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Title |
Cultural Imagination and National Discussion of Foreign Domains──Critical Analysis of Lin Xian-tang's “ The Voyage Around the World” |
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Author |
Chang, Huei-Chen |
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Lecturer, Department of Chinese Literature, National Chengchi University |
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Abstract |
Lin Xian-tang, from 1881 to 1956, was born into a wealthy family in Wu-fong, Taichung. Having experienced the political turnovers of the Manchu Dynasty, Japanese occupation and the Taiwan Republic, he devoted his whole life to Taiwanese nationalist movement, with the deeds of his life closely related to the vagary political situation. After the disruption of the Taiwan Cultural Association in 1927, Mr. Lin traveled around Europe and the United States with his two sons, with the intention of following the footsteps of Liang Qi-chao in examining and exploring the political states of different countries, so as to impel future political career. The journey around the world lasted a year, inclusive of over a dozen countries across Europe and the United States. Combing the knowledge and impression of his travel, he completed the book “The Voyage Around the World.” In a way, this twenty-thousand–word voyage is a collection of Lin Xian-tang’s journey around the world, and what he learned, at the age of forty-nine Generalizing his knowledge, intelligence and sentiments as a middle-aged man, the book itself is indispensable to the study of Lin Xian-tang. More importantly, this book is an actual record of how Taiwanese, during the Japanese occupation, marched toward the outside world seeking for realization of nationalism and modernism. Thus, “The Voyage Around the World” surpasses general travel books in terms of literary value, while being especially burdening, but enriching at the same time, to its readers. Accordingly, my dissertation will analyze and discuss the center of “The Voyage Around the World,” in turn bring out the world view and national impression of Lin Xian-tang, and how his cultural imagination and national discussion were represented through the travel journal. |
