Taiwanese Essays: Reading Long Yingzong's "A Town with Papaya Trees"

As mentioned earlier, 2022 is expected to be able to read Taiwanese literature in a wide range but not refinement, from the Japanese occupation period to the present. For the time being, there are two aspects. One is to read the history of Taiwanese literature, including history and works that I am interested in. The other is to read literary theory. Literature, literary history, and literary theory are intertwined. In addition to the textual basis, literary criticism often seeks theory. Support interpretation, and the refining of literary history is based on the selection and interpretation of facts. I have no historical literacy, but literary theory can be refined.

Read "A Town with Papaya Trees" at Leo's Cafe this weekend. Long Yingzong is the writer I am most impressed with when I read Chen Fangming's "New History of Taiwan Literature" and Lai Xiangyin's "Love Before Dawn: The Landscape of Japanese Occupation of Taiwan Fiction". It is no exaggeration to say that he is a generation of aphasia. Long Yingzong, born in 1911, is regarded as the second generation of intellectuals during the Japanese occupation period, different from the first generation of intellectuals, such as Wu Zhuoliu ("The Orphan of Asia"), Lai He (the father of Taiwanese literature) , Zhang Wujun (the promoter of Taiwanese vernacular), Long Yingzong Elementary School studied in a private school before, but when the Japanese police closed the private school in the first grade, he went to a public school (the primary school during the Japanese occupation). Japanese is the "national language" in public schools, and Long is the leader of the school. He is loved and enlightened by Japanese teachers, and literature will accompany him throughout his life. Long graduated from Taiwan Business School with excellent grades and was recommended by Japanese teachers. He worked in Taiwan Bank for 12 years. During his tenure, he was transferred from Taipei to Nantou, where he wrote "A Town with Papaya Trees". was transferred to Hualien.

The story written in "Zhi" is very simple. The young Chen Yousan went to work in a bank in a rural town and was responsible for counting the banknotes every day. He knew that he was a Taiwanese and could not receive the high salary of the Japanese. In his eyes, knowledge "the first goal is to improve one's own situation", and the second goal is "personality cultivation". Even if the book he reads can't change the class, it can always make his personality more noble! The reality is not so. Chen Yousan's friend Hong Tiansong in the small town will ruin his dream because of the custom of his parents' marriage Not full, the image of papaya is obvious, and there are many children and grandchildren in Taiwan's unique fruit. Chen Yousan, another friend from Taipei, even mentioned a friend of his own. When he went to Japan to study at university, he was admitted to a lawyer. After graduation, he served in a law firm for many years, and then returned to Taipei to open a business. Worried about rent and living expenses. You must know that at that time, going to Japan to study at university was the first choice for intellectuals, and being admitted to a lawyer also guaranteed a bright future, but in such an end, a friend even said: "Throw that knowledge to dogs, knowledge will make your life better. Unfortunately, no matter how you improve your knowledge, once you encounter reality, knowledge will become the shackles of your happiness.” It seems that reality has awakened not only Chen Yousan, but the entire young generation. What makes Chen Yousan even more sad is that when he moved in with his senior colleague Lin Xingnan's family, he fell in love with the Lin family's daughter. When he proposed, the daughter had already been assigned to a wealthy family. Lin Xingnan said that Chen Yousan was a good young man, but he would understand Lin Xingnan's difficulties in the future. of. So what about high quality? This made Chen Yousan's shaky heart go into self-imposed exile. The story ends here.

This short story published in 1937, written 84 years ago, has a modernist flavor in its writing, criticizing corporate management (modernity), Chen Yousan said, "In my student days... I tried my best to study in difficult places. I was surprised by the monotony of the society. Every day from morning to night, I just counted the money and recorded it in a simple account book.” A friend in Taipei replied to him: I have long forgotten what I have learned in those five years, and now I will plan it. Enough. Ironic enough. The complication is that this annoying corporate operation has prevented Taiwanese intellectuals from developing their talents, but they cannot get close, because the corporate management was brought by the Japanese, and they live a better life, just here. A small town, where Taiwanese live, where children defecate everywhere, and the smell is stinky. The place where Japanese live is spacious, clean, and desirable. Chen Yousan is reading a Japanese book and wearing a yukata, feeling that he is like the Taiwanese in the small town. Different, "thinking that there is a certain distance between myself and them, a sense of superiority is quietly born."

Long Yingzong is good at capturing this subtle emotion, and the ending made Lin Xingnan go crazy and a little bit bloody, but this is the first time I read it, and maybe I will have a different feeling after reading it a few times. Returning to Long Yingzong's life, after leaving the Bank of Taiwan, he first worked as an editor in a newspaper office. In 1945, when Taiwan recovered, prices rose, the people were suffering, newspapers and magazines were not easy to do, and the National Government banned the use of Japanese, Long Yingzong instantly became The generation of aphasia stopped writing in 1947 and returned to work in the banking industry. The amazing thing is that he continued to learn Chinese, and in 1977 he resumed writing in Chinese, which is crazy enough and crazy enough. Yingzong I love you.

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