Set in Kaohsiung Harbor during the Japanese era,
Delicate and grand, depicting the century-long evolution of modern Taiwan
Write about how the daughter of Kaohsiung refused to admit defeat, under the feet of a foreign race and under the sky of a foreign country,
Step by step without stopping, break through the difficulties and live out your own name
At the Kaohsiung Harbor where she bid farewell to her husband, she held her less than one-year-old daughter in her arms, raised her little hand, and waved to the boundless sea, to her husband who was hiding on some unknown ship, and said, "Say Sayonara to Daddy!"
I asked, "Did you cry?" Her expression was serious as if she was accusing me of asking such a cowardly question.
"No! Why are you crying?! If you cry when you encounter something you don't want to do, you lose!"
The big harbor in her hometown of Kaohsiung did not give her shelter or embrace.
Instead, it taught her not to be afraid of the dangers of the waves.
Sun Aixue is never afraid. Born in Lingyaliao, she has shown a cheerful and fearless character since childhood and always has many innovative ideas in her mind.
When I was in elementary school, there were not many Taiwanese children in my class, and my Japanese classmates would often raise some seemingly harmless questions, such as why Aixue's last name had only one character and only one pronunciation, which was different from that of other classmates. In the eyes of adults, these questions might be considered as provocations, but she did not take them seriously. She even set up a small library and generously lent them storybooks.
The four years that Aixue studied at Kaohsiung Girls' High School were all in the haze of war. After graduation, she was successfully recruited by Mitsui & Co. Kaohsiung Branch and assigned to the sales department. At the time, cloth became more scarce and more expensive, and distribution was limited, often causing heated disputes between store owners. The supervisor, who didn't want to deal with such a situation, gave the task to the sixteen-year-old Aixue. However, her mind had a habit of spending a minute coming up with a bright solution rather than agonizing over the darkness all day. The next day, the cloth was distributed quickly in less than half a day, and all the shop owners had no objections.
When Emperor Showa announced his surrender in 1945, an era ended. What was originally thought to be the restoration of the country actually brought Arche two heart-wrenching separations. Her father was forced to flee to Hong Kong and has not been heard from since. Her husband was also reported as a dissident and had to flee to Japan. She could have gone to Japan to study at university, could have been a doctor's wife, but all these were distorted by the regime, and she seemed about to fall from happiness.
However, she never looked back or felt sorry for herself. A few years later, Aixue also came to Japan. Her experience at the Mitsui Kaohsiung branch taught her what a merchant was and allowed her to appreciate the fun of buying and selling. She successively engaged in clothing trade in Denenchofu, opened a canteen in Shibuya, opened a chain of laundries, and even took over a pharmaceutical company, all to support her husband in fully devoting himself to the overseas Taiwanese solidarity movement.
Women can also step forward and achieve many things. Ai Xue's strong vitality, her bravery, her restraint and her decisiveness undoubtedly reflect the image of a character of an era.
The historical background images of "The Daughter of Dagang" will be shown at the same time
At the end of the book, dozens of precious historical photos are specially included, including Kaohsiung State Hall, Kaohsiung Bridge and Catholic Church, Kaohsiung Port, Qihou, Yancheng Town street scenes, Kaohsiung No. 1 Elementary School, Kaohsiung Girls' High School, Shoushan Golf Course, etc.
The big harbor in her hometown of Kaohsiung did not give her shelter or embrace.
Instead, it taught her not to be afraid of the dangers of the waves.
Sun Aixue is never afraid. Born in Lingyaliao, she has shown a cheerful and fearless character since childhood and always has many innovative ideas in her mind.
When I was in elementary school, there were not many Taiwanese children in my class, and my Japanese classmates would often raise some seemingly harmless questions, such as why Aixue's last name had only one character and only one pronunciation, which was different from that of other classmates. In the eyes of adults, these questions might be considered as provocations, but she did not take them seriously. She even set up a small library and generously lent them storybooks.
The four years that Aixue studied at Kaohsiung Girls' High School were all in the haze of war. After graduation, she was successfully recruited by Mitsui & Co. Kaohsiung Branch and assigned to the sales department. At the time, cloth became more scarce and more expensive, and distribution was limited, often causing heated disputes between store owners. The supervisor, who didn't want to deal with such a situation, gave the task to the sixteen-year-old Aixue. However, her mind had a habit of spending a minute coming up with a bright solution rather than agonizing over the darkness all day. The next day, the cloth was distributed quickly in less than half a day, and all the shop owners had no objections.
When Emperor Showa announced his surrender in 1945, an era ended. What was originally thought to be the restoration of the country actually brought Arche two heart-wrenching separations. Her father was forced to flee to Hong Kong and has not been heard from since. Her husband was also reported as a dissident and had to flee to Japan. She could have gone to Japan to study at university, could have been a doctor's wife, but all these were distorted by the regime, and she seemed about to fall from happiness.
However, she never looked back or felt sorry for herself. A few years later, Aixue also came to Japan. Her experience at the Mitsui Kaohsiung branch taught her what a merchant was and allowed her to appreciate the fun of buying and selling. She successively engaged in clothing trade in Denenchofu, opened a canteen in Shibuya, opened a chain of laundries, and even took over a pharmaceutical company, all to support her husband in fully devoting himself to the overseas Taiwanese solidarity movement.
Women can also step forward and achieve many things. Ai Xue's strong vitality, her bravery, her restraint and her decisiveness undoubtedly reflect the image of a character of an era.
The historical background images of "The Daughter of Dagang" will be shown at the same time
At the end of the book, dozens of precious historical photos are specially included, including Kaohsiung State Hall, Kaohsiung Bridge and Catholic Church, Kaohsiung Port, Qihou, Yancheng Town street scenes, Kaohsiung No. 1 Elementary School, Kaohsiung Girls' High School, Shoushan Golf Course, etc.
About the Author
Chen Roujin
A native of Yunlin, he graduated from the Judicial Department of the Faculty of Law at National Taiwan University. He was once a reporter and is currently a writer and adjunct associate professor at the Graduate Institute of Journalism at National Taiwan University.
His major works include "The President's Relatives" (1999), "Taiwan's First Experience of Western Civilization" (2005, won the United Daily News' Top Ten Non-Literary Books and the Government Information Bureau's Golden Tripod Award for Best Humanities Book), "90th Floor, Miyamae-cho" (2006, won the China Times' Top Ten Chinese Creation Books), "Everyone Is an Era" (2009, won the Government Information Bureau's Golden Tripod Award for Non-Literary Books), "Taiwan's Happy Stories: The First Time You Can't Imagine" (2011), "Old Times" (2012), "A Young Man from Rongcheng Travels Around the World: Memoirs of Luo Fuquan" (2013), and "Advertising: Old Brands. Fashionable stuff. Salesmanship: Seeing Taiwan's Modern Life from Japanese Times Advertisements" (2015), "A Carpenter and His Taiwan Expo" (2018, won the Openbook Reading Magazine "Chinese Creative Writing" Annual Book Award and Mirror Culture "Chinese Creative Writing" Annual Book Award).