China News Service, New Taipei, March 10th, Title: Visiting Ye Lianheng Cemetery to explore the feelings of Taiwan’s literati generation

　　China News Service reporter Yang Chengchen

　　Gouziqian Old Street in Taishan, New Taipei, Taiwan, was once the only way to go to and from Linkou and Xinzhuang in Taipei.

Gouziqian means beside the stream.

In the back mountain park high on the stream bank, a secret winding path leads to the cemetery of Lian Heng, a famous scholar in Taiwanese history.

　　Lian Heng, courtesy name Yatang, was born in Tainan in 1878.

He is now better known to the public as the grandfather of Lien Chan, the former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang. However, more than a hundred years ago in 1920, his "General History of Taiwan" was printed and published in three volumes, which made him famous in the field of Taiwanese history during the Japanese occupation era. sensation.

　　This comprehensive history in classical Chinese provides the first complete account of Taiwan's 1,290-year history from the Sui Dynasty to its occupation by Japan in 1895, and proves with conclusive historical facts that Taiwan is part of China.

　　Starting from March 2021, commissioned by the descendants of the Lian family, cross-strait research institutions and publishing companies organized more than 20 scholars from mainland China and Taiwan to complete the vernacular translation and annotation of "Taiwan General History" in three years.

On February 7 this year, one of the traditional Chinese versions of the book was launched in Taiwan. Lien Chan and his wife attended the press conference with their children; 20 days later, the simplified Chinese version book press conference was held in the Taiwan Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

On February 27, 2024, the new book launch conference for the simplified Chinese version of Lian Heng's "General History of Taiwan" (translation and annotation) was held in Beijing.

Photo by Zhang Yangbin

　　Lien Heng was devoted to history and serving the country throughout his life. He traveled frequently across the Taiwan Strait and later settled in Shanghai.

The publication of "General History of Taiwan" was the beginning of his familiarity with the cultural circles on both sides of the Taiwan Strait at that time.

In 1936, Lian Heng died in Shanghai due to liver disease.

88 years later, his masterpiece once again crossed the strait.

I longed for "green mountains and green history for thousands of years" during my lifetime.

　　A reporter from China News Service recently visited Lianheng Cemetery in New Taipei City. The Taishan folks were not familiar with this historical figure.

"I only know that the original cemetery of Chen Cheng (former head of Taiwan's administration) is nearby." Facing reporters looking for directions, Ms. Jin, who has lived in Gouziqian for decades, said that there are only a handful of people around who know about Lian Heng's tomb. .

　　Climbing to the top of Houshan Park, we finally saw the Jushantang of Taishan District’s No. 1 Cemetery. Ms. Yang, who lives on the mountain, pointed to the distance: “The largest and enclosed one at the end is the Lian Yatang Tomb.”

Lian Heng Cemetery is located in Houshan Park, New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Photo by Yang Chengchen

　　March is the rainy season in northern Taiwan, and the park has lush vegetation.

The general direction of Lian Heng Cemetery is south to north. The monument reads "The tomb of Mr. Lian Yatang and his wife Shen", and the inscription is "The tribute of Jia Jingde (former dean of Taiwan's Examination Yuan), the male Zhendong ( The full name is Lian Zhendong, son of Lian Heng) Lishi". The epitaph in the back is engraved with the full text of the "Praise Order" from the leaders of the Taiwan authorities at that time.

　　There is a path in front of the tombstone, and the surrounding plants are scattered in an orderly manner. Two eye-catching red iron doors are erected at the northern entrance of the outer low wall, with a rusty old lock hanging in the middle.

Gouziqian Old Street at the foot of the mountain is no longer the main commuting route for Taipei and New Taipei residents; looking from the cemetery in the distance, the busy Zhongshan Elevated Road connects today's "double north".

Looking from the Lien Heng Cemetery, you can see the busy Zhongshan Elevated Expressway connecting the two cities of Taipei and New Taipei today.

Photo by Yang Chengchen

　　The description of Lianheng Cemetery on the Internet is not detailed.

Public reports only state that in 1946, after Taiwan was regained, the 10-year-old grandson Lien Chan returned to Taiwan from Chongqing, wearing plain clothes and a white robe, holding the ashes of his grandfather.

The relics were first enshrined in Lingyun Zen Temple in Guanyin Mountain, abbot of Lian Heng's Zen friend Master Ben Yuan. In 1954, Lian Fu built a tomb in Taishan Township, which is also part of the Guanyin Mountain Mountains in Taipei County (now New Taipei City).

　　As for the reason for choosing this location, a passage from Mr. Lian Zhendong's Cultural and Educational Foundation explains that before his death, Lian Heng had the expectation that "green mountains and green history will last for thousands of years"; Guanyin Mountain overlooks the Tamsui River, and the green mountains will always be there and the green water will flow forever. His long-cherished wish finally came true.

The vegetation in the Lianheng Cemetery is scattered. There are two eye-catching red iron doors at the entrance, with a rusty old lock hanging in the middle.

Photo by Yang Chengchen

Use life experience to demonstrate his view of history

　　In 1911, Lian Heng was very happy when he learned that the Revolution of 1911 was successful.

He then arrived in Shanghai via Japan, traveled to Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuchang, Beijing and other places, and also participated in the founding of two newspapers in Northeast China.

In 1926, Lian Heng moved his family to Hangzhou for a time, but later returned to Taiwan due to the war.

But on the bank of the West Lake, he kept thinking that "one day I will move to the lake and live there, and the green mountains and history will be thousands of years old."

　　In the early 1930s, Lian Heng recommended Lian Zhendong to work in the mainland and told him that "if you want to regain Taiwan, you must first build the motherland." By 1936, Lien Chan was born in Xi'an.

The Taiwan Association in Qianmen, Beijing, retains a copy of the original document of Lian Heng’s “application for restoration of nationality”.

The picture shows the interior of the Taiwan Association Hall.

Photo by Yang Chengchen

　　Nowadays in mainland China, it is not difficult to find traces of Lian Heng from some former residences and sites.

In Beijing, the Qianmen Taiwanese Guild Hall, not far from the Great Hall of the People, used to be a residence for Taiwanese students in the Qing Dynasty who went to Beijing to take exams. Now it serves as a museum and cross-strait non-governmental exchanges. The museum retains the "Application for Restoration of Nationality" by Lian Heng. A copy of the original document and the plaque of "Jinjiang Yiguan" where he lived are also displayed here.

　　Fujian, the ancestral home of the Lian family, established the Lian Heng Cultural Research Institute in 2014 to collect many versions of his life works.

In 2018, the 140th anniversary of Lien Heng’s birth, the institute also co-organized a seminar with the Taiwan Institute of Xiamen University and erected a commemorative bronze statue.

Lian's Ancestral Hall, Maqi Society, Zhangzhou, Fujian.

Photo by Chang Haijun

　　On the island, places related to Lianheng and even the Lian family are distributed in the north and south: the "Bronze Statue of Mr. Lian Yatang" erected in Tainan in 1977 still stands next to the Municipal Library; Taipei's "228" In Peace Park, his bronze statue is separated from the bronze statues of Zheng Chenggong, Liu Mingchuan, Qiu Fengjia and others in four pavilions; next to Taipei Station, the Lanting Hotel, formerly known as Kunming Hall, also records Lian Heng's experience of writing "General History of Taiwan" here. After the hotel was renovated, it was widely advertised.

　　"My ancestors, Hong Wei, crossed the sea and entered the wilderness to colonize this land. They have been the business of descendants for thousands of years. They have made great contributions..." The preface of "General History of Taiwan" has been selected as a Chinese language textbook for middle schools in Taiwan for a long time.

Zhang Kun, director of the Department of East Asian Studies at Taiwan Normal University, who is involved in the translation and annotation of vernacular texts, will tell reporters from China News Service that Lian Heng is using his life experience to demonstrate his firm view of history - Taiwan and the mainland are inseparable.

　　Lian Huixin, CEO of Mr. Lien Chen-tung's Cultural and Educational Foundation, who cherishes his great-grandfather's works, said that the "General History of Taiwan" translation and annotation project is to perpetuate the cultural spirit of great-grandfather and hopes that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can continue to communicate.

Wei Zhibin, the head of Nantian Bookstore, which is responsible for the publication of one of the translated and annotated versions in Taiwan, told reporters that we hope that young people can think from the process of understanding history and find consensus from cross-strait exchanges.

At the home of Lin Weigong, a famous genealogy researcher in Fuzhou, Lin Weigong showed reporters the 12 Fuzhou news articles he found written by Lian Heng.

These 12 news articles were published in the "Lujiang News" on the first and eleventh days of November in the 28th year of Guangxu's reign (1902).

Photo by Yang Yong

“Intellectuals of that generation generally have strong feelings for the motherland.”

　　In 1908, Lian Heng started writing "A General History of Taiwan", which took more than ten years to complete.

　　"Mr. Lian Heng wrote the "General History of Taiwan" during the Japanese occupation, which is very remarkable." Zhang Haipeng, a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the Taiwan History Research Center, said at the launch of the simplified version of the new book that the purpose of Lian Heng's book is to use incomparable Refuting historical documents prove that Taiwan belongs to China and Taiwanese people have Chinese feelings and national spirit.

　　In Zhang Kunjiang's opinion, Lian Heng is the representative figure of that generation.

Including Lai He, who is known as the "Father of Taiwan's New Literature", Zhong Lihe, the founder of Taiwanese vernacular literature, writer Wu Zhuoliu, anti-colonial movement leader Chiang Weishui, etc., Taiwanese intellectuals of that generation generally had a clear awareness and affection for the motherland. .

On September 29, 2011, the exhibition "Revolution of 1911 and Taiwan Compatriots" opened at the Lianheng Memorial Hall in Hangzhou. More than 130 pictures of precious historical materials were displayed to promote and introduce the touching deeds of Taiwan compatriots who fought in the magnificent revolutionary torrent.

Photo by Shi Jianxue

　　"The General History of Taiwan is a history book that is closely connected with the history of China. During the translation and annotation process, I can further feel Mr. Lian's strong emotions." Zhang Kunjiang said that some people in Taiwan later emphasized these intellectual thoughts The so-called "Taiwan consciousness" in China is full of partiality, and they are deliberately ignoring the feelings of the motherland.

In other words, the identity of Taiwanese intellectuals during the Japanese occupation was derived from the cultural consciousness of being Chinese.

The vernacular translation and annotations of "Taiwan General History" are now published. The greatest value lies in correcting the gradually imbalanced "Taiwan Historical View".

　　Lian Heng's life spanned Taiwan during the late Qing Dynasty and the Japanese occupation.

Zhang Kun will mention that Lian Heng once signed "Taiwan's survivors" in an article to comfort his predecessors.

"'Remover' is an expression of Mr. Lien's feelings for his motherland. He does not recognize the government during the Japanese occupation and believes that Taiwan will eventually return to the light of China."

　　In December last year, a video of Taipei high school Chinese language teacher Ou Guizhi criticizing the "de-Sinicization" of Taiwan's new curriculum went viral on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and the topic continues to this day.

Teacher Ou once wrote an article criticizing the new curriculum for deleting classical Chinese texts such as the preface to "A General History of Taiwan" and believed that this was "committing a crime that cannot be excused."

On October 22, 2013, "The Photocopy of the First Edition of "General History of Taiwan"" was published and distributed in Beijing, and a publication symposium was held at the Taiwan Association.

Photo by Tomita

　　Lian Huixin believes that the "de-China" curriculum has led to a lack of identity among Taiwan's younger generation, and in the long run will be divorced from the real history of Taiwan.

Xu Hong, former director of the Department of History at National Taiwan University and honorary professor at Jinan International University, told reporters that at a time when Taiwanese are facing a crisis of historical and cultural identity, it is of great significance to re-read the "General History of Taiwan".

The purpose of Lian Yatang's "General History of Taiwan" was to carry forward the national spirit and elucidate the meaning of "the people are the foundation of the country".

Therefore, all the achievements in the development of Taiwan, the sacrifices and struggles to resist the aliens, and the system of people's livelihood, morality, rituals, music, military punishment, etc. are all discussed in detail, and run through with the spirit of practical application. The whole book.

　　Xu Hong said that Mr. Yatang said that historians learn to apply their knowledge, and what is recorded in the book is neither a fleeting theory nor a mere accumulation of historical materials. Instead, it is about finding out from the foreword and the actions "what can be followed and what should be learned." ".

　　"Our generation has all read the preface to "General History of Taiwan" and knows a lot about Lian Heng. But now young people under the age of 30 know very few about him." Zhang Kun will translate the book into vernacular and make it into a video , animation, can help attract young people to understand history.

On December 18, 2021, the completion ceremony of the vernacular translation project of "Taiwan General History" co-sponsored by the Fujian-Taiwan Historical and Cultural Research Institute and Straits Publishing and Distribution Group was held in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province.

Photo by Zhang Bin

　　After leaving Lianheng Cemetery, we went down the mountain and passed the Xiataishan Yangong Temple on Gouziqian Old Street. A volunteer told reporters that every year around the Spring Festival and Qingming Festival, descendants of the Lian family would go up the mountain to clear weeds and pay homage to their ancestors; the district office would also Regular worship services for the public are held.

Ms. Yang also revealed that she recently saw in the news the publication of the vernacular translation and annotation of "Taiwan General History", and since then many media reporters have come to visit the cemetery.

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