臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Yeh Shih-tao (1925-2008), born in Tainan, moved to Kaohsiung in the 1960s. When he was in high school during the Japanese colonial period, he published novels in Japanese and showed his talent for writing in Taiwan’s literary circle. Due to changes in the political situation after WWII, he started to learn Chinese by thoroughly reading Dream of the Red Chamber. In the 1950s, he was sentenced on a false charge of “not reporting communists to the government”.As a result, he had to stop writing and start working. In order to earn a living, he also engaged in translation when going from one teaching job to another. He resumed and kept writing in the mid-1960s, mostly creating works on Taiwanese literary history, which are still influential nowadays. History of Taiwanese Literature is his masterpiece. His novels, with a rich sense of local awareness, focus on ethnic issues in Taiwan, historical experience, people suffering from their wretched destinies and predicaments in life. His works include The Last Descendants of Siraya, A Taiwanese Man: Jian A-tao, Earning for Living Families, The Sorrow of Taiwanese Literature, Heading Towards Taiwanese Literature, Trivial Memories of Tainan, etc. He worked for a better future of Taiwanese Literature until the end of his life.

Born in Shirokanecho, Tainan.

Studied in Tainan Suehiro Elementary School (Today's Municipal Jinsyue Elementary School).

Studied in No. 2 Middle School, Tainan (5-year program) (Today's National Tainan First Senior High School)

His first novel, “Mazu Festival”, was submitted to Taiwan Literature (edited by Zhang Wen-huan); it received 

His second novel, "Zhengtaitan", was submitted to Literary Taiwan (edited by Nishikawa Mitsuru); it was not published. 

His third novel, “Letters from Lin”, was published in Vol. 5, No. 6 of Literary Taiwan.

He was invited by Nishikawa Mitsuru to be the assistant editor of Literary Taiwan Club. 

His novel, “Lament in Spring: Dedicated to My Teacher” was published in Vol. 6, No. 3 of Literary Taiwan.

His novel, "Daybreak", received second prize in a writing contest from Taiwan Art, and was published in its February 

He resigned his job and went back to Tainan to work as a substitute teacher at Baogong School (Today’s Liren Elementary School). 

His short story, “American Air Force Defeated”, was published in Vol. 1, No. 6 of Taiwanese Literature. 

He was drafted into the army in February and discharged in August, at which time he returned to Baogong School to work as a substitute teacher.

He started to learn Chinese and tried to write in Chinese.

He published “Illusion”, “People Who Steal Glass”, “Itinerant Entertainers”, “About Cigarettes”, and “Dreams and Lies” in the Japanese Edition of the Art Culture Column in <i>China Daily News</i> (edited by Long Yin

His full-length novel, <i>The Fall of Zeelandia</i>, failed to win a writing contest held by <i>China Daily News</i>. The manuscript was lost.

He wrote a full-length novel, Colonized People, but didn’t publish it. The manuscript was lost.

He resigned from his job as a substitute teacher and worked in the Property Management Division, Office of General Affairs at Taiwan Provincial Institute of Technology (Today's National Cheng Kung University). 

He published novels: “Tragedies at Riverside”, “Tang Fen in Taiwan”, “Death Sentences on Penghu Islands”, “Revenge”, “Whore”, “Return to Hometown”, etc., as well as reviews: “Taiwanese Literature after 1941” and “Clashes among Three Russian Literary Giants”.

He published “Mazu in March”, “Poor Girl”, “The Ceremonies of Holy Heavenly Mother”, other reviews, and essays.

He resigned from his job at Taiwan Provincial Institute of Technology and worked as a substitute teacher in Tainan Yongfu Elementary School (Today’s Tainan Municipal Yongfu Elementary School). 

He published short stories: “The Fate of Maurice Benyowsky” and “Letters from Lotte Limon”, as well as reviews: “About Thomas Mann's Three Works”, “Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales”, “About Maugham”, and “Zola's Literary Thinking”. 

He was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for not reporting communists to the government.

His sentence was commuted to a shorter sentence, and he was released because the president took office.

He worked as a janitor in the Water Supervision Office, Department of Reconstruction in Tainan City.

He passed the substitute teacher exam for positions in Chiayi County, and was later placed at Guo Lu Elementary School in Yizhu Township. 

He obtained teacher certification and was transferred to Wunsian Elementary School in Rende Township, Tainan County.

He married Ms. Chen Yue-de. 

He published “Review on the Characteristics of Modern Japanese Literature” in Vol. 1, No. 5 of <i>Collected Writings</i>.

He resigned his job and studied in the Department of Special Education, Tainan Junior Teachers College. 

He published the short story “Youth” and reviews: “Review on Wu Zhuo-liu's Dominator Behind the Scenes” and “Taiwanese Regional Literature”.

He published short stories: “A Prison Story”, “A House with  Blue Tiles”, “Luo Sangrong and Four Women”,“Rose Necklace”, and “Fault”, as well as reviews: “A Critique on Camus”, “A Critique on Wu Zhuo-liu”, “A Critique on Chung Chao-cheng”, and “A Critique on Chung Li-ho”

He graduated from Tainan Junior Teachers College and was appointed to a position in the Da Jin Division of Kuanghsing Elementary School in Dongshan Township, Yilan County. 

He published short stories: “Drifting”,“Malice”, “Daffodil”, “Stories of Practicing Medicine”, “Yiluka Molai”, “Traitor”, and “Earning for Living Families”, as well as reviews: “A Critique on Reincarnation”, “Taiwanese Writers and Their Novels in the Past Two Years”, and “A Critique on Qi Deng Sheng's Novels”.

He was transferred to Jiawei Elementary School in Kaohsiung County. He then settled and remained in Zuoying.

He published short stories: “Spring Dream at Gourd Alley”, “King of Crowds of Chickens”, “Duel”, “Abortion”,“Story of Mining Sulfur”, and “Defeated”, as well as reviews: “A Critique on Lin Hai-yin”, “A Critique on “André Gide’s Winter””, “A Critique on “Coconut Trees on Campus””, “Chung Chao-cheng and His <i>Falling</i>”, and “A Critique on Li Qiao's two books: <i>Wilderness</i> and <i>Love Song</i>”.

His first novel, <i>Spring Dream at Gourd Alley</i>, and <i>A Collection of Reviews on Yeh Shih-tao</i> were published.

He received the 10th Literary Review Award, Chinese Writer's & Artist's Association 

He started to translate a large number of non-literary books, such as Thought-provoking Classroom and Drawing for Fashion Designers.

He published reviews: “ntroduction to the History of Taiwanese Regional Literature”, “The Retrospect and Outlook of Taiwanese Literature during the Japanese Colonial Period”, and “A Critique on the “Social Awareness“ in Cheng Ching-wen's No...

His full-length novel, Story of Mining Sulfur, and A Collection of Papers by Regional Taiwanese Writers were published.

He received the first Wu Yongfu Commentary Award.

He received the Literary Contribution Award from United Daily News.

He participated in the founding of Bungakuka Magazine.

He started to write the History of Taiwanese Literature.

The first work on Taiwanese literary history, History of Taiwanese Literature, was published and received the 10th Outstanding Literary Contribution Award from China Times.

His novel Red Shoes was published and received the Golden Tripod Awards from the Government Information Office, Executive Yuan.

He received the 11th “award of contribution to Taiwan New Literature” form the Saline Land Literary Camp.

A collection of his reviews: The Sorrow of Taiwanese Literature and Heading Towards Taiwanese Literature, as well as novels: Taiwanese Chien a-tiao and The Last Descendant of Siraya were published.

He received the 3rd Distinguished Alumni Award from National Tainan Teachers College

He retired from Jiawei Elementary School.

He went to the United States to receive the Outstanding Achievement in Humanities Award from the Taiwanese American Foundation.

He received the 1st Kaohsiung County Literary Contribution Award.

His Marriages Between Different Ethnicities: A Collection of Short Stories by Yeh Shih-tao was published and received the Golden Tripod Awards from the Government Information Office, Executive Yuan.

He received the first Fucheng Literary Contribution Award.

Trivial Memories of Tainan was published and received the Good Books Award in 1996 from Taiwan Provincial Government.

He received the 2nd Distinguished Alumni Award from National Tainan First Senior High School.

An Introduction to Taiwanese Literature was published and selected as among the top ten good Taiwanese books of 1997.

He received the 2nd Oxford Literature Award from Tamsui Oxford University College.

Recollection of One's Literary Life was published and selected as among the top ten good Taiwanese books of 1999.

He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Literature at National Cheng Kung University.

He was awarded Pioneers in Literature Award by Kaohsiung City Government.

He was awarded the 20th National Cultural Award by the Executive Yuan, R.O.C.

He was awarded the 19th Art and Literature Award by Kaohsiung City Government

He was awarded the Medal of Honor in Art and Literature by the Chinese Writer’s & Artist’s Association.

The Japanese version of History of Taiwanese Literature was published (translated by Toshio Nakajima and Noriyuki Sawai).

He was awarded the 5th National Literary Award.

He talked with the Nobel laureate in Literature, Gao Xing-jian, on the topic of “Land, People, and Exile” in the Preparatory Office of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature in Tainan.

He was the moderator at the International Literature Conference on Yeh Shih-tao and Contemporary Writers.

He gave a speech titled “My sixty years of experience in Taiwanese Literature” in the Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo.

The National Museum of Taiwan Literature and the Taiwan Literature Foundation jointly held the Exhibition of Donated Works and Artifacts of ?“The Stars of Fucheng, the Moon of Jiucheng: the Literary Life of Yeh Shih-tao”.

He passed away.

Tainan Municipal Library held the “Memorial Book Exhibition of Mr. Yeh Shih-tao”.

The library of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung County Government, held the “Memorial Book Exhibition of Taiwanese Literary Giant: Yeh Shih-tao.”

Nouveau Studio adapted Taiwanese Chien a-tiao into a stage play ?“Mr. Chien” and performed in Miaoli, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, and Tainan.

Kaohsiung City Government held a series of memorial activities for the first anniversary of Yeh Shih-tao's death.

Ciaotou Literature and History Association in Kaohsiung organized the event: “Taiwan litterateur Yeh Shih-tao: A Memory Tour to Ciaotou”.

The former Tainan Forestry Affairs Office was renamed Yeh Shih-tao Literary Memorial Museum.

The Korean version of History of Taiwanese Literature was published.

The Japanese version of The Last Descendant of Siraya, Pan Yin-hua was published.

促進轉型正義委員會公告撤銷葉石濤「知匪不報」的有罪判決。