In 1895, the Qing dynasty signed the treaty of Shimonoseki and ceded Taiwan to Japan. After World War II ended, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) took over Taiwan and repatriated Japanese nationals to Japan in 1946. Japanese born in Taiwan during those 51 years are called wansei — born in Taiwan.
After Japan surrendered, Japanese in Taiwan could only take carry-on luggage and 1,000 Japanese yen with them on the ships that took them back to Japan. Upon arrival, they were quarantined, and some were infected with diseases and died. After passing the quarantine, they were placed in “Taiwan villages” in a remote mountain area. They suffered from grave discrimination and some have been reluctant to reveal their wansei identity until this day, for fear of affecting their offspring.
Some Japanese chose to stay in Taiwan. Fearing that their identity would be discovered and they would be repatriated, they took Taiwanese names. They dared not speak, lest people would take note of their accent, so people thought they were mute. Even their offspring did not know that they were in fact Japanese.
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Film producer Mika Tanaka’s grandmother was a wansei. Since her childhood, Tanaka wondered why her grandmother and the housekeeper couple were so mesmerized by Taiwan. After the three elders passed away, their final wish was to have their ashes scattered in their hometown, Hualien Port, and this prompted Tanaka to start researching wansei stories in 2003. She says, “We hope that this documentary not only gives an account of some old people’s love for Taiwan, but also offers the audience a kind of value system. You will find different answers to many issues when you look at them from a different perspective. Like what those wansei have said, ‘Taiwan is so fantastic, why do you, who are in Taiwan, not hold it dear?‘”
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je was invited to attend a special screening of the film, after which he wrote on his Facebook page, “Taiwan’s history is the stories that took place on this land. It only needs to be truthfully recorded. There is no need for additional interpretations, political packaging or manipulation. Just let people feel for themselves. As far as those wansei are concerned, the place where you were born and lived until you were in your 20s will always be a unique memory and arouse a special emotion in you. Such is the deepest emotion in a person’s heart.”
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
一八九五年,清廷簽下馬關條約將台灣割給日本。二次世界大戰後,中國國民黨接收台灣,並於1946年將在台灣的日本人遣送回國。這五十一年間在台灣出生的日本人,就是「灣生」。
日本投降後,在台日人只能帶著簡單的行李與一千日圓搭船返鄉。上岸後先被隔離檢疫,有些人因此染病而死。通過檢疫的人被安置在名叫「台灣村」的偏遠山區,飽受歧視。有些人至今不願公開「灣生」身份,怕連累後代。
有些日本人選擇留在台灣,為了怕身分曝光被遣送回國,他們將自己的名字改成台灣名;他們不敢講話,以免曝露口音,還被當成啞巴。就連後代也不知道他們其實是日本人。
監製田中實加的奶奶是灣生,從小她就納悶為何奶奶與管家夫婦這麼「哈台」。三位老人家過世後,遺願要把骨灰灑在故鄉花蓮港,她也從二00三年開始投入灣生研究。她說:「我們希望這部記錄片不只敘述一群老人家對台灣的愛,還希望呈現某種價值觀,很多事情站在第三個角度來看,很多解答都不一樣。就像灣生說的,台灣這麼美好,在台灣的你們,為什麼不好好愛台灣?」
台北市長柯文哲受邀參加《灣生回家》的特映會,看完後在臉書上寫道:「台灣的歷史就是發生在這片土地上的故事,只要忠實地記錄下來,不需要任何特別的解釋,也不用政治包裝、政治操作,只需讓各人去感受就行了。對這些灣生來講,從出生到二十幾歲生活的地方,永遠是一個特殊的印象、一份特殊的感情,這就是人類心底最深沉的感情。」
〔自由時報綜合報導〕
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港? A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市,還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕,看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣? ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of = What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what,不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好? ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞,實則 do you think 是插入語,其他例子如下: 你以為他喜歡誰? Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏? Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰? Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方,總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he