By Enru Lin, The China Post
March 18, 2013, 12:15 am TWN
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Low Fen-mei (駱芬美) has all the right traits for a history teacher: a head for dates, an ease at the lectern and a sort of lonely love for the abstruse. She teaches Taiwan history, a subject that few know very much about. “It was only after the martial law era that we could talk freely about local history,” said Low.
“It was only after 1995 that public school curriculum included a course on Taiwan ... But even today, Taiwan history makes up just 5 percent of questions on the high-school examination.” For the many students who spill into Low's classroom, learning about Taiwan may as well be taking a course on the American Great Lakes. “When students hear stories about Taiwan, many are so surprised. They say, we had no idea.” Despite her subject's modest stature, Low is the rare case of a professor who has become popular outside the classroom. She hosts two radio shows on News 98, one on Taiwan history and the other on Liu Ming-chuan, first provincial governor in the Qing Dynasty. The shows compete favorably with more conventional fare at the station, like its flagship news program, and have led to two major book deals, both on Taiwan history for general audiences. “I love to tell stories. It has been remarkable to think that people besides my students are listening,” she said. Misconceptions Some of Low's favorite stories work to modify Taiwan mythology. Because local history is commonly taught as an afterthought, people who go through the public education system sometimes leave with an incomplete picture. “Here's an example. In school many children learn the saying, 'Crossing from the mainland to Taiwan will tie your heart in knots' (唐山過台灣, 心肝結歸丸),” said Low. This folk saying, which dates back to the Qing Dynasty, has more than one student convinced that early Han immigrants were afraid or downright miserable. “We think that early settlers were heartsick when they left their hometowns for Taiwan,” she said. Lesser known is that the first wave of Han Chinese came to Taiwan before Qing rule, during Dutch colonialism. Early immigrants were fishers and textile traders who believed that Taiwan was a place to better their circumstances. Fishing folk who followed migrating gray mullet to Taiwan sometimes settled for good, while Chinese merchants moved to Taiwan to avoid draconian restrictions back home, according to Low's readings. “The earliest immigration to Taiwan was something like U.S. immigration. You don't cry when you're traveling to the U.S. — you are hopeful. You believe that opportunity is there.” What's Wrong with Taiwan? Such stories make all the difference, to a teacher who believes that history shapes the future. Low cites the example of China, whose annals are tales of being unfairly bullied. “Now China aspires to be invincible,” she said. In Taiwan, students think that political regimes and immigrants alike considered the island an ugly stepchild with few prospects. “So students wonder what's wrong with Taiwan. People feel that this is a pitiful place. That brews a kind of sorrow in their hearts. “But consider this — in the 15th century, the Spaniards explored the Americas and nearly wiped out the Native Americans. In the 17th century, Europeans discovered Taiwan. After efforts at colonization, they left. Europeans dominated the rest of the world, but why not Taiwan?” One explanation is that the Europeans didn't want Taiwan. Much like Emperor Kangxi, who for ten months vacillated over annexing the island, the Dutch weren't certain further investment would pay off. Another explanation is that Taiwan's environment was hostile, and its locals relatively resistant to European diseases. “Perhaps Taiwan was simply strong,” she said. Which explanation is reality? Both, according to Low. “What I mean is that history is an explanation of reality. You learn about reality as sorrowful and then you're filled with sorrow. But if you learn that Taiwan's reality is also promising, then what reason do you have to be sad?” 原文登載 http://www.chinapost.com.tw/dream//2013/03/18/373402/p1/Don't-know.htm
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