Series III, Vol 2, No. 2, Fall 2005
Sponsored By: Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs - Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University
Editor: Linda Cooke Johnson
©2005 Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University
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| Studies On Asia | SERIES III, VOL. 2, NO. 2 | Fall 2005 |
| Joseph Allen | Mapping Taipei: Representation and Ideology, 1626-1945 (pdf) | 59 |
| Illustrations: Mapping Taipei (pdf) | ||
| Maghiel Van Crevel | Descrations? The Poetics of Han Dong and Yu Jian, Part II (pdf) | 81 |
| Zhang Wei | Zhang Wei “Blending into the Untamed land,” translated by Terrance Russel (pdf) | 98 |
| Ningyi Li | Fei Ming’s Short Stories: A Poetry of Folk Elements (pdf) | 112 |
| Dhondup Gyal | Dhondup Gyal “Waterfall of Youth,” translated by Yosay Wangdi (pdf) | 126 |
In Mapping Taipei: Representation and Ideology, 1626-1945, Joseph R. Allen shows how recent exhibitions of maps can be read as part of a new narrative about the meaning of Taipei—and by extension Taiwan–in which its specific historic conditions argue for a unique cultural identity. The salient position given to Japanese maps strikes at anti-Japanese rhetoric of the post-war KMT government and at the Chinese Communist government’s claim that Taiwan as an integral part of its nation. These maps, taken together, celebrate a new consciousness of the people of Taipei and give them a story to tell about themselves that features local nationalism determined by the post-colonial condition of the island, arguing that citizens of Taipei are “less Chinese” and more cosmopolitan.
Maghiel van Crevel’s Desecrations? Part Two, continues his discussion of the poetics of Han Dong and Yu Jian (for Part One, see the spring 2005 issue of Studies on Asia). The analysis focuses on Han’s and Yu’s perception of enemies of poetry, with special attention to “three colossal monsters”: the System, the Market and the West. The essay concludes with a section on Han’s and Yu’s strikingly different ways of operating in the metatextual arena.
Terrance Russell has translated the short lyrical essay by Zhang Wei, Blending into the Untamed Land, in which Zhang returns to the age-old Daoist tradition of seeking refuge in nature in a new and contemporary setting.
Ningyi Li discusses Fei Ming, a writer during the 1920s and early 30s, who combined poetic language and traditional prose conventions in stories of seemingly simplistic views of pastoral life. In his stories, he rebuilds a simple and unadorned kingdom and gives to rebirth traditional Chinese culture, with overtones of Dhyana Buddhism. His writing influenced following generations, including Shen Congwen, Wang Zengqi, and more recently, Ah Cheng, Jia Pingwa and Han Shaogong.
Yosay Wangdi has translated the Tibetan poem Waterfall of Youth by Dhondup Gyal, originally written in Tibetan. In this poem, Gyal calls upon Tibetan youth to revive their sense of nationalism and save the country.
Studies on Asia and Terrance Russell thank Zhang Wei for permission to publish the translation of his essay, “Blending into the Untamed Land.”