Green history, green mountains

Author: Yan Yanwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The History of Youth is the third book in the "Taiwan Trilogy" by author Yan Yanwen. It is the first full-length historical novel in mainland China centered on Jiageng, the grandfather of Lin Zhan, the author of The General History of Taiwan and the honorary chair of the Kuomintang. The novel portrays the magnificent and resilient life journey of Taiwanese intellectuals. In 1895, when Li Hongzhang signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki ceding Taiwan to Japan, Liu Yongfu led the Black Flag Army to defend the island. The 17-year-old protagonist, Lin Hong, formed a deep bond with Liu Yongfu in the Black Flag Army headquarters at the Lian Residence's Ma Bing Camp, marking the beginning of a glorious and heroic historical saga. The novel spans the 50 years of anti-Japanese resistance in Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, recreating the forgotten heroes of history such as Jian Dashi and the martyrs of the Wushe Uprising, and vividly depicting the Miao Li Uprising, the Xilai An Uprising, the "Tanaka Memorial," the Wushe Uprising, the liberation of Taiwan, and the tragic yet heroic struggle of the Taiwanese people under Japan's oppressive colonial rule—"preferring to be a free soul rather than a slave of a lost nation."
Lin Hong, the protagonist, dedicated his life to writing The General History of Taiwan, a miracle of modern Taiwanese history. His unwavering spirit, "the nation may perish, but the history must not," led him to chronicle the founding of Taiwan in the annals of the Chinese nation amidst turmoil and bloodshed, cementing Taiwan as an irrefutable part of Chinese territory. The novel weaves the fate of Lin Hong through the history, successfully shaping the intricate destinies and rich emotional stories of characters such as Shen Shaohe, Jiang Haixiao, and the female figures Shen Xiaoyun, Wang Mengning, Wada Meiwei, Shen Yuhuo, and Yamashita Mei.
The novel is rich in artistic expression and linguistic appeal, a masterpiece meticulously crafted by the author over several years. It has been selected as the opening work for a serial broadcast of a novel by Beijing News Broadcasting, narrated by renowned actors such as Wang Gang, receiving widespread acclaim from listeners.