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The Taiwan Shinminpo News Special – Reopening Ceremony of the Taichung Railway Line in 1938

Publication date: 1 Dec 2023
Author: Lee Yi-ling, Kawashima Naoko |Staff member of the Archives of Institute of Taiwan History

The Taiwan Shinminpo was the only newspaper published by Taiwanese during the Japanese colonial era, representing the voices of the Taiwanese people in contrast to the official stance of the Taiwan Nichinichi Shinpo. Its reports covered a wide range of topics, making it a rich source for diverse research subjects.

On July 14-15, 1938, Taiwan Shinminpo published a special issue for two consecutive days titled "Celebrating the Restoration of the Taichung Line," totaling four full pages. This commemorated the reopening of the Taichung railway line, which had been severed since the 1935 Hsinchu-Taichung earthquake. This earthquake caused numerous casualties and severed north-south transportation, significantly affecting local society and economy. Through archived newspapers, diaries, photos, old documents, and maps, this article revisits the scene of the 1935 earthquake, reviewing Taiwan's most severe natural disaster in history and the subsequent reconstruction efforts.

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"Kuo Hsueh-Hu Paintings and Papers" has Released
2023-01-12

Kuo Hsueh-Hu (1908-2012), one of Taiwan's first-generation gouache painters, was born in Dadaocheng, Taipei. During Japanese-ruled period, He was renowned as a Toyoga (Japanese painting) painter active in the official art exhibitions at the young age, and also a founding member of painting societies which aimed at promoting the research and creation of Toyoga in Taiwan. After World War II in 1946, Kuo participated in the founding of Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition, and sought to get more opportunities for the sale of paintings by exhibitions overseas. From the 1960s onward, He moved to Japan and later to the United States, continuing to seek inspirations through travel sketches and create new works.

As a pioneer of Eastern gouache and the modern art movement in Taiwan, Kuo Hsueh-Hu's life experience and artistic creation are the precious cultural heritages of Taiwan art history. The digital archives of "Kuo Hsueh-Hu Paintings and Papers" is a collaboration between the ITH Archives and Kuo Hsueh-Hu Foundation. This record group is classified into several series of artworks as well as documentary materials, of which series V "Sketch Book" and series IX "Collection of Taiwan Fine Art Exhibition Catalogues" are finished compiling and open online now. Please visit the Taiwan Archival Information System to access "Kuo Hsueh-Hu Paintings and Papers."

   

 Sketches of Japanese landscape (1967) and peony (1973), painted by Kuo Hsueh-Hu.
(Identifier: T1089_05_0013、T1089_05_0016)


 The cover of The 4th Taiwan Fine Art Exhibition Catalogue (1930) and the page of Kuo Hsueh-Hu’s selected artwork “Festival on South Street.” (Identifier: T1089_09_01_0004)


 The cover of The 5th Futen Catalogue (1942) and the page of Kuo Hsueh-Hu’s selected artwork “Early Spring.”  (Identifier: T1089_09_02_0005)


 



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