Tsai Kun-lin’s (???) life was upended in 1950. Working overtime as a civil servant, he was suddenly taken to a jail where he was wired up to a machine and electrocuted until he gave up the names of so-called “co-conspirators.”
It later transpired that his supposed crime was joining a “left-leaning” reading club in high school out of a love of literature and academic study.
Tsai, born in Taichung in December 1930, is one of a handful of surviving political victims of the “White Terror,” the period of political repression by the Kuomintang (KMT) government in Taiwan during martial law from 1949 to 1987 that led to the disappearances and deaths of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people.
He endured torture and years of imprisonment at a “labor reform” camp on Green Island after he was found guilty of rebellion and treason.
Now, at 92, he serves as a living witness to Taiwan’s evolution from authoritarianism into a “full democracy” in Asia, as Taiwan was identified in the 2022 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Both Tsai and Taiwan’s hard-fought road to freedom were vividly documented in “Son of Formosa (???????),” a four-book Chinese graphic novel, the French version of which attracted local readers at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France in January.
An illustrated retelling
The graphic novel was authored by Taiwanese writer Yu Pei-yun (???) and illustrator Zhou Jian-xin (???).
A Ph.D. researcher and lecturer at the Graduate Institute of Children’s Literature at National Taitung University, Yu compiled numerous interviews with Tsai into a linear narrative with Slowork Publishing to deliver what became both Tsai’s biography and a history textbook for Taiwan.
Tsai’s life was chosen as the focus in the retelling of Taiwan’s martial law past because of his personal experiences and intimate connection to that time in the history of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Slowork president and editor Huang Pei-shan (???) recalled that her company was inspired to publish the graphic novel after receiving countless inquiries at international comic book fairs about illustrated works on Taiwan’s history.
The undertaking initially stalled, however, when Slowork struggled to find an illustrator willing to accept the project, Huang said.
Given the historical background of the period piece, whoever took on the project would have to spend a huge amount of time researching and ensuring historical accuracy in the retelling of the stories, a daunting task, according to Huang.
Eventually, Yu recommended Zhou, one of her doctorate students who had graphic works published before and won the Taiwan Golden Butterfly Award for Best Book Design in 2014.
Impartial perspectives
Framing the story was a challenge, Zhou said when speaking with CNA.
Early in the post-martial law period, people still refrained from talking about the White Terror era, he said, and even in movies some time after, filmmakers generally avoided addressing the topic head-on.
“If we present history in an accusing and critical manner, it may weigh too heavily on readers,” Zhou said.
“It could limit how far the story will reach, so we decided to start the narrative with a lighter tone and focus on stories about a boy before slowly diving into Taiwan’s history.”
The team behind “Son of Formosa” studied well-known graphic novels that dealt with trauma and history, such as American graphic novel “Maus” and Japanese manga “In This Corner of the World,” both of which focused on World War II.
It found that those works told tragedies from “positive and humane” perspectives, Zhou said.
While the majority of “Son of Formosa” centered around the atrocities committed by the KMT government, the graphic novel was itself unbiased, covering the physical insurgency initiated by the people rooted in Taiwan historically against troops that arrived from China.
The heaviest part of the graphic novel, Zhou said, centered on how different people survived adversity and traveled different paths in life.
“We hope that our work can serve as a ‘presentation’ that introduces the perspective and background of each character against the backdrop of history, so readers can draw their own conclusions.”
For example, Zhou said, the figures of authority — those who commit torture in the books — were depicted as either faceless or silhouettes.
“We did not want to simply create two-dimensional villains,” he said. “We wanted to get the readers to think, to ponder what those faceless figures represent. They could mean power, selfishness, or even regular people forced to commit atrocities by the power of authority.”
He wanted to show readers how humanity can find hope in calamity and the courage to stay alive so that they can tell future generations how important freedom and democracy are, the artist said.
Other White Terror victims
In addition to Tsai’s past, the graphic novel also tells stories of other victims of the White Terror, including Malaysian-born Taiwanese human rights activist Chen Qin-sheng (???).
Chen, born in Malaysia in 1949, was imprisoned for 12 years after being accused of involvement of the bombing of the United States Information Service in Tainan in 1971.
During his incarceration, when he was held incommunicado, his illiterate mother found no information about him, which prompted her to have his name engraved onto a memorial tablet placed at the alter of his ancestors.
Chen later had his sentence overturned in 2019, an act which the activist famously said was superfluous because he was innocent all along.
The graphic novel also depicts the murder of the mother and 7-year-old twin daughters of former Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Lin Yi-hsiung (???) in 1980, and the self-immolation of late publisher Cheng Nan-jung (???) in 1989 as an act of defiance to voice his dream for Taiwan to have freedom of speech.
It also brought to light lesser known figures like Carnegie Mellon University assistant professor of mathematics Chen Wen-chen (???), a supporter of Taiwan’s independence whose suspicious death in 1981 murder remains unsolved today.
“President Lee Teng-hui’s (???) democratic reforms inspired me,” Tsai said in the book, “and that is what is important, not revolution, but rather peaceful reform.”
International publication
The graphic novel has appeared in six foreign languages to date — English, Korean, Arabic, German and French and Japanese — with the Japanese translation the most popular.
Japanese media is anticipating that the latest reprint to exceed the sales of the original language publication, with a big assist from the writer of “In This Corner of the World,” Kouno Fumiyo.
Fumiyo said she studied the artistic style of “Son of Formosa” and heavily promoted the graphic novel to Japanese readers, according to Zhou.
“I am so touched. She is my inspiration, so the fact she is interested in my work means a lot to me,” he said.
“Son of Formosa” was most recently featured in its French edition as “Le Fils de Taïwan” at the Angoulême International Comics Festival from Jan. 26 to Jan. 29, published by Kana.
Speaking with CNA, Kana’s head of public relations Stéphanie Nunez said a lot of readers were curious about Taiwan due to the recent war between Ukraine and Russia as well as widespread media reports on the country.
Nunez said the graphic novel was extremely popular at the festival and attracted the attention of media outlets such as French weekly news magazine L’Express and daily newspaper Libération.
Creating the books represented the accomplishment of a life goal, Zhou said, but was also a gift to Taiwan. “Every person in Taiwan can contribute to the country through their own expertise.”
“The fact that this work was recognized and took me around the world is a very great honor,” he said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel