History of Comics in Taiwan Reflects Country's Search for Identity

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwanese comics might be less well known than those from Japan or South Korea, but their history weaves through a complex search for identity, spanning Taiwan's time as a Japanese colony, the Nationalists' authoritarian rule and the country's road to democracy.

Transcript

00:00Comics

00:03Not only entertainment, but a way for people to reflect on society through time.

00:09Illustrated prints have been around in Taiwan from as early as the 19th century.

00:14But it wasn't until Japanese colonial rule that comics began to take shape,

00:19spreading through magazines and newspapers.

00:22Until 1949, when the Chinese Nationalist Party or KMT fled to Taiwan.

00:29And under martial law, worked to remove all Japanese influence.

00:34Strict censorship required every strip to undergo review.

00:39And the industry nearly died.

00:42In such a serious trial,

00:47and very easy to communicate,

00:50is the comic book.

00:52Most of them are watching Japanese comic books.

00:56So in their cultural language,

00:58they also have a lot of Japanese comic books.

01:03But the KMT also used comics for anti-communist propaganda,

01:08sparking a wave of publications across the island.

01:11And a new generation of comic artists

01:14tried to differentiate themselves from the Japanese style.

01:18Some, by blending traditional Chinese elements into original comics.

01:23After martial law ended,

01:38of the Chinese culture,

01:40we now call it Chinese culture,

01:42to express the so-called Taiwanese art

01:44actually is a very important thing to the creators

01:46and readers.

01:48After Marcello ended,

01:50Taiwanese comics regained their freedom.

01:52Stories are now rooted in Taiwan,

01:56and the launch of the Creative Comic Collection,

01:58or CCC,

02:00gave the movement new momentum.

02:02The collection pairs vibrant comics

02:20with newly digitalized historical archives,

02:24using Taiwan's past to tell stories

02:26about its culture and identity.

02:28The mix of creative freedom

02:30and accessible resources

02:32has fueled a new wave

02:34of Taiwanese comics,

02:36many exploring local themes

02:38and diverse social issues.

02:40For Taiwan's movies,

02:42I think its advantage is

02:44in its多元性.

02:46In terms of gender issues,

02:48there are a lot of themes

02:50of gender rights and gender rights.

02:52There are a lot of themes

02:54and a lot of突破.

02:56There are a lot of themes

02:58that have been translated into

03:00multiple languages,

03:02and they are being welcomed abroad.

03:04Many Taiwanese comics

03:05have now been translated

03:06into multiple languages,

03:08and they are being welcomed abroad.

03:10And just like Taiwan's journey,

03:12the industry is turning challenges

03:14into stories,

03:16and stories into identity.

03:18Andy Xue,

03:20Alec MacDonald,

03:22and Ting Ye for Taiwan Plus.

03:24And this is one of the

03:26most of the most places

03:28in India.

03:30And these are the most

03:32of the most of the new

03:34organizations.

03:36Nephi,

03:38which has been created

03:40for the most part of the

03:41course of the history of the

03:42world,

03:43a lot of sociological

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