Song of the Carriage

History needs bulldogs like Lan Bozhou, who, once they bite, won't let go. They track, record, and nail the lonely branches. Whatever is recorded exists. --Hou Hsiao-hsien. Lan Bozhou's "Song of the Covered Carriage," a documentary report on a typical underground party member in Taiwan in the 1950s, has become one of the very few outstanding works of "post-war reflection," "post-war settlement," and "post-war criticism" in Taiwan. It is an indispensable book on the desks of serious intellectuals and readers. --Chen Yingzhen. Thirty years have passed. Have the people of this beautiful island cast aside the tragic entanglements of history and walked on the sunny road?
Writing is the beginning of facing the past and the future. Reporting on writer Lan Bozhou's never-ending journey to find Zhong Haodong.
A comprehensive reconstruction of historical facts takes time—not just for the interviewees and the writers, but more importantly, for society to listen and understand. Through interviews with Chiang Bi-yu about her life, I, born in 1960, have gained a preliminary and moving understanding of the obscure and disorganized history and politics of modern Taiwan and China. Based on this acquaintance and interaction, Ms. Chiang Bi-yu and I became close friends, sharing everything, regardless of age. We often privately jokingly called her "Miss Chiang," just as her eldest son had done in his time. Even in her final years, even while battling cancer, she frequently joined a group of young friends for cultural events, drinks, and conversations. Because of this, more and more young friends who knew her through reading became more fond of this "Miss Jiang" who had a turbulent life after meeting her.
Chiang Bi-yu's 74-year life journey perfectly reflects how a generation of Taiwanese people, patriots who selflessly dedicated their youth to the survival of the nation, "for the blossoming of peace and democracy" and the arrival of "the day of freedom and happiness," received history's reward in this chaotic, disorganized, and unclear era of right and wrong. But I know that "Miss Chiang" would surely tell her young friends not to grieve over her passing. She would surely ask, as always, why don't we sing! -- Lan Bozhou's book features a lingering aftertaste that captures the resonance and excitement of Taiwanese society over the past 30 years.
2023 Collector's Edition of "The Song of the Covered Carriage"
The life story of Principal Zhong Haodong, the prototype of the character in "A City of Sadness", and the lifelong brotherhood of Zhong Lihe, a thoroughgoing writer who has pursued Lan Bozhou's literary career without regrets for more than 30 years.

2023-06-27

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