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Puppet Flower: A Novel of 1867 Formosa
In 1867, an American merchant ship, the Rover, sank off the coast of southern Taiwan. Fourteen sailors reached the shore, where almost all were killed by indigenous people. In retaliation, the United States launched two disastrous military operations against local tribes. Eventually, the U.S. consul to Amoy, Charles Le Gendre, negotiated a treaty with Tauketok, the chief of the eighteen tribes of the area, that secured safe passage for shipwrecked sailors.
Yao-Chang Chen's historical novel Puppet Flower retells the story of the Rover incident, bringing to light its pivotal role in Taiwanese history. Merging documented events and literary imagination, the novel vividly depicts Tauketok, Le Gendre, and other historical figures alongside the story of Butterfly, a young woman of mixed ethnic heritage who serves as an interpreter and mediator during the crisis. Chen deftly reconstructs the multiethnic and multilingual society of southern Taiwan in the second half of the nineteenth century from multiple perspectives, portraying local people's daily struggles for survival and their interactions with Han Chinese settlers, Qing dynasty bureaucrats, and Western officials, tradesmen, and adventurers. The novel explores nineteenth-century Sino-American and Sino-indigenous relations and emphasizes the centrality of Taiwanese indigenous cultures to the island's history.
A gripping work of historical fiction, Puppet Flower is a powerful revisionist narrative of a formative moment in Taiwan's past. It was recently adapted into a popular Taiwanese TV miniseries, Seqalu: Formosa 1867.
Yao-Chang Chen's historical novel Puppet Flower retells the story of the Rover incident, bringing to light its pivotal role in Taiwanese history. Merging documented events and literary imagination, the novel vividly depicts Tauketok, Le Gendre, and other historical figures alongside the story of Butterfly, a young woman of mixed ethnic heritage who serves as an interpreter and mediator during the crisis. Chen deftly reconstructs the multiethnic and multilingual society of southern Taiwan in the second half of the nineteenth century from multiple perspectives, portraying local people's daily struggles for survival and their interactions with Han Chinese settlers, Qing dynasty bureaucrats, and Western officials, tradesmen, and adventurers. The novel explores nineteenth-century Sino-American and Sino-indigenous relations and emphasizes the centrality of Taiwanese indigenous cultures to the island's history.
A gripping work of historical fiction, Puppet Flower is a powerful revisionist narrative of a formative moment in Taiwan's past. It was recently adapted into a popular Taiwanese TV miniseries, Seqalu: Formosa 1867.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2023
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91 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 25, 2023
A historian’s historical novel! Puppet Flower is a narrative novel based on real events, a watershed moment in Taiwanese (Formosan) history when the United States and Western colonizing powers begin to encroach on Taiwan in earnest. The novel begins with an unfortunate event, wherein an American ship encounter one of Formosa’s indigenous tribes after surviving a storm at sea. The surviving crew — including a woman — are murdered by the Formosans, triggering a series of investigations and the arrival of more Western ships and military.
What makes Chen’s novel special in this genre of historical fiction is that Western perspectives are well-balanced with indigenous ones. It is rare to encounter fiction focused on Taiwan’s indigenous community, historical or otherwise; in highlighting their unique experience here Chen offers readers and the world at large a rare and unique literary opportunity. The result is a fantastic novel that — in my opinion — would do well in the classroom for a number of reasons aside from its historical focus:
The story arc is peppered with references and information about Formosan culture, providing a context for the historical events themselves. Unlike many historical novels, which rarely explain the cultural references they point to, Chen writes for the non-expert.
Puppet Flower offers multiple perspectives rather than focusing on a single protagonist. In this case, the novel allows us to see the event from an indigenous and Western point of view.
The prose is straightforward and not superciliously literary, making this an ideal undergraduate book; it does not require a great deal of knowledge about literary tropes, metaphors, and other devices typically used in novels. This is, truly, a history novel.
Overall, a novel of great historical value, not only in terms of its content, but in its production. This is decolonization at work, a piece of scholarship that highlights the indigenous perspective, a view of the imperial encounter from those who were colonized.
What makes Chen’s novel special in this genre of historical fiction is that Western perspectives are well-balanced with indigenous ones. It is rare to encounter fiction focused on Taiwan’s indigenous community, historical or otherwise; in highlighting their unique experience here Chen offers readers and the world at large a rare and unique literary opportunity. The result is a fantastic novel that — in my opinion — would do well in the classroom for a number of reasons aside from its historical focus:
The story arc is peppered with references and information about Formosan culture, providing a context for the historical events themselves. Unlike many historical novels, which rarely explain the cultural references they point to, Chen writes for the non-expert.
Puppet Flower offers multiple perspectives rather than focusing on a single protagonist. In this case, the novel allows us to see the event from an indigenous and Western point of view.
The prose is straightforward and not superciliously literary, making this an ideal undergraduate book; it does not require a great deal of knowledge about literary tropes, metaphors, and other devices typically used in novels. This is, truly, a history novel.
Overall, a novel of great historical value, not only in terms of its content, but in its production. This is decolonization at work, a piece of scholarship that highlights the indigenous perspective, a view of the imperial encounter from those who were colonized.
March 24, 2024
If you've been in Taiwan long enough, you will hear about the Rover incident. Unfortunately, it, like much of Taiwanese history, isn't studied or known very well by Taiwanese (who grew up learning more about Chinese history than Taiwanese), so it is difficult to get a feel for what happened exactly.
This book did exactly that. Many familiar names (Pickering, LeGendre and Tauketok, among others) and many new names. I guess I only wish it specified who was a real historical figure and who wasn't. Were they all real? If so, I wish it talked more about Butterfly and her family and their fate.
The story itself was great, although I can't say I liked the ending as much. I see how it was trying to tie several things together, but it seemed to rush a lot of history and make it fit an odd narrative.
Anyway, that is sort of nitpicking. All in all it was a great book.
https://4201mass.blogspot.com/
This book did exactly that. Many familiar names (Pickering, LeGendre and Tauketok, among others) and many new names. I guess I only wish it specified who was a real historical figure and who wasn't. Were they all real? If so, I wish it talked more about Butterfly and her family and their fate.
The story itself was great, although I can't say I liked the ending as much. I see how it was trying to tie several things together, but it seemed to rush a lot of history and make it fit an odd narrative.
Anyway, that is sort of nitpicking. All in all it was a great book.
https://4201mass.blogspot.com/
December 13, 2023
When most people think about Taiwan (formerly Formosa) nowadays, they likely think of the conflict between them and China and the constant threat of attack. Yet this book, which has been translated from Chinese into English, gives us a broader perspective. It is historical fiction and based closely on the real-life events. Much is seen of the fearsome aborigines of 1867, whom in many ways had gotten a bad rap and who inhabited a large swathe of the island, especially the mountain areas.
Their woe was when one group, the Koalut tribe massacred survivors of the American ship, the Rover, in mistaken retaliation of Red-Hairs who'd killed many of their people years ago. This got American, British and the Qing goverment involved. It tells also of the Hokkien and Hakka people who'd come over from the China mainland, and took up more territory, encroaching on tribal land, adding further aggravation.
What initially sparked my interest in this book was the title, Puppet Flower - a nickname for Butterfly, the daughter of a Hakka man and a "raw savage" mother, who'd hailed from the Puppet Mountains. She had a brother Bunkiet who was also a major story character along with Tauketok, Pickering, General Charles LeGendre, and General Liu, who represented the Qing government. These all figured in the balance of 'to war or not to war' due to the Rover incident.
In later years, Taiwan was taken over by the Japanese, adding a whole new kettle of fish.
Some places of the book dragged a bit, however, I was mostly kept interested all along the way. Was somewhat disappointed with the ending as it became more about Le Gendre and less about Butterfly, the Puppet Flower. All in all, it was a satisfying read and I learned more about Taiwan and it's strategic position in the world.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
October 2022
Disclaimer: This my honest opinion based on the complimentary copy sent by NetGalley and the Publisher.
Their woe was when one group, the Koalut tribe massacred survivors of the American ship, the Rover, in mistaken retaliation of Red-Hairs who'd killed many of their people years ago. This got American, British and the Qing goverment involved. It tells also of the Hokkien and Hakka people who'd come over from the China mainland, and took up more territory, encroaching on tribal land, adding further aggravation.
What initially sparked my interest in this book was the title, Puppet Flower - a nickname for Butterfly, the daughter of a Hakka man and a "raw savage" mother, who'd hailed from the Puppet Mountains. She had a brother Bunkiet who was also a major story character along with Tauketok, Pickering, General Charles LeGendre, and General Liu, who represented the Qing government. These all figured in the balance of 'to war or not to war' due to the Rover incident.
In later years, Taiwan was taken over by the Japanese, adding a whole new kettle of fish.
Some places of the book dragged a bit, however, I was mostly kept interested all along the way. Was somewhat disappointed with the ending as it became more about Le Gendre and less about Butterfly, the Puppet Flower. All in all, it was a satisfying read and I learned more about Taiwan and it's strategic position in the world.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
October 2022
Disclaimer: This my honest opinion based on the complimentary copy sent by NetGalley and the Publisher.
July 11, 2023
A historian’s historical novel! Puppet Flower is a narrative novel based on real events, a watershed moment in Taiwanese (Formosan) history when the United States and Western colonizing powers begin to encroach on Taiwan in earnest. The novel begins with an unfortunate event, wherein an American ship encounter one of Formosa’s indigenous tribes after surviving a storm at sea. The surviving crew — including a woman — are murdered by the Formosans, triggering a series of investigations and the arrival of more Western ships and military.
What makes Chen’s novel special in this genre of historical fiction is that Western perspectives are well-balanced with indigenous ones. It is rare to encounter fiction focused on Taiwan’s indigenous community, historical or otherwise; in highlighting their unique experience here Chen offers readers and the world at large a rare and unique literary opportunity. The result is a fantastic novel that — in my opinion — would do well in the classroom for a number of reasons aside from its historical focus:
The story arc is peppered with references and information about Formosan culture, providing a context for the historical events themselves. Unlike many historical novels, which rarely explain the cultural references they point to, Chen writes for the non-expert.
Puppet Flower offers multiple perspectives rather than focusing on a single protagonist. In this case, the novel allows us to see the event from an indigenous and Western point of view.
The prose is straightforward and not superciliously literary, making this an ideal undergraduate book; it does not require a great deal of knowledge about literary tropes, metaphors, and other devices typically used in novels. This is, truly, a history novel.
Overall, a novel of great historical value, not only in terms of its content, but in its production. This is decolonization at work, a piece of scholarship that highlights the indigenous perspective, a view of the imperial encounter from those who were colonized.
What makes Chen’s novel special in this genre of historical fiction is that Western perspectives are well-balanced with indigenous ones. It is rare to encounter fiction focused on Taiwan’s indigenous community, historical or otherwise; in highlighting their unique experience here Chen offers readers and the world at large a rare and unique literary opportunity. The result is a fantastic novel that — in my opinion — would do well in the classroom for a number of reasons aside from its historical focus:
The story arc is peppered with references and information about Formosan culture, providing a context for the historical events themselves. Unlike many historical novels, which rarely explain the cultural references they point to, Chen writes for the non-expert.
Puppet Flower offers multiple perspectives rather than focusing on a single protagonist. In this case, the novel allows us to see the event from an indigenous and Western point of view.
The prose is straightforward and not superciliously literary, making this an ideal undergraduate book; it does not require a great deal of knowledge about literary tropes, metaphors, and other devices typically used in novels. This is, truly, a history novel.
Overall, a novel of great historical value, not only in terms of its content, but in its production. This is decolonization at work, a piece of scholarship that highlights the indigenous perspective, a view of the imperial encounter from those who were colonized.
February 6, 2024
Finally finished this book.
Well it’s based on history so do not expect any exciting part in the story.
Most of the time my mind will be asking, which events here really did happen and which were not? Maybe if I’m Taiwanese and well aware of its history it’ll be easier to appreciate this book. After reading the book I will google most of the events just to see whether they were real. 😅
Well it’s based on history so do not expect any exciting part in the story.
Most of the time my mind will be asking, which events here really did happen and which were not? Maybe if I’m Taiwanese and well aware of its history it’ll be easier to appreciate this book. After reading the book I will google most of the events just to see whether they were real. 😅
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews