Nostalgic Writings Of The Move-to-Taiwan Writer

Since the liberation of Mainland China in 1949, many people followed the ROC government to Taiwan, while their departure was not a part of their life plan but an exterior force of a large-scale political change. Coming from different provinces of China with different customs and values, those people started their new life in a totally unfamiliar environment. Although living there, the main theme of many writers was still their hometown. This essay will discuss their nostalgia in their writings especially in this particular period.In the past years, looking to those works, we were lacked of a comprehensive and systematic exposition. Occasionally, even there were some related discussions, but still inadequate. Now, the cross-strait contact is increasingly intimate and the former KMT chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong have visited the mainland, thus the political isolation gradually tapers. It is significant to recall Taiwan NOSTALGIA literature wrote in the past 50 years, and in the same time, it can also recover the research in Taiwan literature in the field studying in the contemporary Chinese literature. Researching into their nostalgic writings, on the one part, it is apparent that those immigrants moving from Mainland China to Taiwan in1949 have common in their background--leaving their hometown in an early ageand experiencing the turmoil of war, on the other part, the difference is from different parts of Mainland China, they have various growing experiences. The like and the unlike factors accumulate together and form the characteristic in their nostalgic writings. Far away from hometown, their haunting nostalgia which made them express their emotions eagerly motivated prosperous literary works in the 1950s to the 1970s that gave the modern Taiwan literature a colorful bloom. So we should not forget their achievements.This paper will discuss the Taiwan literature, according to the literary form of novels, essays and modern poetry. In novels, according to the different main idea, the three topical subjects are homeland's customs, love in destabilized years and war; in essays, the topical subjects are expressing homesickness, describing hometown scenery and hometown food; in modern poetry, the categories are writing of the traditional image, missing their loved ones and nostalgic feelings of the regional scene. In the aforementioned different theme, I try to sort out various themes, do a systematic research and then make a comprehensive description. Moreover, their impact to second-generation writers, creative achievements in the field and future prospects are also included.Because their homesickness and vigor in writing, the nostalgic writings were prosperous in the initial 20 years of their move to Taiwan. During this period, their life experienced significant transformation, which included not only changes of the external environment, also included their psychological complex forming during the time when they were in the adult society still as juveniles. Such writers we will discuss include Zhang Shuhan, Guo Lianghui, Yang Nianci,Zhu Xining, Sima Zhongyuan.Guo Sifen,Wang Lan, Pan Rumu,Wang Dingjun,Zhu Yan,Qi Jun,Luo Fu,Xin Yu,Xi Murong,Mei Xin,Liang Shiqiu,Tang Lusun, etc. From various viewpoints, their works are common in the same nostalgic theme while presenting distinct subjects. The nostalgic literature attracts the post-war growth readers deeply and records the past chaotic era profoundly and authentically.Military writer, emerging in the 1960s, is another special phenomenon in Taiwan, part of whom followed the KMT army to Taiwan, including Zhu Xining, Sima Zhongyuan, Luo Fu, Shang Qin,Mei Xin, Chu Ge.Yang Lingye.Xiang Ming, Guan guan, Xin Yu,etc. Those who moved to Taiwan with their families, were provided some stability by their family members, but for soldiers who just left mainland China to Taiwan, without homes and relatives, what could they rely on to keep their faith? Finally, the leaders and staff members of the KMT endeavored to find the answer—arts. Therefore, from 1950 to 1960, it held various dramas, dances, paintings and other arts activities in the Taiwan army; moreover, it established the Army Arts Award and published internal publications.In a long history of Chinese literature, the nostalgic complex from the migration caused by the instable political situation is not only a significant motif but also a powerful motivation. Only for some important factors, will Chinese people, who always have a great affection for their hometown leave it; however, in thousands years of history, there are many irresistible migrations caused by wars, hence, the nostalgic literature becomes a major category in Chinese literature. For writers moving to Taiwan in 1949, the experiences of the local customs and practices compared with their own and war-dislocation are reflected in their writings, which not only form a conspicuous feature from their works, but also promote a diversely prosperous development in Taiwan literature. Their works become proudly achievements in Taiwan literature, to a large extent, affected the subsequent writers. Works by writers of different backgrounds and perspectives can create different styles of literature thus enrich our literary world.However, the migration of the writer is not only the changes of living environment, but also the transplant of their literature life. Especially in 1949 because of political changes which caused a large-scale migration, the writers from the Chinese mainland were forced to leave their hometowns which provided them writing material and moved to a totally different and unfamiliar Taiwan. This thesis will choose the nostalgic works which can properly reflect the sentiments of authors to study.It is an existing historical fact that Taiwan has been occupied by the Dutch and has been ceded to Japan which has splited the Taiwan literature. Moreover, hardly can we forget sufferings of the event of "Feb. 28th" 1947. Apart from political reasons, another reason of unification and independence is Taiwanese duality of national structure arose from the past colonization which can easily divide our nation as well. In the 1980s this concept also permeated into other fields. The concept of unification and independence is not only applied in the political argument about the relationship between Taiwan and China, but also become the fundamental coordinates in discussion about culture, arts, academic research and social psychology , and even compose a part of the basis of Taiwanese judgment.Existing culture and history often has inevitable relation, therefore, looking back through history can help us improve our understanding. With the passage of time, history has been far away from us, consequently, we should gradually reduce the subjective perspective and raise the objective in the sense of the distance. Although gradually diminishing in Taiwan, nostalgic literatures still have influence on the younger generation of writers, perhaps much deeper than before. After leaving out too narrow-minded works gradually, what we contemporary literary critics should do is to make an appropriate evaluation of these excellent works.Works of Lu Xun, Ba Jin, Ding Lin, Lao She and so on, in past decades, were banned in Taiwan. Similarly, in the mainland, works of moved-to-Taiwan writers may also be in the same embarrassment. At present, provincial writers moved to Taiwan in 1949 were deliberately ignored by the two sides the Straits since on the one part, Taiwanese critics do not identify themselves with them whose main topics is still about China Mainland, on the other part, because their disapproval of the communism, critics in the mainland classify their works as a product according to the policy of the KMT indiscriminately. Unfortunately, those great works have been submerging one by one.In literary development, whether criticism or abuse, only deliberate neglect can most hurt the authors. As is known to all, all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. Hence, while viewing those literary works in the era of changes from the perspective of literature history, it is better to prefer to be inclusive rather than put political factors first so that in the field of literature we can leave some different voices for people.