Voices from Elite Diaries
Beyond official archives and the ruler's diary, the private diaries of native Taiwanese elites offer another perspective for understanding this history. These diaries record intellectuals' daily observations, emotional fluctuations, and political reflections during the regime transition.
Through these first-person narratives, we see the other side of history — not the grand narrative of international polit…
Through these first-person narratives, we see the other side of history — not the grand narrative of international politics, but the micro-experiences of individuals amid upheaval. Each diary entry is a microcosm of an era, reflecting the complexity and gravity of that historical period.
This volume compiles significant excerpts from the diaries of several Taiwanese elites, presenting their inner journeys between hope and despair.
Lin Hsien-tang wrote from 1927 to 1955 almost without a break, in the diaries later published as the journals of the Kuan-yuan studio. His register is close to bookkeeping: who called today, what was discussed, which meeting he attended, what the household spent. Feeling is rarely stated outright. That is precisely why the change across 1945 to 1947 shows so clearly in his pages — not through adjectives but through the density of names and appointments. In the autumn of 1945 he travels north constantly for welcomes and preparatory committees; through 1946 his days fill with petitions and mediation; after March 1947 the list of callers abruptly shortens. What says most about his position are the intercessions he records: so-and-so has been arrested, the family has come to ask, he goes to see whom, and this is what came of it. A man who had once led delegations petitioning the imperial parliament now spent his working days pleading with a new government on behalf of his neighbors, with a success rate that kept falling. In 1949 he left for Tokyo for medical treatment and went on writing, the entries shifting from meetings in Taiwan to the weather, the visitors, and the letters from home; envoys came repeatedly to urge his return, and he never went back. He died in Tokyo in 1956. The ledger he had kept for twenty-eight years ends on a foreign page.
Selected Entries from Taiwanese Elite Diaries
October 1945 — Diary of Wu Hsin-jung
The motherland's troops have finally arrived. Welcome banners are everywhere on the streets, and everyone greets the new era with anticipation. However, seeing the arriving soldiers with their shabby equipment and loose discipline, I cannot help but feel somewhat disappointed. But I believe this is only temporary — the motherland will ultimately bring progress and prosperity.
August 1946 — Diary of Huang Wang-cheng
Prices rise three times a day, and the people are suffering beyond endurance. Rice prices at the market have multiplied several times over the past year, making it nearly impossible for ordinary families to make ends meet. The government's monopoly policies only add insult to injury. The 'retrocession' we once anticipated now appears to have been the beginning of a nightmare.
March 1947 — Diary of Yeh Jung-chung
After the troops entered the city, the killing began. Many innocent people were dragged from their homes and never returned. My friends — those who had fought for Taiwan's future — disappeared one after another. The entire city is shrouded in terror. The ideals and justice we once believed in seem so fragile before the barrel of a gun.
Isle of Time