Wu Feng Legend
Encyclopedia
The Wu Feng Legend is a politically controversial myth once popular in Taiwan
.
According to the myth, Wu Feng was a Han Chinese who befriended aborigines. He tried to persuade the A-li-shan tribe to give up their practice of headhunting, but his attempts were unsuccessful. On one occasion he declared that on the following day the aborigines would see a man in a red cloak. He told them they would cut off the man's head, but it would be the last head they ever took. The next day, the aborigines saw a man in a red cloak and decapitated him, only to find they had killed Wu Feng himself. Horrified, they gave up the practice of headhunting forever.
This story was in school history books during the Kuomintang
dictatorship period. In the 1970s, it was the subject of a long form modern dance piece, containing echoes of The Rite of Spring
, by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre
Some said it purports to show an example of the Han Chinese
having a "civilising" influence on the Taiwanese aborigines
through heroic personal sacrifice. During the Kuomintang
rule of Taiwan, Wu Feng was considered a minor national hero. The myth was originally created during the Japanese colonial era, but its promotion peaked in the Kuomintang
era. The legend sometimes caused racial conflicts and discrimination.
In 1989, soon after the 1987 lifting of martial law
in Taiwan and taking advantage of a new-found emphasis on human rights, aborigines who had long been offended by the overtones of racism
in the Wu Feng story protested against its continued presence in history books. As part of the protest, they demolished statues of Wu Feng "wherever they found them."
The story has since been dropped from Taiwanese history books. The legend remains in oral tradition of some Han Chinese.
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...
.
According to the myth, Wu Feng was a Han Chinese who befriended aborigines. He tried to persuade the A-li-shan tribe to give up their practice of headhunting, but his attempts were unsuccessful. On one occasion he declared that on the following day the aborigines would see a man in a red cloak. He told them they would cut off the man's head, but it would be the last head they ever took. The next day, the aborigines saw a man in a red cloak and decapitated him, only to find they had killed Wu Feng himself. Horrified, they gave up the practice of headhunting forever.
This story was in school history books during the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
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...
dictatorship period. In the 1970s, it was the subject of a long form modern dance piece, containing echoes of The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
, by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre
Some said it purports to show an example of the Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
having a "civilising" influence on the Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
through heroic personal sacrifice. During the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
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...
rule of Taiwan, Wu Feng was considered a minor national hero. The myth was originally created during the Japanese colonial era, but its promotion peaked in the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
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...
era. The legend sometimes caused racial conflicts and discrimination.
In 1989, soon after the 1987 lifting of martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in Taiwan and taking advantage of a new-found emphasis on human rights, aborigines who had long been offended by the overtones of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in the Wu Feng story protested against its continued presence in history books. As part of the protest, they demolished statues of Wu Feng "wherever they found them."
The story has since been dropped from Taiwanese history books. The legend remains in oral tradition of some Han Chinese.