Chinese published comics have taken over Taiwan‘s bookstores in recent years.
The recent outbreak in Taiwan of the Chinese children’s book “Waiting for Daddy to Come Home“, which glorifies China’s Epidemic prevention measures during the epidemic, prompted the DPP legislators to question “China’s red reading plan to invade Taiwan?” We tracked down and found that several Chinese historical comics have been published in traditional Chinese characters through Taiwanese publishers, without Parents and students being aware of it, and are widely circulated among campuses, even making the best-selling book list in Taiwan.
The series “If History Were a Bunch of Meow”, edited and drawn by Fat Chi, one of China’s biggest anime vloggers, has been published in Taiwan up to its seventh episode, which is being circulated among students in many elementary schools in Taiwan, causing lively discussions.
In an interview, Xiaoxin, who is a junior in Taipei, said, “The first episode is about the ancient times of the Xia and Shang dynasties. (Why do you like to watch it?) Because he drew him in a comic way, because I like to read comics, my mother recommended me a set of books. Because although it is a history book, but drawn as a cartoon easy to understand.”
The brothers Kai and Xun, who are in P3 and P1 respectively, usually go to the library with their mother to borrow this set of books to read at home. “I’ve read all of them, all episodes 1-6. My mom used to take us to the store and see it and thought it was funny, and we had it at school. (Everyone at school will watch it?) Sometimes.”
This set of books is published by Taiwan’s Wild Man Press, and the publisher’s description reads, “This ancient cute cat story picture itself and history textbook with cat idol heavenly group setting set, let you shovel shit and shovel history, god help your history knowledge!”
But the set is actually published by China’s Heilongjiang Fine Arts Publishing House. In addition to the books, there are also network animation, the introduction says “cartoons not only respond to the central government on ‘promote the excellent Chinese traditional Culture‘ call, or cultural innovation and ‘Education and fun’ a new exploration and attempt. “
The Chinese cartoons in the bookcase of Taiwan Primary 3 student Xiao Xin’s home. (Photo by Huang Chunmei)
Taiwanese parents are unaware that comic books are “made in China”
Xiao Xin and Xiao Kai’s mother was interviewed before she knew that the set of comics came from China.
The mother of Xiao Xin: “I saw it on the Internet, I think he used the comics that children like, a little witty way to introduce history, children will like. (Did you know at the Time that he was from China?) I didn’t know. (Would you have minded that he was from China?) Now I know that I would mind a little, but if the information in him is correct, there is actually no problem.”
Kai’s mother: “(Do you know he’s from China?) I do not know eh! I did not find out, he is not from Taiwan? So he’s a mainland publisher? History is the past, it has nothing to do with the current united war, right? Now children’s books lean toward the history category, and the united war should not be touched until high school or college.”
If History Were a Bunch of Meows starts from ancient history and only goes to the Sui and Tang dynasties by episode seven. However, in another book drawn by Fat Chi, “Fat Chi Encyclopedia,” it “mentions that when Li Hongzhang visited the United States, he referred to the United States as ‘the American Empire,’ which is not a phrase Taiwan would be accustomed to using. When the station tried to contact Wilderness Press to confirm whether the publication in Taiwan would be adjusted in content according to the different views of history on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the other side did not respond.
“American Empire” and “Chairman Mao” Communist China uses cartoons to attack Taiwanese children
In addition to “If history were a bunch of meow”, the “Plants vs Zombies” series compiled and drawn by “Jiangnan Xiaoxiang” (Chinese comic book editorial team) is a series of comics ranging from “Universe of funny multi-panel comics” to “Dinosaur comics” and “Science comics”. “, “science comics”, “Chinese famous city comics” series and so on at least dozens of books have already occupied the bookstore and campus in Taiwan. Taiwan’s lower and middle school social studies are about the history of Taiwan’s aborigines. This concept has quietly entered the minds of Taiwanese children.
If History Were a Bunch of Meow” is quite popular among Taiwanese elementary school students. (Photo by Huang Chunmei)
Lin Rongji: Taiwan is unconsciously undergoing brainwashing
Lin Rongji, the owner of Causeway Bay Bookstore in Taipei, told the station that Taiwan has a unified ideology behind popular novels such as “Journey to the West”, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and “Water Margin”, which young people love to read, from enlightenment books. The traditional culture education received in college is also brainwashing. A person is brainwashed all the time from child to teenager, college, and adult. In fact, this is a horrible situation in Taiwan.
Lin Rongji: “There are some cases where mainland China pays to work with publishers over here and is paid by China to publish. You check the Taiwan publishing, at least 10 are doing this. They only care about making money regardless of whether you wash your brain or not. This is a big problem in Taiwan. Taiwan shouts independence, this piece of bad can never be independent.”
A few days ago because of the controversy caused by “Waiting for Daddy to Come Home”, Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture is preparing to amend the law, and at one point said that the future of the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army publications into Taiwan need to obtain permission, that is propaganda and not books; if it is the publication of civilian individuals or associations, there is no need to review. However, even such a norm has sparked considerable resistance within Taiwan.
Lin Rongji: “Of course they will oppose, publishers would have had money to earn, so it is tantamount to cut off the livelihood. The problem is not the problem of publishing, he is using Taiwan publishers to publish their books. The Ministry of Culture wants mainland Chinese publishers to apply is useless, he does not use his name, if Taiwan’s publishers are not willing to cooperate, he can do it?”
Chen Fangming is not worried about brainwashing unification war the more open the more immune
Chen Fangming, chair professor at the Institute of Taiwan Literature at National Chengchi University, said in an interview with the station that at first he was certainly a bit worried about the unification war and brainwashing, but now he is not worried at all. The more open Taiwan is, the stronger its immunity.
Chen Fangming: “They also have a publishing house called Straits Press, which publishes in Taiwan and puts together all the history of Taiwan, and that kind of historical interpretation shows that they don’t know the history of Taiwan. You see their bookstores closing down one by one, the market mechanism will eliminate you.”
Chen Fangming originally advocated that any book should not be censored, but he suggested that the Ministry of Culture, the other side of the Taiwan to come to Taiwan can be, not only one-way, so not reciprocal, Taiwan’s books should also be completely open to import to China. For the issue of censorship of Chinese children’s books, Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture responded that it is still in the process of revising the law.
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