Taipei in History: 〈古都〉

Taipei in History: 〈古都〉 ref. 戰國廁&《岵嶺街少年殺人事件》

Outline • Taipei’s Histories? • 眷村文化 –The Army’s Village/Dormitory • 戰國廁 – the army’s dormitory 眷村 no privacy • 古都 • 《岵嶺街少年殺人事件》

Taipei/Taiwan’s Histories in Films Postcolonial Point of View: • Taiwanese’s points of view: 悲情城市、無言的山丘、多桑, 太平天國, 超級大國民 (15:00; 42:39), etc. • mainland Chinese’s point of view: 香蕉天堂、《岵嶺街少年殺人事件》. • homosexuals’ point of view:《孽子》. Styles: • Magical realist: 阿爸的情人、short story〈將軍碑〉(張大春) • Mostly tragic, the comical-satirical one: 太平天國(Like No) 、戰國廁 (7:00)

The “Writing” of City’s Forgotten/Neglected Past • “Canvas of Time” –a portrait to be respected –turned to a blank canvas for inscribing the other histories. • 〈古都〉and 《岵嶺街少年殺人事件》? Nostalgia only? • How are histories written through walking in two cities? • How is a homicide presented as a social problem?

《岵嶺街少年殺人事件》 Who is the killer?

Outline • General Introduction: • Edward Yang and his Films • Plot Summary • The film’s explanation of the era. • His Family and Friends: All vulnerable and subject to the Parents’ problems

楊德昌Edward Yang • Got a Master’s degree in electrical engineering and then turned to film production. • Chronicles Taipei with • 《青梅竹馬》(1985)  60’s  80’s • Taipei Story《恐怖份子》(1986)  80’s • A Brighter Summer Day《岵嶺街少年殺人事件》 (1991) 60’s • Yi Yi 《一一》(2000) contemporary Taipei

Plot Summary • Setting: 60年代初，臺北。建國中學夜間部，中山堂. • 小四 involved in conflicts over 小明and the gangs such as “小公園幫”“217”眷村, 萬華幫, etc. • 小四 in family problems -- Father: a civil servant later involved in white terror, mother: substitute teacher who cannot get a fulltime position for lack of a diploma. • 小四’s problems at school: 滑頭 cheats in an exam, and 小四 got a de-merit; 小四 argues against the nurse, and the the military officer so he gets dismissed. • When 小四 decides to focus on his studies, he finds that 小明 is with.小馬。

Opening Description • insecurity and repression self-strengthening in some undue ways (gangs)

小四’s Family: All Vulnerable • The youngest sister – losing buttons, telling on the others; the 2nd—a devout Christian. • The oldest sister – tries to help when finding out that the watch is stolen. • The older brother does the same too for 小四 • Except for the youngest, they all try to help 小四 but without success.

Parents’ Frustration • The Past: meeting in Shanghai (2-4:01) • 汪狗，夏老師，2nd 7:30 • 警備總部: 2nd 35:12 – checking the memories for connections and making confession as a way of thought control.  51:00 released for no reason • After being released: • Lost sense of dignity 2nd 57 • Paranoiac 2nd – 2—4:00 • Seeking jobs.

小四’s Classmates (Friends) • 小貓(小貓王) –innocent, feminine and the only one unhurt. An interesting example of the influence of American culture. –connected with the dagger and Japanese women’s photos • 小馬—backed up by his general (司令) father—owning the sword, the recorder and the guns; orange juice, etc.

〈古都〉 A City with Different Layers of “Forgotten” Past

朱天心 • 外省第二代, Father 朱西寧 • 三三集刊成員受師長輩精神傳承，情感認同且依戀「故國」。面對鄉土文學的論戰，遂變得十分焦慮，因為成長經驗中「屬於我的『鄉土』是無論如何都無法合於論戰的標準」。（朱天心語）

古都: Starting Questions • Structure: • pp. 151 – 170 (-eng 134) :memories of her life (outing with A) at age 17, and the recent mayor election. (pp. 169-70/eng 132) • pp. 170 -210: (-eng 186) :A visit (two visits) to Kyoto and more memories of her youth and childhood; • pp. 211 – 233: A re-visit of Taipei with a colonial map. (Intertext: 桃花源) • 「難道，你的記憶都不算數……」(151) What does this mean? What does the narrator cherish and resist? How does she remember the past?

Narration

古都: Major Themes • The narrator remembers the past which the city itself does not confirm or preserve. • The memories she cherishes and her contradictions • Young adulthood – with A; • Of Taipei’s past • At Kyoto • Childhood; • The Oblivious City vs. the Remembered City; Taipei vs. Kyoto • The narrator’s criticism of Taipei, her contradictions and complexity

Memories: Young adulthood – in general 那時候的體液和淚水清新如花露，人們比較願意隨它要落就落。那時候的人們非常單純天真，不分黨派的往往為了單一的信念或愛人，肯於捨身或赴死。那時候的樹，也因土地尚未商品化，沒大肆開路競建炒地皮，而得以存活得特別高大特別綠，像赤道雨林的國家。那時候鮮有公共場所，咖啡館非常少，速食店泡沫紅茶KTV、PUB更是不用說，少年的只好四處遊蕩猛走，但路上也不見人潮洶湧白老鼠一般。(p.151.152; 自由 157) Different Definitions of Freedom:157  Do you agree? Do you see that in your parents’ lives or in your own childhood?

Personal Memories—Teenage, Young adulthood and Marriage with A • Close friends, close to being homosexual lovers; p. 153; • Triangular relations: A and 宋；A and the narrator p. 155; 163 • With XXX • College life (2nd part) : 204-205 • With her husband: during election (1998?) – 168 • At Kyoto: a previous trip with her daughter

Of Taipei’s past –to confirm and criticize Taiwan • Ching Dynasty 〈台灣通史序〉--清人得台、廷議欲墟其地 (靖海侯將軍施琅不可) • Sino-French War -- 88 年前法軍戰役 French • 咸豐七年春正月、淡水大雪 (pp. 153; 204) British Rule -- 八年，黃位又犯雞籠。英人始訂約採腦。 • Japanese Rule -- 日人拆城 ;賣台灣 but they planted trees (p. 180); • DPP -- tears down the trees and pollutes Taiwan with heavy industry. (p. 181)

1884年中法戰爭之『淡水古戰場』 http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/iplusmyfather123-iplusmybrother12/article?mid=24689&prev=-1&next=24688

Of Taipei’s past –to confirm and criticize Taiwan • 首先西班牙人荷蘭人如此描述台北：草茀瘴濃，居者多病。 • 康熙台北湖。 • 其後來採硫磺的郁永河在? 稗海紀遊? 形容台北：非人所居。但那早在一六九七年，不能怪它，同時其的嘉南平原乘牛車行經期間，如在地底（多令人神往！）。 • 康熙末年，隨軍來台平朱一貴亂的藍鼎源說：台人平居好亂，既平復起。 • 連沈葆楨也說：台北瘴癘地。 • 李鴻章：鳥不語，花不香，男無情，女無意。 • 不滿那地方的不自你始。 • 你真不想回去呀。(p.177)

Critical of or Ambiguous about her Own Role • Not knowing pp. 158 --你們與周遭大多數的人一樣對上述種種一無所知 • 奇怪… Not aware of colonial implications 166-67 • Not understanding – 169 – wanting to go away • Relating the past to some foreign places 164 • Nostalgic only? 郵局(198) – Western Style buildings, incongruous with the surroundings.

Routes of Memories: of Kyoto • Remembering her trip with her daughter p. 172 – •  Remembering her walk to 圓山 ‧p. 177  her childhood. • Childhood 北勢湖國 Taipei City Walls p. 180 •  the story 古都 end 210

The Oblivious City vs. the Remembered City • P. 187 – 不打算保存人們生活痕跡的地方，不就等於一個陌生的城市？ • Kyoto’s permanence&cleanness (e.g. 清涼寺 171; 207-208) vs. Taipei’s changes: p. 199 - 200-01; 210 intertext: 武陵人

Taipei vs. Kyoto • Kyoto vs. Taipei • 白川 p. 171 • 清涼寺 vs. 慈惠宮 (pp. 207-208)

Kyoto to Taipei • Kyoto: an ideal projection of Taipei as an ancient city • Continue the colonial history? She uses a colonial map to tour around Taipei: p. 211 - • 日據時代將台灣神社建於台北，把台北古城當作皇居御所，視基隆河為鴨川、劍潭山為東山，取的便是台北盆地在地理位置上與京都相彷彿(楊) .

Kyoto to Taipei • Her route: the city center (新光三越)  總統府博愛特區  西門町 (218)  重慶南路 圓山  淡水關渡  大度路(224)–lost her map (229);  迪化街  環河路 and 河堤 the embankment •  What do you think this trip means? • e.g. p. 230; p. 232

Do you agree with her experience of Postmodern Taipei • Forgetful and without direction 沒有航標的大河？ The younger generation’s memory 198 • P. 183-84 MRT • The New Park p. 213 • The Officials’ houses and their reconstruction改建的房子 p. 216-17 • Different perspectives and different needs: e.g.許歷農拒「以眷舍換官舍」…

Do you agree with her experience of Postmodern Taipei • 天空有直升機盤旋，大概在找江上浮屍；歐幾桑騎著老歐都拜嘟嘟放著黑煙迎面擦身而過，大概也是接到通知去認屍…… • 這是哪裡？……，你放聲大哭。 (p. 233)

Is the Narrator’s Criticism of Taipei Justified? • 王德威言「她與她的老靈魂正如班雅明（Benjamin）的天使一樣，是以背向，而非面向，未來」，因為這樣的不甘願進入現代，行筆之處便時時夾雜著對現今社會的議論與針砭。 (陳) • 『歷史天使的外觀也是如此。他的臉孔朝向過去，我們似乎看到排列出一連串事件的地方，他卻只看到一件事物：一個不停不變的大災難，不斷地堆積出瓦礫堆，並把他們射向他的腳下。．．這場風暴把天使帶向未來，然而天使一直背對此一未來．．這場風暴的名字叫做「進步」。』(班雅明) “History is an angel being blown backward into the future.” 這一切，一定和進步有誓不兩立的關係嗎 (182)

Her contradictions (1) • 「你再也不願走過這些陌生的街巷道，如此，你能走的路愈來愈少了。」 p. 184 • Walking on Taipei streets and remembering a lot of the houses and their details. •  political control of those old houses? P. 187 • No where to walk now?

Her contradictions (2) • Taiwan has always been under multiple colonial influence, so is she. e.g. • 淡水河像長江p. 153; • 淡水河口的景致像舊金山、p. 154; • 紅樓像西班牙或某些地中海小鎮的建築p. 155; • 有整排楓香與美軍顧問團宿舍座落的中山北路像新英格蘭十三州， p. 165; • 日本的河水像江南p. 171 • American soap operas and movies. • 無關乎民族主義 p. 166

her contradictions – multiple text • 陶淵明的《桃花源記》、 • 連橫的〈台灣通史序〉， • 西方作家如勞倫斯、梭羅、Robert Frost等人的文學作品 •  Fragmentary identity

her contradictions and complexity (3) • 你第一次來圓山公園時很驚訝他們怎麼公然用了你們圓山的名字。女兒卻在一次幼稚園戶外教學去圓山河濱公園回家後問你，奇怪怎麼學人家日本人的地名呢。你突然迷惑起來不能回答，丈夫笑女兒數典忘祖。(175) • What will the daughter remember? pp. 198-99.

her contradictions and complexity (4) • Her fear of aging: pp. 173; 192. • Her loss of the past = not meeting A • Her position as a tourist at Kyoto (shopping, joining rituals, observing from a distance and being tolerant – p. 194; 206)

References • 台北眷村文化館 - 松勤街上的「四四南村」http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/flyinglizarts-house/article?mid=336&next=206&l=f&fid=29 • 台大城鄉所︰社會實踐http://www.bp.ntu.edu.tw/social/pages.php?ID=social5

Taipei in History: 〈古都〉