Wang Tuoh
Encyclopedia
Wang Tuoh is a Taiwan
ese writer, intellectual, literary critic and politician. He was born in Badouzi (八斗子), then a small fishing village near the northern port city of Keelung
. His name was originally Wang Hung-chiu (王紘久).
, The Hanging Tree in 1970, and went on to write a series of stories set in his home village of Badouzi that drew heavily on his own experiences in a small, insular village
where everyone is part of a larger family that has been there for five generations. The most well-known of these stories is the novella
Auntie Jinshui (金水嬸; published September 1976) which describes the story of the eponymous Auntie Jinshui. Auntie Jinshui is a street peddler who has successfully raised and educated six sons, but falls upon especially hard times after being swindled by a priest
introduced to her by one of her sons. She then falls behind on her payments to her Hui (會), an informal village credit network, and finds herself gradually ostracized from her friends and family. This novella was also later made into a movie.
His novel
s are The Story of Cowbelly Harbor,(牛肚港的故事; published 1982) and Taipei, Taipei!,(台北，台北!; published 1983), both written while he was in jail as a political prisoner
.
and in 1991 was elected to Taiwan's Legislative Yuan
as a Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) member for Keelung City.
Wang was nominated by the DPP to run for Keelung City mayor in 2005. The Pan-Green Coalition
had two candidates in the election, with both the Democratic Progressive Party
and the Taiwan Solidarity Union
nominating their own candidate. Wang lost the election, getting only 2,771 votes. He got the least votes out of all four candidates.
Commenting on the 2007 summit between South Korea
n President Roh Moo-hyun
and North Korea
n leader Kim Jong-il
, Wang noted that their talks offered a model for negotiations between China and Taiwan held on an equal footing an based on mutual respect. Lamenting that China refuses to recognise Taiwan as a sovereign, independent state, he urged China to support a bid for UN recognition for Taiwan also called for the removal of the 900 Chinese missiles deployed along its southeastern coast that threaten Taiwan militarily.
After losing his seat in the legislature in January 2008, Wang was appointed chairman of the Council for Cultural Affairs
, a cabinet-level position. From this position, Wang has pushed for substantial increases to the culture budget. In May 2008, Wang was appointed by chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen
to serve as the Secretary General of the DPP.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese writer, intellectual, literary critic and politician. He was born in Badouzi (八斗子), then a small fishing village near the northern port city of Keelung
Keelung
Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...
. His name was originally Wang Hung-chiu (王紘久).
Writing career
Wang Tuoh published his first short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, The Hanging Tree in 1970, and went on to write a series of stories set in his home village of Badouzi that drew heavily on his own experiences in a small, insular village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
where everyone is part of a larger family that has been there for five generations. The most well-known of these stories is the novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
Auntie Jinshui (金水嬸; published September 1976) which describes the story of the eponymous Auntie Jinshui. Auntie Jinshui is a street peddler who has successfully raised and educated six sons, but falls upon especially hard times after being swindled by a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
introduced to her by one of her sons. She then falls behind on her payments to her Hui (會), an informal village credit network, and finds herself gradually ostracized from her friends and family. This novella was also later made into a movie.
His novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s are The Story of Cowbelly Harbor,(牛肚港的故事; published 1982) and Taipei, Taipei!,(台北，台北!; published 1983), both written while he was in jail as a political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
.
Political career
After being freed from prison in 1984, he joined the political opposition to the ruling KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and in 1991 was elected to Taiwan's Legislative Yuan
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
as a Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
(DPP) member for Keelung City.
Wang was nominated by the DPP to run for Keelung City mayor in 2005. The Pan-Green Coalition
Pan-Green Coalition
The Pan-Green Coalition or Pan-Green Camp, is an informal political alliance of the Republic of China, commonly known as "Taiwan", consisting of the Democratic Progressive Party , Taiwan Solidarity Union , and the minor Taiwan Independence Party...
had two candidates in the election, with both the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
and the Taiwan Solidarity Union
Taiwan Solidarity Union
The Taiwan Solidarity Union is a political party in the Republic of China which advocates Taiwan independence. It was officially founded on July 24, 2001 and is considered part of the Pan-Green Coalition. Unlike the Democratic Progressive Party, its larger companion party in the Pan-Green...
nominating their own candidate. Wang lost the election, getting only 2,771 votes. He got the least votes out of all four candidates.
Commenting on the 2007 summit between South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n President Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...
and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n leader Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, Wang noted that their talks offered a model for negotiations between China and Taiwan held on an equal footing an based on mutual respect. Lamenting that China refuses to recognise Taiwan as a sovereign, independent state, he urged China to support a bid for UN recognition for Taiwan also called for the removal of the 900 Chinese missiles deployed along its southeastern coast that threaten Taiwan militarily.
After losing his seat in the legislature in January 2008, Wang was appointed chairman of the Council for Cultural Affairs
Council for Cultural Affairs
The Council for Cultural Affairs is a cabinet-level unit under the Executive Yuan of the government of the Republic of China . It is to design the culture policy within Free Area of the Republic of China.-External links:*...
, a cabinet-level position. From this position, Wang has pushed for substantial increases to the culture budget. In May 2008, Wang was appointed by chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen is the current chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. Studying in Taiwan, the U.S and the U.K. Tsai earned an LL.B. from National Taiwan University, an LL.M. from Cornell University Law School and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics....
to serve as the Secretary General of the DPP.