*
Homepage

 

04/22 (Tue)

Opening Hours 9:00-17:00

*
The Taiwan Shinminpo News Special – Reopening Ceremony of the Taichung Railway Line in 1938

Publication date: 1 Dec 2023
Author: Lee Yi-ling, Kawashima Naoko |Staff member of the Archives of Institute of Taiwan History

The Taiwan Shinminpo was the only newspaper published by Taiwanese during the Japanese colonial era, representing the voices of the Taiwanese people in contrast to the official stance of the Taiwan Nichinichi Shinpo. Its reports covered a wide range of topics, making it a rich source for diverse research subjects.

On July 14-15, 1938, Taiwan Shinminpo published a special issue for two consecutive days titled "Celebrating the Restoration of the Taichung Line," totaling four full pages. This commemorated the reopening of the Taichung railway line, which had been severed since the 1935 Hsinchu-Taichung earthquake. This earthquake caused numerous casualties and severed north-south transportation, significantly affecting local society and economy. Through archived newspapers, diaries, photos, old documents, and maps, this article revisits the scene of the 1935 earthquake, reviewing Taiwan's most severe natural disaster in history and the subsequent reconstruction efforts.

*
V. Epilogue

Archives are first-hand accounts of course of events regarding individuals, families and organizations and an important source of evidence for retracing the past and reconstructing history. Art archives not only point out the trajectory of the artist’s private and creative life but also encompass the development of artist groups and the exhibitions. In fact, art archives are ultimately the whole body of all kinds of information available regarding artistic movements. With more and more precious art archives being unearthed, compiled and published by researchers, the research orientation of exhibitions in Taiwanese art history has gradually been broadened from a focus on exhibits themselves and the analytical account of the artist’s life to include the art ecosystem or documented events in the exploration of a more diverse set of facets.

The archives documenting early artist groups give a varied account of the autonomy painters demonstrated in organizing themselves and the initiative in building cross-field networks. In view of the fact that during Japanese colonial rule there were neither sound systems of official financial support for the arts nor mechanisms for art purchases and collection, cultivating the various strata of society for their cooperation and participation was extremely important in the quest for resources and space in art. Owing to such innate quality of civil society, artists’ influence could grow and become the propelling force behind cultural enlightenment and self-identification. An influence that, in linking up art and society in more profound interactions, perpetuates itself in the long arc of history across time and space - generation after generation.


11F., South Wing, Building for Humanities and Social Sciences, 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11529,
Taiwan Tel: +886-2-2652-5181 Fax: +886-2-2652-5184 【Contact us
Copyright © 2010 Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica. All Rights Reserved