Formosan Odyssey
Taiwan, Past and Present
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Until the early twentieth century, Taiwan was one of the wildest places in Asia. Its coastline was known as a mariners’ graveyard, the mountainous interior was the domain of headhunting tribes, while the lowlands were a frontier area where banditry, feuding, and revolts were a way of life. Formosan Odyssey captures the rich sweep of history through the eyes of Westerners who visited and lived on the island — from missionaries, adventurers, lighthouse keepers, and Second World War PoWs, to students coming to study martial arts. It finishes with the story of Taiwan’s economic miracle, the political transition from police state to vibrant democracy, and its continuing stand-off with China.
The author’s travels, made around the island in the wake of the devastating 921 earthquake, and his experiences from five years of living in a small town, provide an intimate picture of modern Taiwan.
The island is a storehouse of Chinese and indigenous cultures, a fascinating mix of the new and the traditional, and likewise Formosan Odyssey is a smorgasbord of delights that both the general reader and any “old Asia hand” will find informative and amusing.
Out of print for nearly a decade, treasured copies of this book have been passed around the expat community in Taiwan. Camphor Press is delighted to now be able to offer this gem to a wider audience.
Customer Reviews
Outstanding and colorful tour of Taiwan culture and history
Outstanding account of Taiwan culture and history through a personal travelogue. I personally treasure it and it spoke to me in a really intimate way. Came upon this after reading his “Taiwan in 100 books” in order to orient myself on some reading material for a deeper dive on Taiwan. I was an expat in Beijing for nearly a decade, and this feels like the book I wish I would have written myself about my own experience there, albeit with a uniquely Taiwan bent that nonetheless echoes of my expat experience in the very “Chineseness” of many of his experiences. He blends the extraordinary, wild, screwball, and sometimes disorienting expat experiences with elucidating historical accounts that somehow lead to it all making sense. This gave my basic, tenuous understanding of Taiwan history and culture a colorful upgrade. The afterword was a very nice follow up, but even in the few years since I wonder what his take is now on where Taiwan cultural identity and political future is headed…