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: The newest twist in “Friends” star Matthew Perry’s sudden death is shocking. B: Didn’t he die from a ketamine overdose last year? A: But the police say his death could be a conspiracy. B: Wow, what happened? A: Five suspects have been charged for intentionally supplying him with large amounts of ketamine for personal gain. A: 《六人行》男星馬修派瑞之死大逆轉真令人震驚！ B: 他去年不是因吸毒過量致死嗎？ A: 但警方說他的死可能是個陰謀。 B: 發生了什麼事？ A: 警方已起訴5名嫌犯，他們故意提供大量「K他命」給他，以謀取暴利。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
South Korea’s famous kimchi is falling victim to climate change, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the napa cabbage that is pickled to make the ubiquitous dish is suffering due to rising temperatures. Napa cabbage thrives in cooler climates, and is usually planted in mountainous regions where temperatures during the key growing summer season once rarely rose above 25 degrees Celsius. Studies show that warmer weather brought about by climate change is now threatening these crops, so much so that South Korea might not be able to grow napa cabbage one day due to the intensifying heat. “We
A: What’s even more horrible is that the five suspects who purposely supplied ketamine to actor Matthew Perry were all his “friends.” B: Who exactly are the five suspects? A: They include Matthew’s two doctors, a broker, a drug dealer, and even his live-in assistant. B: Those scumbags should go to jail. A: Yeah, one of the doctors may be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison. A: 更可怕的是，提供男星馬修派瑞「K他命」的5人全是他的「朋友」。 B: 嫌犯是誰啊？ A: 其中包括他的2位醫生、1位仲介、1位毒販、甚至他的同居助理！ B: 那些人渣真該去坐牢。 A: 對啊，其中1位醫生可能面臨120年徒刑。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
It’s widely recognized that there are far more right-handed people than left-handed people in the world. Being right-handed simply means preferring to use one’s right hand for tasks that involve only one hand, such as writing and eating. But have you ever wondered about the possible reasons behind the global dominance of the right hand over the left? As with many complex biological questions, multiple factors appear to be at play. First, one reason seems to be genetics. __1__ Therefore, the global dominance of right-handedness is something that has been passed down through many generations of humans. Next,
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