every 5 of
6 days.
Chang Ta-chun. (Winter, 1989). Chen I-djen (Trans.), Chinese pen, (p.14)
Taipei, Taiwan : Taipei Chinese Center, International P.E.N.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
Freeways are
absolutely … bled of
their unique cultures.
This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS
without BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-ofcondo-sales. The original source is from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售
史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
45
“Isn’t that right? Just to
accommodate
those …everything.
Darkness is everywhere.
This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS
without BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-ofcondo-sales. The original source is from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售
史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
46
The way Taiwanese
people …dug
everywhere. No street is
spared.
This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS
without BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-ofcondo-sales. The original source is from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售
史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
It’s worse in the big
cities. …no leisure
spaces, all concrete
jungle.
This article of “A History of Condo Sales” is from the website of “WORDS
without BORDERS” http://wordswithoutborders.org/article/a-history-ofcondo-sales. The original source is from Huang Fan (2005). 房地產銷售
史 (Kevin Tang Trans.) 黃凡後現代小說選. Taipei: Unitas Press.
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
51
•Article 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
44
47