One Taiwanese comic book artist is bringing a new perspective to the study of the nation’s history through a new comic exploring the arrival of Koxinga, also known as Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功), and the end of the Dutch colonial presence.
Artist Li Lung-chieh (李隆杰) said he hoped Koxinga Z (1661: 國姓來襲), which was inspired by contemporary diaries and other documents, could bring the history curriculum out of its rut.
The artist said he has accepted invitations from several schools to talk about his work.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
The idea for the comic book first emerged two years ago at the Angouleme International Comics Festival in France, where the Taiwan exhibition displayed works on the theme of “strangers,” Li said.
After thumbing through a book at a store on the Dutch defense of Fort Zeelandia — also known as Anping Fort (安平古堡) — Li decided that then-Dutch governor Frederick Coyett’s final standoff with Koxinga would make great material for a comic.
“Even as a villain, Koxinga is a charming character,” Li said jokingly, adding that the sharp edges he used in drawing the character’s face are a departure from the exuberant style traditionally used.
Until a few years ago, the nation’s history curriculum had always described Koxinga’s arrival in Taiwan in a straightforward manner, Li said, which he attributed to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) influence over the educational system.
Recent studies have used Dutch documents to provide a more complete picture of the period, while getting rid of the “mythology” and KMT narrative, he said.
“I’m not looking to contradict established depictions of Koxinga, but I want to give a new view on things based on historical facts,” Li said.
Gaea Books Co comic division editor-in-chief Lee Ya-lun (李亞倫) said the publisher has prioritized works that focus on Taiwanese cultural history since 2011, when Academia Sinica began promoting the Creative Comic Collection as part of its efforts to digitize the nation’s cultural works.
The project has already collected a large number of cultural history-related works, Lee said, citing a work by comic artist Kinono that explores a conflict that took place between Dutch and Japanese traders from the perspective of a Siraya youth who became wrapped up in the conflict.
Other works in the project include a book by comic artist Chien Chia-cheng (簡嘉誠) focused on the Alishan railway and one by Hambuck Hsiao (漢寶包) that employs traditional hand puppets to describe challenges and developments during the Japanese colonial era, Lee added.
Lee said that he created books intended to be standalone works, never imagining that they would become part of a cultural history series that spans the Dutch colonial period, Koxinga’s Tungning Kingdom, Qing Dynasty rule and the Japanese colonial period.
“The market for books is not doing well, but fortunately I have my boss’ support,” Lee said, adding that he is planning an exhibition to share knowledge of Taiwan’s cultural history with more people through comics.
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