Comments on: National Museum of Taiwanese Literature

By: Kaminoge

Kaminoge — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:45:10 +0000

Certainly the war and earthquakes have played their parts, but I think the biggest reason has been postwar prosperity, and the resultant boom in property development. A significant chunk of Japan's prewar architecture has been razed to make way for commercial and residential properties. It's a phenomenon that has occurred nation-wise, and not just in Tokyo. Even today, where there is a greater awareness of the need for historical preservation, there are often stories in the Japanese media of people fighting (sometimes losing) battles against developers.

By: cfimages

cfimages — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:56:03 +0000

Thanks for the insightful comment. I hadn't really thought of the firebombing as a possible reason.

By: taiwanvine

taiwanvine — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:48:39 +0000

You know, actually, a big reason for that is that 1) big cities like Tokyo were firebombed to hell by the US (ie the US tried to get the entire city to burn to the ground) and 2) earthquakes and also their resulting fires. My speculation for the second explanation is I think the earthquakes in Taiwan weren't as much of a problem because of the lower density at the time.

"One of the exhibition rooms is dedicated to Lai He, widely considered the father of Taiwanese new literature. Born in Changhua in 1894, he was a novelist, poet and doctor. Lai He was the leading representative poet throughout the Japanese colonization. As a doctor, he opened a clinic where he saw patients, as well as a reading room where he wrote and kept a large collection of books, newspapers and magazines for friends, students and patients to read. He was also a prominent social activist, discussing current events, Taiwan’s future direction and served as a mentor for young writers"

Cool. Sounds like a real Renaissance man that I think is becoming harder and hard to achieve in our modern era.

By: cfimages

cfimages — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:47:11 +0000

It's always the way, isn't it? Architecture seems to be better preserved in the colonized countries rather than the originals. Thanks for stopping by.

By: Kaminoge

Kaminoge — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:45:10 +0000

By: cfimages

cfimages — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:56:03 +0000

Thanks for the insightful comment. I hadn't really thought of the firebombing as a possible reason.

By: taiwanvine

taiwanvine — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:48:39 +0000

By: cfimages

cfimages — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:47:11 +0000

It's always the way, isn't it? Architecture seems to be better preserved in the colonized countries rather than the originals. Thanks for stopping by.

By: Kaminoge

Kaminoge — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:53:45 +0000

That's a beautiful building. In some respects, the Taiwanese have done a better job of preserving late Meiji-Taisho-early Showa period architecture than the Japanese have done in their own country.