'Taiwan Travelogue' rethinks history, colonialism, and identity

Key Points:

• The novel "Taiwan Travelogue" by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, which won the 2026 International Booker Prize, explores Taiwan's complex colonial history under Japan and its impact on Taiwanese identity and relations with Japan and China.
• The story, set in the 1930s, highlights the power dynamics and cultural tensions between Japanese colonizers and Taiwanese people, raising questions about Taiwan's colonial legacy and modernization.
• Yáng Shuāng-zǐ emphasizes that the book criticizes colonialism and rejects the notion of romanticizing Japan's rule, while also explaining Taiwan's unique historical experience compared to Korea and China due to the subsequent Republic of China regime.
• The author advocates for a Taiwanese identity based on shared connection to the land and democratic values rather than ancestry, expressing concern over potential loss of Taiwan’s democratic freedoms amid pressures for unification with China.
• Translator Lin King discusses the interpretive nature of literary translation and notes Taiwan's current geopolitical reliance on former colonizer Japan as an ally against threats from China, reflecting broader identity and political struggles.