Taipei in History: 〈古都〉

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1 Taipei in History: 〈古都〉
Flâneur and the City as a Dream

2 Outline 戰國廁 – the army’s dormitory 眷村 no privacy Taipei’s Histories?
眷村文化 –The Army’s Village/Dormitory 戰國廁 – the army’s dormitory 眷村 no privacy 古都

3 Taipei/Taiwan’s Histories in Films
Postcolonial Point of View: Taiwanese’s points of view: 悲情城市、無言的山丘、多 桑, 太平天國, 超級大國民 (15:00; 42:39), etc. mainland Chinese’s point of view: 香蕉天堂、《岵嶺街 少年殺人事件》. homosexuals’ point of view:《孽子》. Styles: Magical realist: 阿爸的情人、short story〈將軍碑〉 (張大春) Mostly tragic, the comical-satirical one: 太平天國(Like No) 、戰國廁 (7:00)

4 The “Writing” of City’s Forgotten/Neglected Past
“Canvas of Time” –a portrait to be respected –turned to a blank canvas for inscribing the other histories. 〈古都〉? Nostalgia only? How is history of Taipei/Taiwan presented? What makes her criticize Taipei? How does the narrator wake up from her dreaming/walking in the city?

5 〈古都〉 A City with Different Layers of “Forgotten” Past

6 朱天心 Tien-Hsing Chu as 2nd Generation Mainlander
外省第二代, Father 朱西寧 三三集刊成員受師長輩精神 傳承，情感認同且依戀「故 國」。面對鄉土文學的論戰， 遂變得十分焦慮，因為成長 經驗中「屬於我的『鄉土』 是無論如何都無法合於論戰 的標準」。（朱天心語）

7 古都: Starting Questions
Structure: pp. 151 – 170 (-eng 134) : memories of her life (outing with A) at age 17, and the recent mayor election. (pp /eng 132) pp : (-eng 186) : A visit (two visits) to Kyoto and more memories of her youth and childhood; pp. 211 – 233: A re-visit of Taipei with a colonial map. (Intertext: 桃花源) 「難道，你的記憶都不算數……」(151) What does this mean? What does the narrator cherish and resist? How does she remember the past?

8 Narration Coming back to Taipei Taiwan History
Narrative present Taiwan History High school Tamsui , Jian-tan Mayor election  Yuan-mt. Going to Kyoto (planning to meet A) 《古都》, walking with 千重子//桃花源記 Going there with her daughter once A in the US Trip after the election critical 180 189 Taipei vs. Kyoto Coming back to Taipei Travel in Taipei with a colonial map High school years 桃花源記

9 古都: Major Themes Contradictions: The narrator notes with discontent the city’s past layers which the city itself does not seem to confirm or preserve. This discontent makes her desire to leave, while she cannot. The memories she cherishes and her contradictions Young adulthood – with A; Of Taipei’s past At Kyoto Childhood; The Oblivious City vs. the Remembered City; Taipei vs. Kyoto The narrator’s criticism of Taipei, her contradictions and complexity

10 Memories: Simplicity and Passion in Young adulthood – in general
那時候的體液和淚水清新如花露，人們比較願意隨它要落 就落。 那時候的人們非常單純天真，不分黨派的往往為了單一的 信念或愛人，肯於捨身或赴死。 那時候的樹，也因土地尚未商品化，沒大肆開路競建炒地 皮，而得以存活得特別高大特別綠，像赤道雨林的國家。 那時候鮮有公共場所，咖啡館非常少，速食店泡沫紅茶 KTV、PUB更是不用說，少年的只好四處遊蕩猛走，但路上 也不見人潮洶湧白老鼠一般。(p ; 自由 157) Different Definitions of Freedom:157  Do you agree? Do you see that in your parents’ lives or in your own childhood?

11 Personal Memories—Teenage, Young adulthood and Marriage
with A Close friends, close to being homosexual lovers; p. 153; Triangular relations: A and 宋；A and the narrator p. 155; 163 With XXX College life (2nd part) : With her husband: during election (1998?) – 168 At Kyoto: a previous trip with her daughter

12 Of Taipei’s past –to confirm and criticize Taiwan --
Ching Dynasty 〈台灣通史序〉--清人得台、廷議 欲墟其地 (靖海侯將軍施琅不可) Confirmation -- Sino-French War 年前法軍 戰役 French 咸豐七年春正月、淡水大雪 (pp. 153; 204) British Rule -- 八年，黃位又犯雞籠。英人始訂 約採腦。 Japanese Rule -- 日人拆城 ;賣台灣 they tore down the walls, sold Taiwan, but planted trees (p. 180); DPP -- tears down the trees and pollutes Taiwan with heavy industry. (p. 181)

13 1884年中法戰爭之『淡水古戰場』

14 Criticizing Taiwan 1) with Historical Texts
首先西班牙人荷蘭人如此描述台北：草茀瘴濃，居者多病。 康熙台北湖。 其後來採硫磺的郁永河在? 稗海紀遊? 形容台北：非人所 居。但那早在一六九七年，不能怪它，同時其的嘉南平原 乘牛車行經期間，如在地底（多令人神往！）。 康熙末年，隨軍來台平朱一貴亂的藍鼎源說：台人平居好 亂，既平復起。 連沈葆楨也說：台北瘴癘地。 李鴻章：鳥不語，花不香，男無情，女無意。 不滿那地方的不自你始。 你真不想回去呀。(p.177/eng 143)

15 Criticizing Taipei 2) Its erasure of the past: e.g.
-- Qing Dynasty & the Japanese (180/eng 147)  The past made present: the French 162/eng 125; Ghost of Chen weiying 189/eng160 Its rejection of mainlanders The present government’s Erasure of the past and reconstruction (181)

16 Confirming Taiwan 不必登岸 不必 剃髮 不必易衣冠 稱臣入貢可 也 (170)
No need to go ashore. no need to shave your head. No need to change your clothing style; sending tribute and being a royal subject will suffice. (eng 134) Familiarity with Taiwan’s history; e.g. Chien-tan

17 Critical of or Ambiguous about her Own Role
Ignorance at her young age -- Not knowing pp. 158/eng 你們與周遭大多數的人一樣對上述 種種一無所知 Colonized 奇怪… Not aware of colonial implications /eng 130 Not understanding – 169/134 – wanting to go away Relating the past to some foreign places 164/eng 128 MRT’s and coffee shop’s illusion (183/eng 151) Nostalgic only? 郵局(198) – Western Style buildings, incongruous with the surroundings. Different generations with different memories. (198/eng 171)

18 Routes of Memories: of Kyoto
Remembering her trip with her daughter p –  Remembering her walk to 圓山 ‧p. 177  her childhood. Childhood 北勢湖國 Taipei City Walls p. 180  the story 古都 end 210

19 The Oblivious City vs. the Remembered City
P. 187 – 不打算保存人們生活痕跡的地方， 不就等於一個陌生的城市？ Kyoto’s permanence & cleanness (e.g. 清涼寺 171; ) vs. Taipei’s changes: p ; 210 intertext: 武陵人

20 Taipei vs. Kyoto Kyoto vs. Taipei 白川 p. 171 清涼寺 vs. 慈惠宮 (pp )

21 Kyoto to Taipei Kyoto: an ideal projection of Taipei as an ancient city Continue the colonial history? She uses a colonial map to tour around Taipei: p. 211 – 日據時代將台灣神社建於台北，把台北古城 當作皇居御所，視基隆河為鴨川、劍潭山為 東山，取的便是台北盆地在地理位置上與京 都相彷彿(楊) .

22 Kyoto to Taipei Her route: the city center (新光三越 SHINKONG MITSUKOSHI)  總統府博愛特區 (Presidential Hall)  西門町 (218)  重慶南路 (Chongching S.) 圓山 (Grand Mt.)  淡水 關渡 (Guandu)  大度路(224) –lost her map (229);  迪化街 (Dihua market)  環河路 and 河堤 the embankment  What do you think this trip means? e.g. p. 230; p. 232 :

23 Do you agree with her experience of Postmodern Taipei
Forgetful and without direction 沒有航標的大 河？ The younger generation’s memory 198 P MRT The New Park p. 213 The Officials’ houses and their reconstruction 改建的房子 p Different perspectives and different needs: e.g. 許歷農 拒「以眷舍換官舍」…

24 Do you agree with her experience of Postmodern Taipei
天空有直升機盤旋，大概在找江上浮屍；歐 幾桑騎著老歐都拜嘟嘟放著黑煙迎面擦身而 過，大概也是接到通知去認屍…… 這是哪裡？……，你放聲大哭。 (p. 233)

25 Is the Narrator’s Criticism of Taipei Justified?
王德威言「她與她的老靈魂正如班雅明（Benjamin）的 天使一樣，是以背向，而非面向，未來」，因為這樣的 不甘願進入現代，行筆之處便時時夾雜著對現今社會的 議論與針砭。 (陳) 『歷史天使的外觀也是如此。他的臉孔朝向過去，我們 似乎看到排列出一連串事件的地方，他卻只看到一件事 物：一個不停不變的大災難，不斷地堆積出瓦礫堆，並 把他們射向他的腳下。．．這場風暴把天使帶向未來， 然而天使一直背對此一未來．．這場風暴的名字叫做 「進步」。』(班雅明) “History is an angel being blown backward into the future.” 這一切，一定和進步有誓不兩立的關係嗎 (182)

26 Her contradictions (1) 「你再也不願走過這些陌生的街巷道，如此， 你能走的路愈來愈少了。」 p. 184
Walking on Taipei streets and remembering a lot of the houses and their details.  political control of those old houses? P. 187 No where to walk now?

27 Her contradictions (2) Taiwan has always been under multiple colonial influence, so is she. e.g. Tamsui River 淡水河 像長江 p. 153; 淡水河口的景致像舊金山、p. 154; 紅樓像西班牙或某些地中海小鎮的建築p. 155; Chongshang N. Rd 有整排楓香與美軍顧問團宿舍 座落的中山北路像新英格蘭十三州， p. 165; River in Japan: 日本的河水 像江南 p. 171 American soap operas and movies. 無關乎民族主義 p. 166

28 her contradictions – multiple text
陶淵明的《桃花源記》、 連橫的〈台灣通史序〉， 西方作家如勞倫斯、梭羅、Robert Frost等 人的文學作品  Fragmentary identity

29 her contradictions and complexity (3)
你第一次來圓山公園時很驚訝他們怎麼公然 用了你們圓山的名字。女兒卻在一次幼稚園 戶外教學去圓山河濱公園回家後問你，奇怪 怎麼學人家日本人的地名呢。你突然迷惑起 來不能回答，丈夫笑女兒數典忘祖。(175) What will the daughter remember? pp

30 her contradictions and complexity (4)
Her fear of aging: pp. 173; 192. Her loss of the past = not meeting A Her position as a tourist at Kyoto (shopping, joining rituals, observing from a distance and being tolerant, not being able to communicate with the Japanese – p. 194; 206)

31 References 台北眷村文化館 - 松勤街上的「四四南村」 house/article?mid=336&next=206&l=f&fid=29 台大城鄉所︰社會實踐 social5