Changhua City on Thursday celebrated the birthday of the late novelist Lai Ho (賴和) — dubbed the “father of modern Taiwanese literature” — by unveiling a long-awaited literary hall to honor the works of Taiwanese writers and promote literature among the general public.
“Five years ago, I designated May 28 as Lai Ho Day to commemorate this great literary figure. Today, we also chose to hold the inauguration for the literary hall on this special occasion,” Changhua Mayor Chiu Chien-fu (邱建富) said on Facebook.
Born in Changhua in 1894, Lai Ho was a leading figure in Taiwanese literary circles during the 1930s. He published numerous articles while serving as an editor for the literary arts section of Taiwan Minpao newspaper.
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times
He was the first writer in Taiwan to write poetry and novels in Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese).
The highlight of the ceremony was the recitation of a long poem, titled the Grandmasters (一代宗師), by Taiwanese poet Lee Chang-ching (李長青).
The poem includes quotations from several famous writers, such as Lai, Sung Tse-lai (宋澤萊), Wu Cheng (吳晟), Weng Nao (翁鬧), Hung Hsing-fu (洪醒夫), Hsiao Hsiao (蕭蕭), Kang Yuan (康原) and Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), to honor their cultural and literary contributions to the city.
During the ceremony, Chiu also presented a plaque of appreciation to the hall’s advisory committee members to thank them for the time and effort they spent from the planning to the construction of the building.
The event concluded with the recitation of a poem by Wu, titled He is Still Young (他還年輕), which signifies the need for special care of the “newly hatched” literary hall.
The hall features the works of eight writers from Changhua: Lai, Yao, Kang, Wu Te-kung (吳德功), Chen Hsu-ku (陳虛谷), Yang Shou-yu (楊守愚), Lin Heng-tai (林亨泰) and Chin Lien (錦連).
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