A True Record of the Taiwan War

AnonymousApr 2025

3.3

Word count: 18K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

It comprises a first and a sequel series of six volumes each, twelve in all. It recounts how, during the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty, after defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, Taiwan was ceded to Japan and the people of Taiwan followed Liu Yongfu in resisting the Japanese army. Yet the accounts of battle are all at odds with the facts, for the work is novelistic in nature. At the head of each volume, in imitation of the chapter-novel format, stand two lines of couplet-style contents. The tale tells how the Japanese invaders burned, killed, and plundered without committing no evil. Liu Yongfu, stationed at Tainan, actively prepared for war: first he joined forces with Lin's army at Mount Ji for a pincer attack and routed the Japanese; then, by clever use of mines and luring the enemy, he sank several Japanese warships, and even captured the Japanese chieftain Kabayama. In addition, he used coffins, bamboo, and straw to devise ingenious stratagems that dealt heavy blows to the Japanese. Throughout the fighting the common people gave active support, and many righteous men such as Lin Guancha and Lady Zhang came forward to help. Although the Japanese kept sending reinforcements and counterattacking, Liu's forces won repeated victories through wisdom and courage. In the end the Japanese, beset by plague and famine, fell into dire straits, and some chose to surrender, bringing a turn in the situation.

Editor's review

This book retells, in the style of a serialized chapter novel, the story of the Taiwanese people following Liu Yongfu in resisting the Japanese army during the Guangxu reign. The first and second collections each have six volumes, twelve in total; each volume opens with a couplet-style chapter title in imitation of the chapter-novel format. Its value lies not in historical verification but in presenting the imaginative narrative of the Taiwan war among the people of a particular era: episodes such as the pincer attack at Jishan, the torpedo ambush, the capture of Kabayama, and the cunning stratagems with coffins and bamboo grass are far removed from historical fact and belong to the realm of fiction. Readers may use it to observe how modern popular narrative wove war, loyalty, and ingenious strategy into a highly readable story, and as a reference for studying folk texts on Taiwan themes. It should be read alongside reliable histories, distinguishing literary fiction from historical record; taken simply as historical chronicle, it easily misleads. Suitable for readers interested in modern popular fiction, narratives on Taiwan themes, and folk imaginings of war, as well as for use as material for narrative-text analysis.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in modern serialized popular fiction and folk war narratives
Researchers studying folk texts and historical imagination on Taiwan themes
Readers who enjoy traditional war stories centered on strategy and cunning schemes
Students of literature and history who need practice comparing literary fiction with historical fact

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking authentic historical records of the Taiwan resistance of 1895 for academic citation
Historical readers who prefer strict factual accounts and reject fictional episodes
Readers unaccustomed to the classical flavor of serialized fiction who seek easy vernacular reading

Reading tips

Begin with the couplet chapter titles to grasp each volume's plot direction, then proceed to the main text.
Read alongside histories of the 1895 cession of Taiwan and the Taiwan resistance, noting differences between fiction and fact as you go.
Treat episodes such as the cunning schemes, torpedoes, and coffins as narrative motifs rather than records of military history.
Read the first and second collections in two stages, noting how the sequel extends and escalates the conflict.

版权信息
序一
序二
序三
卷一刘将军初胜倭奴林观察奖赏兵勇
卷二探军营桦山遭获赴筵席倭奴被捉
卷三家人焚身报主倭奴破腹伤心
卷四买棺木刘公定计掘地道日本伤人
卷五黑旗兵编成羽扇刘大帅安设鱼雷
卷六公子报国练水军淮勇遣散渡轮船
续集卷一倭贼停船远避生番出力报恩
续集卷二刘将军杀奸示众张夫人寄子修书
续集卷三扮绅耆奋击酋营率义民收复新竹
续集卷四台湾五省门户日本一鼓可平
续集卷五用竹草大帅出谋画蟾蜍倭奴必败
续集卷六刘将军致书陈情王大臣上表代奏
附录倭国考略
附录刘军门告示（光绪二十一年）

FAQ

Are the battle accounts in this book credible?

They cannot be used as historical evidence. The material explicitly states that the battle accounts do not match the facts and are novelistic in nature; episodes such as the capture of Kabayama and the cunning stratagems with coffins and bamboo grass are fictional narratives. It should be read as popular fiction, not as a factual war record.

What is the structure of the whole book?

It has a first and a second collection of six volumes each, twelve in total; each volume opens in imitation of the chapter-novel format, with a two-line couplet title indicating its content. The whole adopts serialized narration, with连贯 plot and a clear popular-historical-romance flavor.

Is it suitable for researching the history of the Taiwan resistance?

It is not suitable for direct citation as authentic history, but it can serve as textual material for studying how the people imagined and narrated the Taiwan war and how popular literature processed historical events; it must be used in comparison with reliable historical sources.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.