colonization – Taiwan Insight

Teasing Romantic and Literary Appetite: Reading Taiwan Travelogue

23 April 2025 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Mu-Hsi Kao Lee. The article explores the experience of reading Taiwan Travelogue as a translated historical yuri novel. Kao Lee reflects on how the narrative, despite its clear genre and straightforward plot, evokes a sense of both satisfaction and longing in the reader. The article highlights the story’s ability to interweave historical and cultural details with the protagonists’ emotional connection, examining themes of desire, identity, and the complexities of relationships within a specific historical context.

Savouring Taiwan’s History and Experience: Reflections on the Taiwan Travelogue and Its Book Talk

16 April 2025 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Tun-Jung Kuo and Li-Ting Chang. This article reflects on a book talk discussing Taiwan Travelogue, highlighting how the novel uses food to narrate Taiwan’s colonial history, cultural hybridity and female perspectives. Through detailed depictions of cuisine and memory, it challenges historical narratives and deepens understanding of Taiwan’s evolving identity amid Japanese colonial influence and localisation.

The Rise and Fall of Chánzú: A Short History of Footbinding in Taiwan

24 June 2024 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Kate Allanson Conlon. This article traces the early development of women’s footbinding in the 18th century and subsequent ban during Japanese colonial period. As a tradition, footbinding has historical significance, demonstrating how distinct temporalities that viewed and treated women and their bodily freedom.