TAIWAN：A History of Agonies（Revised and Enlarged Edition）

　　“Taiwan is not China.
　　The Taiwanese are not the Chinese.
　　Taiwan should be ruled by Taiwanese themselves.”

　　This long-awaited English version will be the foundation stone on which for the peoples of the world will deepen their understanding of the Taiwan affairs and the Taiwan-China relations.

　　The US Presidential election having turned out as it did, the world is watching Taiwan closer and harder than ever before - now what happens to Taiwan?

　　Taiwan is no part of China. Taiwanese are not Chinese. This book tells just that.

　　The author, Ong Iok-tek, also a linguist, wrote this book while in exile in Japan to let the world know the truth of the history of Taiwan. Ardently read and reread over half a century since its publication, this book has come to claim its due status as the most authentic historical account of Taiwan that has affected many a Taiwanese. It goes and proves then that this book so vividly portrays the realty of Taiwan based strictly on nothing but scientific, objective truths.

　　China’s claim over Taiwan as its “territory” is totally groundless; nor has China any legitimate ground on which to annex Taiwan. That this book so eloquently appeals you as you turn the pages.

　　Since the dawn of its history, the island of Taiwan has paved its own way apart from China. It did come under the severest illegal rule by the Chinese Kuomintang after the World War II, but the Taiwanese have proudly demonstrated their high level of national traits to singlehandedly recover a genuine democratic state of their own.

　　Fully aware of Taiwan’s geo-political importance, China has incessantly exerted every illicit means in an attempt to drag Taiwan into their sphere of power. Now is the time, more so than ever before, Taiwan stands as a fortress that all nations of the world must join together in its defense in the name of freedoms and democracy. Should Taiwan be once gulped into the dictatorial China, freedoms, human rights, and democracy we mankind have passed centuries to defend would be treaded upon overnight.

　　To block China’s illicit designs, the problems surrounding Taiwan ought to be better and closer appreciated. That is the very reason why this book, now crisply translated into English, now at a most opportune moment when the world intently looks upon the destiny of Taiwan.

Preface / Ng Chiau-tong (黃昭堂)
Preface / Ong Meiri (王明理)
Some Remarks on Changes in Ong Iok-tek’s Recognition of Indigenous People of Taiwan / Kondo Aya (近藤綾)
Explanatory Note
Preliminary Remarks
Introduction A Stormy Situation Facing Taiwan

Chapter 1 A LAND OF FATEFUL PAST—In search of a new world
1. Taiwan: How it was so named
2. Of Pirate Families
3. Hardships: It all began in the Penghu Islands
4. Japan’s Ambition
5. The Tragedy of Indigenes

Chapter 2 A NEW WORLD YET INCOMPLETE—Dutch period (1624-1661)
1. Dutch Rule
2. Footsteps of the Spaniards up North
3. Transit Trade Boomed
4. The Indigenes under Control
5. The Early Honeymoon Period
6. Taiwanese Society under Dutch Rule
7. Kuo Huai-i’s Rebellion

Chapter 3 KOXINGA: HIS BRIGHT AND DARK SIDES—Cheng period (1661-1683)
1. The Cheng: A prototype of the Kuomintang regime
2. Flight to Taiwan
3. The Cheng: Its nature
4. The Cheng: Its inner conflict
5. Resistance or Truce?
6. The Harshest Demand Ever

Chapter 4 A PILE OF BLOOD AND SWEAT—Qing period (1683-1895)
1. “Isolate Dangerous Elements”
2. Heading for Taiwan in Droves
3. The Life of the Pioneers
4. Corrupt and Incompetent Officials of the Qing Court
5. “Minor Rebellion Every Three Years,Major Rebellion Every 5 Years”
6. “Factionalism and Feuding”
7. Fu-chien’s Colony
8. Land and People beyond Qing’s Rule
9. The Taiwan Strait—History’s Watershed

Chapter 5 NO ONE BUT TAIWANESE—Republic of Formosa (1895)
1. Forsaken Before You Knew
2. The Nature of the Republic of Formosa
3. Qing’s Soldiers and Taiwanese

Chapter 6 IN THE VORTEX OF MODERNIZATION—The Japan colonial period (1895-1945)
1. What Did the Japanese Inherit
2. Successful Colonial Rule
3. Some Comparisons: Vertical and horizontal
4. Hopeless Armed Resistance
5. A Thorough Carrot-and-Stick Policy
6. Chien Ta-shih and Ch’en Ch’iu-chu
7. A Superstitious “Conspiracy”
8. Lin Hsien-t’ang and Overseas Students
9. Ideals and Realities of the Culture Society
10. “What’s Wrong about Becoming a Japanese?”
11. Division in Prosperity
12. Taiwan Communist Party and its Counterparts in Japan and China
13. Criticisms and Evaluations of the Two Japanese Scholars
14. Agonizing while Transfiguring

Chapter 7 ALL-OUT CONFRONTATION WITH THE CHINESE—Kuomintang period (1945-1963)
1. Dogs Gone; Pigs Come
2. The Great 2.28 Rebellion
3. The League for Re-liberation of Taiwan in Hong Kong
4. Fleeing to Taiwan
5. Great Oppression and Wu Kuo-chen’s Downfall
6. A Refugee Regime; A House of Contradictions
7. Land Reform in Disguise
8. The Trick of “Counterattack”
9. An Ugly Face behind the Mask
10. Ultimate Struggle
11. Lei Chen and Opposition Party Movement
12. Overseas Independence Movements
13. Between the United States and the Kuomintang Regime
14. Between Chinese Communists and the Kuomintang

Chapter 8 FROM 1960’s to 1970’s—1964~
1. Harassed from Within and Without
2. The Vietnam War and the Cultural Revolution
3. The Advance of Japanese Capital in Taiwan
4. Chiang Ching-kuo and the P’eng Ming-min Incident

Concluding Chapter Taiwan’s Independence
THE HISTORY OF TAIWAN SINCE 1970 ONWARD / Ong Meiri
TRANSLATOR’S NOTE / SHIMAMURA Yasuharu
CHRONOLOGY
INDEX

 

作者簡介



Ong Iok-tek (1924-1985)

　　PhD in Literature (Tokyo University)
　　Professor of Meiji University, Department of Commerce
　　Instructor in many Universities, e.g. Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
　　Founder of Taiwan Youth (forerunner of WUFI)
　　Secretary-General of Council for Implementing Compensation for Ex-Japanese Soldiers of Taiwanese Ancestry

　　1924     Born in Tainan, Taiwan
　　1942  Graduated from Taihoku High School
　　1943  Entered Tokyo Imperial University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Chinese Philosophy/Literature (支那哲文学)
　　1944  Evacuated to Taiwan, served in City Office, Chia-yi
　　1945     Theatrical activities while teaching at Tainan First High School
　　1947  January, Got married
　　February, 228 Incident; his elder brother Ong Iok-lim who was a prosecutor was killed by KMT government
　　1949  Took refuge in Japan
　　1950     Re-entered Tokyo University
　　1960  Completed graduate studies at Post-Graduate School, Tokyo University
　　Founded Taiwan Youth (台湾青年社), inaugurated its monthly organ Taiwan Youth (《台湾青年》); devoted much of his time to Taiwan independence movement since then
　　1975  Founded Council for Implementing Compensation for Ex-Japanese Soldiers of Taiwanese Ancestry; appointed Secretary-General of the council and actively worked toward resolving this problem
　　1985  September 9, Deceased of myocardial infarction
　　2021  September 9, Ong Iok-tek Memorial Museum founded in Tainan City

　　Publications:
　　Taiwanese Common Vocabulary (Tokyo, Eiwagogaku-sha, 1957)
　　Taiwan: A History of Agonies (Tokyo, Kobundo, 1964)
　　First Step to Taiwanese (Tokyo, Furinshobo, 1972)
　　Elementary Taiwanese (Tokyo, Nichu-shuppan, 1983)
　　Taiwan Strait (Tokyo, Nichu-shuppann, 1983)
　　A Historical Study of Taiwanese (Tokyo, Daiichi-shobo, 1987)
　　The Complete Works of Ong Iok-tek (in 15 volumes)
　　A Taiwanese Youth Who Lived Showa (Tokyo, Soshisha, 2011)
　　Ong Iok-tek’s Seminar of Taiwanese (Tokyo, Toho-shotenn)

　　And numerous theses on Taiwan problem, linguistics and more.

編者簡介

Ong Meiri

　　Chairwoman of World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI) Japan
　　Director of the Friends of Lee Teng-Hui Association in Japan
　　Member of the Japan Poets Club

　　1954  Born in Tokyo
　　1977  Graduated from Keio University, Faculty of Literature, Department of English/American Literature
　　1985～  Engaged in cataloging and publication of manuscripts of father, Ong Iok-tek, after his departure in 1985
　　2011～  Chairwoman, WUFI Japan

　　Publications:
　　・Collections of Poems:
　　Hikidashiga Ippai (Drawers Full of XXXX) (Tokyo, Soshisha, 2003)
　　Sunflowers in Homeland (Taiwan, Yu Shan-she, 2015)

　　・Editing:
　　The Complete Works of Ong Iok-tek (15 volumes) (Taipei, Ch’ien Wei-ch’u-pan, 2002)
　　A Taiwanese Youth Who Lived Showa (Tokyo, Soshisha, 2011)

　　・Translation:
　　Rethinking “One China” edited by John J. Tkacik, Jr. (Tokyo, Soshisha, 2005)



譯者簡介



Shimamura Yasuharu

　　1935  Born in Tokyo

　　Education:
　　1953  Graduated from Saitama Prefectural Urawa High School
　　1955  Boise Junior College (latter-day Boise State University), Boise, Idaho, U.S.A. (English, music) A.A.
　　1957  University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. (English, music) B.M.
　　1960  Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, L.A., California

　　Profession:
　　1953-55  Lecturer, Kano Junior High School (alma mater), English and History
　　1965  Japan Cultural Forum, Japanese leg of the Congress for Cultural Freedom, Paris, and de facto publisher of its Japanese-language organ Jiyu (Freedom)
　　1972  Royal Norwegian Embassy, chancellor/senior translator

　　Field of Work:
　　Apart from creative endeavor in music, engaged exclusively in bilingual translation on all subjects over two decades of foreign service.

　　Now at the age of Umbrella, or having attained eighty years of age, fully retired into a country life with abundant time for meditation and writing—and for occasional welcome commissions such as Taiwan: A History of Agonies.