Cherished Items from the Studio
This section displays items from author studios and literary activities. The paperweights, writing brushes and ink, calligraphy, seals, and literary-event memorabilia cast new and interesting light on their owners’ creative life and cultural sensibilities.
Donor:Jun Nishikawa After Mitsuru Nishikawa (1908-1999) repatriated to Japan from Taiwan in 1948, he continued his prolific writing career and also produced exquisite handmade items. This silkscreened handkerchief is printed with Mitsuru’s handwriting. size:64*66.5cm
Donor:Wang Chun-yueh This seal was used by Tainan-based scholar and poet Wang Kai-yun (1889-1969). Xing An was Wang’s nickname and was also used in the title of his Collected Poems of Xing An. size:15*2.1*1.9cm
Donor:Wu Kang-wen Poet and scholar of folk traditions Wu Ying-t’ao (1916-1971), apart from writing poetry, is known for his books Taiwan Folk Traditions and Taiwan Proverbs. Wu was a prodigious contributor both to the poetic arts and to the research of local folk traditions. This plate was used to print the front cover of Wu’s book Taiwan Folk Traditions. size:2.1*10.9*2.3cm
Donor:Huang Ling-chih This haiku was composed by Huang Ling-chih (1928- ) to honor the 35th anniversary of the Taipei Haiku Association (est. 1970), of which he was a founder and the longstanding chairman. It reads, “Under spring light; Leaving for the universe; A child’s toy spaceship.” size:24.1*24.1*2cm
Donor:Jun Nishikawa A hand-bound, limited edition copy of Japanese author Mitsuru Nishikawa (1908-1999)’s novel Renge-Nyotai. This is #69 of a limited printing of just 100 copies and quite rare. The original manuscript, written in April 1948, has heavy Buddhist undertones and was set in Taipei City. This was printed in the summer of 1978. size:31.5*23*1.9cm
Donor:Kuo Ming-chin This paperweight, inscribed with a line of poetry by Lee Shang-yin, was given to Hu Pin-ching (1927-2006) by one of his students, Kuo Min-chin. Kuo studied under Hu and served as Editor in Chief of Jyhi Publishing Company. size:16*5.5*6.3cm
Donor:Yungtze This paperweight was used by the poet Yungtze (1922-2021). size:8.5*6.5*9.8cm
Donor:Hsu Ping-ting This is half of the couplet that populist Tainan poet Hsu Ping-ting (1900-1977) permanently displayed on his desk. It reads, “The nation is like family.” size:60.5*8.8*0.3cm
Donor:Chu Tien-wen This stone-lion seal was given to Chu Hsi-ning (1927-1998) and his wife Liu Mu-sha (1935-2017) by a friend. It is dated 1991 and engraved with the words ‘Eternal Harmony’, ‘Blissfully Married’, and ‘Heartfelt Emotions in Words’, and ‘Deep Sentiments in Art’. size:8.8*2.5*2.5cm
Donor:Yueh Tsung (Pei Yuan) This stone-lion seal was collected by Kaohsiung poet Yueh Tsung (1937- ) and is inscribed with the phrase Qufu Yanji. (Geese flying over Qufu, Confucius’s hometown) size:2.9*2.9*7.3cm
Donor:Chen Tien-hsin, Chen Sheng, and Chen Chieh Pi Lu-luan gave this carved stone seal to her friend Sanmao (1943-1991) in 1981. The seal has both Sanmao’s Chinese and English names (Echo Chen) size:2.3*2.4*10.1cm
Donor:Hsin Yu This colored-ink painting by the poet Hsin Yu is inscribed with the first line of the poem “Leopard” – “A single leopard; alone in the wilderness; Running; It knows not why.” size:46.8*46.7cm
Donor:Wang Chun-pu These watercolor paintings of Beiping Opera characters were hand painted by Wang Lan (1922-2003). She is celebrated both for watercolor paintings such as this and for her literary works. Liu Chi-wei wrote on her extensive portfolio of Beiping Opera watercolor paintings in The Watercolor Images of Beijing Opera Characters by Wang Lan. size:83*63.4cm
Donor:Tsui You-ming These three poems, copied from the Tang Dynasty Za Shi by Wang Wei, were handwritten by Chiang Monlin (1886-1964) in 1961 and presented to Chang Shu-han (1929-2000). size:34*42cm
Donor:Wu Yong-fu This portrait of the author Wu Yong-fu (1913-2008) was painted by his author-painter friend Shih Ming-cheng (1935-1988) in November 1985. size:49*36cm