Lian Heng

Lian Heng (1878–1936), courtesy name Yatang and style name Jianhua, was a modern Chinese historian and poet. His ancestral home was Longxi in Zhangzhou, Fujian, and he was born in Tainan, Taiwan. Over ten years he completed The General History of Taiwan, the first comprehensive history of Taiwan, for which he has been called the Grand Historian of Taiwan. His other works include A Dictionary of the Taiwanese Language and Taiwan Poetry Collections, spanning history, poetry, and language studies. His writing is noted for solid use of historical sources and rigorous structure, and his work was pioneering in the writing and preservation of Taiwan's history. Twenty-three of his works are held in this collection, mostly different editions and volumes of The General History of Taiwan, along with history, classical poetry, and literary appreciation, showing how his writings have been read and transmitted.