Taiwan Nativist Literature

Taiwan nativist literature (Chinese: 鄉土文學; pinyin: Xiangtu Wenxue; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hiong-thó͘ Bûn-ha̍k). Xiangtu (鄉土), literally meaning the hometown soil, symbolizes nativism; and Wenxue (文學) is literature. Nativist Literature refers to a genre in Taiwanese literature. It derived from the Taiwanese New Literature Movement (台灣新文學運動) under the Japanese rule in the 1920s, died down after 1937 when the Japanese government strengthened its colonial policy, and recaptured public attention in the 1970s. Taiwan nativist literature uses literary realism as its main narrative to depict people, events and subjects that happen in Taiwan, aiming at reflecting the particularity of the local society. The nativist novels usually depict the struggles for existence and predicaments of identity of the Taiwanese people with a humanistic tone. They tend to base on the life experiences of their authors, and reflect their worldviews.

Under the colonial modernization in Taiwan, through colonial education, study in Japan and mainland China, Taiwan’s first generation intellectuals were informed of modern politics, society, culture and ideas of the West. They embraced concepts such as national self-determination, democracy, freedom, and socialism. They were also inspired by various events such as the Taisho Democracy Movement, socialist movement and leftist movement in Japan, and the May Fourth Movement, the New Culture Movement, and anti-imperialism movement in China. Since the 1920s, Taiwanese intellectuals had moved away from violent resistance into organized and non-violent, cultural, political and social struggles against the Japanese government.

...
Wikipedia