Seeing Taiwan — Historical Impressions of the Island

This island has reflected different faces through different eras and different eyes. From indigenous creation myths to foreign explorers' amazement, from literati's poetic descriptions to contemporary reflections, Taiwan's beauty and sorrow have found eternity in these words.

Indigenous Memory of the Land

Atayal Creation Legends

"Utux (ancestral spirits) left their mark on this land, mountains and rivers are all the bodies of our ancestors, we are children of the earth."
— Atayal oral literature

(Background: The Atayal believe that Taiwan was created by ancestral spirits, viewing humans and nature as one entity, embodying indigenous sacred concepts of land)

Amis Island Imagery

"We must be like roots, everyone will eventually return to the earth, the longer time passes, the more solid we become, rooting down deeply, doing simple things gives us strength."
— Amis traditional wisdom

(Background: The Amis compare people to plant roots, emphasizing deep connection to the land, a universal land concept among Taiwan's indigenous peoples)

Age of Exploration (16th-17th Century)

Portuguese Beautiful Island Legend

"Ilha Formosa!" (Beautiful Island!)
— Traditionally attributed to Portuguese sailors, c. 1544

(Historical verification: Modern scholars like Ang Kaim have verified that Portuguese mostly called Taiwan "Lequeo pequeño" (Little Ryukyu). The "Beautiful Island" attribution may be later imagination. The first documented use of Formosa for Taiwan was by Spanish in the 1580s)

Spanish Actual Records

"As Ilhas Fermosas" (Beautiful Islands)
— Spanish navigation logs, 1584

(Background: According to scholarly research, this is the earliest documented record actually praising Taiwan as "beautiful islands," from Spanish fleet navigation logs)

Dutch East India Company Accounts

"This island is rich in products, the natives are kind and friendly, truly a key point for East Asian trade."
— Dutch East India Company reports, c. 1624

(Background: After the Dutch occupied southern Taiwan, they described Taiwan's strategic value in reports to the Governor of Batavia)

Japanese Historical Names

Toyotomi Hideyoshi Era

Letter to the "King of Takasago Country": "May Takasago Country pay tribute to Japan and share in East Asian prosperity."
— Toyotomi Hideyoshi's handwritten letter, 1593 (Bunroku 2)

(Background: Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent Harada Magoze to Taiwan, calling Taiwan "Takasago Country," pronounced "タカサグン Takasagun" in Japanese, later evolving to "Takasago")

Tokugawa Era Designation

"Takasago Country" (タカサグン)
— "Records of Foreign Maritime Vermillion Seal Trading," 1615 (Genna 1)

(Background: Documents preserved at Konchi-in Temple in Kyoto, officially calling Taiwan "Takasago Country." "Takasago" means "beautiful island" in Japanese, equivalent to the Japanese version of "Formosa")

Taiwan Through Qing Dynasty Scholars

Yu Yonghe's "Pihai Jiyou" (Small Sea Travel Record) (1697)

"I am naturally inclined to distant travel, not avoiding obstacles and dangers. I often said that since Taiwan has been included in our territory, I couldn't bear not to have a comprehensive view of it."
— Yu Yonghe, "Pihai Jiyou" Preface

(Background: Yu Yonghe came to Taiwan to collect sulfur due to the Fujian gunpowder warehouse disaster. He described his motivation to visit Taiwan as a travel enthusiast, showing Qing intellectuals' curiosity about Taiwan)

"Looking across the plains, nothing but luxuriant grass, the strong covering one's head, the weak covering shoulders. Traveling by cart through it is like being underground, grass tips cutting faces and breaking heads."
— Yu Yonghe, "Pihai Jiyou" Vol. II

(Background: Describing the grassland scenery of Taiwan's central plains, vividly portraying the primitive appearance of most of 17th century Taiwan before development)

"Stepping outside, grass reaches shoulders, ancient trees intertwined beyond description; bamboo groves growing wildly among them, can't see objects within arm's reach."
— Yu Yonghe, "Pihai Jiyou" Vol. II

(Background: Describing the dense jungle landscape of northern Taiwan, reflecting the primitive magnificence of Taiwan's natural environment at that time)

Japanese Colonial Period Taiwan Literature

Lai He (1894-1943) — Father of Taiwan's New Literature

"Being Taiwanese is truly a cursed fate."
— Lai He, "Sacrifice Under Awakening"

(Background: Published in 1925 in response to the Erlin Incident, expressing Taiwanese helplessness and protest under colonial rule, becoming a classic voice of protest in Taiwan literature)

Yang Kui (1906-1985)

"We want to be human beings, not slaves."
— Yang Kui's spirit of resistance in his works

(Background: Yang Kui was an important left-wing writer in Taiwan, lifelong concerned with farmers' and workers' conditions. This quote represents his insistence on human dignity)

Post-War Taiwan Writers

Wu Zhuoliu's "Orphan of Asia" (1945)

"Four hundred years of orphan-like wandering, under different tyrannies with different names, everything left to fate."
— Wu Zhuoliu, "Orphan of Asia"

(Background: Describing Taiwanese people's drifting situation in historical changes, "Orphan of Asia" became a classic term describing Taiwan's fate)

"There are no so-called Taiwanese in the world. If there are, those would be people living in aboriginal villages in the deep mountains. Those commonly called Taiwanese are completely and totally Chinese."
— Character's identity confusion in Wu Zhuoliu's work

(Background: Reflecting the complexity of Taiwanese identity during Japanese rule, neither fully accepted by Japan nor close to China)

Zhong Zhaozheng (1925-2020) — Giant of Taiwan Literature

"To love our land, we must start by understanding it."
— Zhong Zhaozheng's literary philosophy

(Background: Zhong dedicated his life to constructing and promoting Taiwan literature, emphasizing the connection between literature and land)

Bai Xianyong (1937-)

Nostalgia and memory of "Taipei People"
— "Taipei People" short story collection

(Background: Describing Taiwan from the perspective of Mainlander immigrants, showing different ethnic groups' life memories on this island)

Long Yingtai's "Big River, Big Sea 1949" (2009)

"All the injustice of war lies in the displacement of ordinary people."
— Long Yingtai, "Big River, Big Sea 1949"

(Background: Describing the impact of the great migration of 1949 on Taiwan society, reflecting on war's trauma to ordinary people)

Contemporary Voices of Taiwan

Chi Po-lin's "Beyond Beauty — Taiwan from Above" (2013)

"Mountains are like the starting point of all things, the source of rivers, nurturing all kinds of life, the starting point of my original dreams, and the inspiration for my beginning in aerial photography."
— Chi Po-lin

(Background: Taiwan's first aerial photographer, reinterpreting Taiwan's beauty from a bird's-eye view, awakening environmental awareness)

Wu Ming-yi's "The Magician on the Skybridge" (2011)

"Memory can deceive, but feelings cannot."
— Wu Ming-yi, "The Magician on the Skybridge"

(Background: Set in the Zhonghua Market, describing the disappearance and reconstruction of Taipei's urban memory, exploring loss in the process of modernization)

Wu Ming-yi's "The Man with the Compound Eyes" (2011)

"We are all islands, but the ocean connects us."
— Wu Ming-yi, "The Man with the Compound Eyes"

(Background: Through environmental literature, reflecting on the relationship between humans and nature, and ecological crises in the age of globalization)

Syaman Rapongan (1957-) — Tao Writer

"The ocean is our refrigerator, our homeland, our everything."
— Syaman Rapongan

(Background: Representative of Tao maritime literature, emphasizing indigenous oceanic culture and ecological wisdom)

Badai (1962-) — Puyuma Writer

"Tribal memory is hidden in elders' wrinkles, hidden in the breath of mountains and forests."
— Badai

(Background: Reviving Puyuma cultural memory through novels, connecting traditional and modern indigenous identity)

Taiwan Through International Eyes

Foreign Journalists' Observations

"Taiwan is a vibrant democratic society that has developed unique characteristics based on Chinese culture."
— Common international media description of Taiwan

(Background: Reflecting international society's general perception of Taiwan's democratic transition and cultural diversity)

Contemporary International Writers

"Taiwan represents a unique blend of Chinese heritage and modern innovation."
— International observers

(Background: International scholars and writers generally believe Taiwan has found balance between cultural inheritance and modern development)

Conclusion: The Thousand Faces of the Island

These voices from different eras and different ethnic groups weave together Taiwan's complex face. From indigenous creation myths to outsiders' amazement, from literati's poetic descriptions to contemporary environmental reflections, each perspective captures some aspect of Taiwan.

Taiwan, whether called Formosa, Takasago, or Taiwan, has always been an impressive place. Its beauty lies not only in scenery, but also in the coexistence and dialogue of diverse cultures, in the footprints and memories left by different ethnic groups on this land.

As Chi Po-lin said, this is Taiwan that needs to be "seen"; as indigenous peoples believe, this is land that needs to be "protected"; as all who have lived here have experienced, this is a homeland worthy of "love."

This collection includes classic quotes from historical documents and literary works, aiming to present Taiwan's multiple faces through different eras' perspectives. Some quotes may have uncertain sources due to their antiquity or oral tradition nature, marked as "disputed" or provided with background explanations for reference.