Episode Four

11
The application submitted by Lin Cheng-lu to the Waseda Police Station in Tokyo for establishment was approved. Tsai Pei-huo sent a telegram back to Taiwan to Lin Hsien-tang. Hsien-tang gathered comrades including Tsai Hui-ru, Yang Chao-chia, Shih Huan-chang, Lin You-chun, and others at the Wufeng residence for a meeting. Hsien-tang circulated the content of the telegram to the comrades present.
"This is truly exhilarating news," said Yang Chao-chia. "It proves that our persistence is correct."
Lin Hsien-tang said, "This is a good start. Comrades, we still have a long road ahead."
Tsai Hui-ru said, "Exactly! If we proceed step by step, establishing a Taiwan Parliament is by no means a pipe dream."
Shih Huan-chang, however, spoke with concern: "From my understanding of the authorities, this news is likely to anger the higher-ups. I am worried that the Governor-Generals Office will soon take retaliatory action. We must not take this lightly!"
Yang Chao-chia spoke in a passionate tone: "What is there to fear? Are the authorities really going to arrest all of us?"
Lin Hsien-tang said, "Chao-chia, I know you are not afraid of going to prison. I, like you, have long been mentally prepared."

12
Indeed, this move caused dissatisfaction within the Taiwan Governor-General’s Office. Director of General Affairs, Harai, was in his office discussing countermeasures with Police Bureau Director Maruo Shinpei.
Harai said, "You saw the news in the newspaper, right? The application of the Taiwan Parliament Promotion Alliance for association establishment has been approved by the Waseda Police Station in Tokyo."
Maruo said, "Reporting to you, Director, I also just learned of this from the newspaper. These gentlemen of the cultural associations have adopted a roundabout strategy, applying for registration at the Waseda Police Station, which was unaware of the internal situation, and they successfully smuggled it through."
Harai, displeased, said, "I don’t want to hear this nonsense. I want to know what solutions you have."
Maruo cautiously said, "Director, the Taiwan Cultural Association is the manipulator behind the scenes. I intend to arrest some core members to hold them accountable, to make them recognize the difficulty and retreat."
Harai thought for a moment and said, "Who exactly do you plan to arrest?"
Maruo said, "The five core figures: Lin Hsien-tang, Tsai Pei-huo, Chiang Wei-shui, Tsai Hui-ru, and Yang Chao-chia."
Harai said, "You cannot arrest Lin Hsien-tang and Yang Chao-chia! Lin is the spiritual leader of the Taiwanese people; arresting him will escalate the situation, even lead to loss of control. Yang is the current head of Qingshui Street, holding an official position. Arresting him will definitely draw objections from the Taichung Prefect. You must explain clearly to the Prefect."
Maruo said, "Then we will leave those two alone."
Harai said, "Go handle this immediately. Remember! The premise is not to escalate the situation. You must make that group recognize the difficulty and retreat!"
Maruo said, "Yes, Director."

13
On December 16, multiple participants in the movement were subjected to large-scale searches, seizures, and indictments, historically known as the "Police Suppression Incident." In the end, six people—Chiang Wei-shui, Tsai Pei-huo, Tsai Hui-ru, Lin Cheng-lu, Shih Huan-chang, Lin You-chun, and Chen Feng-yuan—were sentenced to three to four months in prison, respectively.
The Police Suppression Incident caused fear among the Taiwanese public. However, after being reported in the Japanese media, the petition movement for the establishment of a Taiwan Parliament received support from the media, officials, scholars, and youth. During courtroom debates, the defense lawyers, Doctors of Law Kiyose Ichiro and Nagayama Shojiro, pointed out that the movement did not involve any unconstitutional actions. Professor Suehiro Gentaro of the Faculty of Law at Tokyo Imperial University also wrote in the Taiwan Minpao in support, and even the editorial in the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun on March 23, 1923, directly criticized the Governor-General’s Office’s actions as an "unreasonable attitude and unwise measure." Public opinion support helped remove doubts about the movement’s constitutionality, and the Governor-General’s Office’s oppressive actions instead stimulated public enthusiasm to participate.
At the end of March, Tsai Hui-ru completed her prison term. Lin Hsien-tang, Yang Chao-chia, and over a hundred local gentry from Taichung went to the Taichung Prefectural Prison to welcome Tsai Hui-ru. Tsai Hui-ru rode on horseback during a parade, receiving cheers along the route from enthusiastic citizens.

14
On July 7, 1937, the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" occurred, and the Sino-Japanese War broke out in full scale. Taiwan entered a wartime system, and the Governor-Generals Office issued an order prohibiting the use of Chinese, actively promoting the "Kōminka Movement" (皇民化運動, Imperialization Movement).
At that time, the principal of Taichung First High School, HiroMatsu Yoshio (廣松良臣), had a poor relationship with the students. Chinese language courses were removed, and all Chinese books in the school library were cleared out and transported away by military trucks, one truckload after another. Principal HiroMatsu issued a prohibition: "Students are strictly forbidden to speak Chinese or read Chinese books on campus; otherwise, they will be punished according to school regulations." Many Taiwanese students were angered by this order. Yang Hsin-tai (楊新台), however, ignored the prohibition and carried a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義) in his schoolbag, taking it out to read after class.
A classmate reported him to homeroom teacher Nakamura Naohito (中村尚仁), who called Hsin-tai into the office: "Hsin-tai, dont you know the prohibition against bringing Chinese books to school?"
Yang Hsin-tai said, "I know! But this prohibition is completely unreasonable."
Nakamura asked, "In what way is it unreasonable?"
Hsin-tai spoke confidently: "Japanese is my mother Ka-san’s (母親) native language; Chinese is my father To-san’s (多桑) native language. I am both Japanese and Taiwanese. Prohibiting me from speaking Chinese and reading Chinese books is equivalent to asking me to deny that I am half Taiwanese, which I find hard to accept."
"I see," Nakamura said understandingly. "However, Principal HiroMatsu issued the rule to prohibit Chinese speech and reading in accordance with the government’s order. Do you think the principal should ignore the government’s law?"
Hsin-tai was momentarily at a loss for words: "This…"
Nakamura said, "Although the principal is assertive in style and strict in school governance, he cares for every student. Simply being able to call every student by name and knowing each student’s family background shows his diligence."
Hsin-tai said, "Teacher, I feel that prohibiting Chinese speech and reading is quite disrespectful to the inner feelings of the Taiwanese people…"
Nakamura said, "The government’s intention is to transform the Taiwanese people into Japanese people, granting them the same rights and treatment."
Hsin-tai asked, "Is what you say really true, Teacher? But what I see does not seem so. The Japanese, when facing the Taiwanese, always show a sense of superiority and pride, discriminating against Taiwanese; and under the same working conditions, Japanese and Taiwanese often receive different treatment…"
Nakamura said, "What you said is indeed true, which is why it is even more necessary to Japanize the Taiwanese people…"

15
On Sunday, Yang Hsin-tai practiced writing Chinese characters with a brush in the upstairs study. His mother, Nishikawa Riko (西川璃子), brought in a tray of cut fruits, including pineapple, starfruit, and guava slices. Hsin-tai put down the brush, used a bamboo fork to pick up the fruit slices, and ate them slowly, one bite at a time.
Hsin-tai said, "Ka-san, I want to ask you a question."
Riko said, "What kind of question?"
Hsin-tai asked, "Am I Japanese? Or am I Taiwanese?"
Riko said, "Your father To-san is Taiwanese, so of course you are Taiwanese."
Hsin-tai asked, "Then why does Grandpa say I am a Nishikawa Japanese?"
Riko said, "Grandpa only has you as a grandson. He wants you to inherit the Nishikawa family line, naming you Nishikawa Tetsuhiko (西川哲彥), treating you as Japanese."
Hsin-tai asked, "Then, am I Japanese or Taiwanese?"
Riko said, "You are Taiwanese. Your father To-san recognizes you as Taiwanese. Because Taiwan is now under Japanese rule, To-san wants you to bring honor to Taiwan in the future, refreshing Taiwan’s reputation, so your name was given as Hsin-tai (新台)."
Hsin-tai said, "So I should be an honorable Taiwanese and not let the Japanese oppress the Taiwanese."
Riko said, "Exactly! Your father To-san is an ambitious and capable Taiwanese. He hopes that in the future you will be equally ambitious and capable. After graduating from high school, To-san will send you to live at Grandpa Nishikawa’s house in Tokyo until you finish university."
Upon hearing this, Hsin-tai felt unhappy, set down the bamboo fork, and stopped eating the fruit.
Hsin-tai asked, "Do I really have to live at Grandpa’s house?"
Mother Riko comforted him: "This is an arrangement agreed upon by To-san and Grandpa. They have jointly planned for you. After you graduate from medical school, you will return to take over your father’s hospital business. This is a responsibility a man of the Yang family should undertake for the family."
Hsin-tai, looking very aggrieved, said, "If I go to Tokyo, it will be very hard to see my classmates here again."
Riko said, "Silly child, as long as you take long vacations, you can return to Taiwan to visit me and your father, and of course them as well!"

16
During mathematics class, Yang Hsin-tai was somewhat absent-minded. Teacher Sugimoku Hiroshi (杉木宏) noticed Hsin-tai’s class behavior and sensed that the child had something on his mind. After class, Teacher Sugimoku called Hsin-tai into the office and kindly asked, "Hsin-tai, do you have something on your mind? Would you like to share it with me?"
Hsin-tai said, "After I graduate from high school, my father To-san said he will send me to live at Grandpa’s house in Tokyo until I finish university."
Teacher Sugimoku smiled and said, "This is a good thing. A father’s wish for his child to succeed should be appreciated and understood by the child. Only a few families with sufficient economic conditions have the ability to send their children to study in the mainland."
Hsin-tai said, "But I do not want to stay in Tokyo. I do not want to become a proud Japanese…"
Teacher Sugimoku asked in puzzlement, "A proud Japanese?"
Hsin-tai said, "Yes, most of the Japanese students in our school are very proud!"
Sugimoku asked, "Then do you think Teacher Sugimoku and Teacher Nakamura are also proud Japanese?"
Hsin-tai thought for a moment and said, "You and Teacher Nakamura are very kind, so no."
Sugimoku said, "Exactly! Not every Japanese is proud. They are just more confident. I heard your mother is also Japanese."
Hsin-tai said, "Yes! But my mother said she married a very ambitious Taiwanese man, so she calls herself Taiwanese."
Sugimoku asked, "Then do you want to be a confident Japanese or an ambitious Taiwanese?"
Hsin-tai said, "Of course an ambitious Taiwanese."
Sugimoku encouraged him, "With your school grades, staying in Taiwan to study medicine at the Imperial University is definitely possible. Your hope to enter Tokyo Imperial University Medical Department is also strong."

17
In February, on the eve of the Lantern Festival (上元節), in front of the Ziyunyan Temple (紫雲巖), the lanterns shone as brightly as daytime. Unlike previous years, this year’s Lantern Festival was much quieter, because the temple had not invited a Taiwanese opera troupe to perform a major play.
Yang Hsin-tai accompanied his parents to the temple to make wishes. His mother, Riko, drew a fortune stick, asking the Bodhisattva Guanyin (觀音大士) to bless Hsin-tai so that he could successfully pass the Tokyo Imperial University entrance exam for the medical department this summer.
After drawing the fortune, Hsin-tai asked his father, "To-san, why didn’t the temple invite a troupe to perform a play this year?"
Yang Chao-hua (楊肇華) said, "Because the government is fully promoting Japanese language. Those troupe performers are still not accustomed to singing in Japanese!"
Hsin-tai said, "I feel the government is being unreasonable. How can they force Guan Gong (關公) or Yue Fei (岳飛) to speak Japanese? They are not Japanese historical figures!"
Yang Chao-hua said, "This is the sadness of the Taiwanese people! Taiwan is ruled by Japan, and the Taiwanese people cannot even use their mother tongue to perform opera."
Hsin-tai said, "So Father, you have never forgotten that you are Taiwanese?"
Yang Chao-hua said, "Yes, and Father wants you to remember that you are a native-born Taiwanese."

18
On a weekend in May, Lin Ching-lung (林清龍), Tsai Ting-kai (蔡廷楷), Chen Mu-yen (陳木炎), Wang Da-wang (王大旺), Wu Wen-chang (吳文章), and several other classmates (17 years old) went to the Yang family’s sanheyuan (楊家三合院, traditional Taiwanese courtyard house) to see Hsin-tai (新台), planning to go together to Gaomei Wetlands (高美濕地) to collect seaweed and catch crabs.
The group carried bamboo fish nets, buckets, and shovels, wearing straw hats, and were about to ride their bicycles out. At that moment, Ying-chun (英俊) and Mei-xiu (美秀) appeared. Seeing everyone equipped like that, they immediately knew they were going to the beach.
Ying-chun said, "Mei-xiu, you stay here. Everyone, wait for me a moment, I’ll be right back."
Liao Ying-chun (廖英俊) ran home quickly and soon returned riding his bicycle, carrying a fish net and an iron shovel to join the group.
Eight teenagers rode seven bicycles. Hsin-tai carried Mei-xiu, passing through tree-shaded streets and turning into the ox-cart path (牛車道) heading toward Gaomei Wetlands. The sky was clear and the wind light. On both sides of the road were lush green rice fields, with water bamboo shoots (茭白筍) dotted along the irrigation ditches.
The eight arrived at the Gaomei seaside. The boys rolled up their pant legs and rushed toward the sand, crossing the shallow water, running straight toward the windbreak forest on the left. That was a rocky area, with attached seaweed, as well as shellfish, crabs, and shrimp. Hsin-tai held Mei-xiu’s hand and stepped into the shallow water. The two of them stayed in the shallow area, using an iron shovel to dig some clams (文蛤).
After they had dug half a bucket of clams, they returned to the beach to rest. The salty sea breeze blew through Mei-xiu’s long hair.
Hsin-tai said, "Mei-xiu, this summer I will go far away to Tokyo to study at university."
"I’ve heard from Ting-kai, you will…" Mei-xiu knew they were about to be separated. Her eyes reddened with sadness, she could not speak, and quietly leaned on Hsin-tai’s shoulder.
Hsin-tai gently stroked her long hair and softly comforted her: "As long as we have long vacations, I will come back to live in Qingshui for a while, and we can be together again."
Not far away, Ying-chun and Ting-kai both saw the two leaning on each other. Ting-kai said, "I hope Hsin-tai remembers that Mei-xiu is waiting for him to return after his studies, and does not betray her affection."
Ying-chun said, "If Hsin-tai dares to betray my little sister, I will make him wish he were dead!"
Ting-kai said, "Don’t speak so harshly. Matters of love are uncertain; don’t corner yourself first."
Ying-chun said, "I’m serious. No one can bully my sister, not even Yang Hsin-tai."
Ting-kai said, "Alright, don’t always think of the worst. Hsin-tai and Mei-xiu have known each other since childhood; I believe Hsin-tai is someone who values feelings."

19
In mid-July, Lin Ching-lung, Tsai Ting-kai, Chen Mu-yen, Wang Da-wang, Wu Wen-chang, Liao Ying-chun, and several classmates, together with Mei-xiu, came to the Yang family to bid farewell to Yang Hsin-tai. Hsin-tai’s parents accompanied them. During the gathering, they drank some sake and talked about fond memories of the past.
Mei-xiu hung a safety amulet (平安符) from the Guanyin Temple (紫雲巖, dedicated to Guanyin) and a necklace containing a photo of the two of them around Hsin-tai’s neck. The two embraced deeply, moving Riko (璃子) profoundly.
Riko suddenly had a thought: "Dear, look at these two young ones, reluctant to part… why not let them…"
Chao-hua (肇華) said, "I know what you want to say, but doing so will make Hsin-tai have attachments in his heart, preventing him from focusing fully on his studies."
Riko said, "But…"
Chao-hua said, "They are still young, and Hsin-tai will return every year for vacations anyway."
Riko, realizing her husband’s mind was made up, said no more.

20
After graduating from high school, Mei-xiu returned to her alma mater, Qingshui Public School (清水公學校) in Dajia District, Taichū Prefecture (台中州大甲郡), to teach.
In the teachers’ office at Qingshui Public School, Liao Mei-xiu and Li Da-tong (李大同, 25 years old) were grading student exercise books. Li’s seat was near the front door by the corridor, and Mei-xiu sat in the corner near the back door. They were separated by some distance.
The teaching director Chen Qing-ke (陳清科, 35 years old) walked into the office, heading toward Mei-xiu’s seat, holding a bouquet of roses. His uneven horse-like face was full of smiles, and at the corner of his lips was a bean-sized black mole with a small tuft of hair growing on it.
Chen said, "Teacher Mei-xiu, the students are all gone, and you’re still busy?"
Mei-xiu said, "Grading some exercise books, so I can return them to the students in class tomorrow."
"This bouquet of roses, I specially chose from a flower shop on the street. I hope you’ll like them." Chen placed the roses on Mei-xiu’s desk.
Mei-xiu looked up at him: "The flowers are beautiful, but I cannot accept them."
Chen smiled awkwardly: "You are too polite. Even a beauty deserves nice flowers to accompany her!"
Mei-xiu, without gratitude, said: "Sorry, I’m afraid I do not have this honor, Director Chen."
Chen said, "No, not at all! These roses suit you very well!"
Mei-xiu said, "You should give this bouquet to another single female colleague. I’m sure they would like it very much."
Chen said, "Teacher Liao, why reject someone so far away?"
At this moment, Li Da-tong, sitting near the corridor, raised his head, curiously listening to their conversation.
Mei-xiu said, "I’m very sorry. I cannot accept this bouquet or your kindness."
Chen, unwilling to give up, said, "How about we go to town together to watch a movie and have some snacks?"
Mei-xiu said, "Sorry, I have to hurry to the hospital to help care for the inpatients."
Chen said dismissively, "Teacher Mei-xiu, I don’t mean to lecture you, but the hospital already has nurses for the inpatients; why do you, a teacher, need to help?"
Mei-xiu said, "Two nurses from the hospital ward were seconded to the state hospital a few days ago, so the ward is short-staffed. That’s why I’m going to help."
Chen showed an unhappy expression: "After school is your own time. How can the hospital tie you down?"
Mei-xiu said, "It’s voluntary. I am happy to care for the patients."
Chen said, "Then, shall we reschedule for tomorrow afternoon? Tomorrow is the weekend."
Mei-xiu said, "Tomorrow afternoon still won’t work. I’ll still be at the hospital."
Chen, surprised, asked, "So you will spend the entire weekend at the hospital?"
Mei-xiu said, "Yes! For me, this is a very meaningful thing."
Chen shook his head and smiled wryly: "Sacrificing your leisure time to carry spittoons and bedpans in the hospital—how is that meaningful?"
Mei-xiu said dismissively, "Director, that is because we have very different perspectives on things."
Chen said, "I don’t think so. If I’m not mistaken, you’re going to the hospital to date that young doctor, right?"
Mei-xiu said, "Say what you like. Sorry, I must take my leave."
Mei-xiu left her seat and walked straight toward the door, passing by Li Da-tong with a smile, while Director Chen stood there, somewhat embarrassed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.