Wu Chuo-liu was an influential Taiwanese journalist and novelist whose work deeply explores the complex identity of Taiwanese people during the colonial period. His most famous novel, inspired by his own experiences, portrays the inherent ambiguity and tension of living through this era, becoming a key text for understanding Taiwanese identity. Through compelling storytelling, the author delves into the psychological and social impacts of historical events on individuals. His writing serves as an important literary record of the Taiwanese experience.
Born in Taiwan, raised in the scholarly traditions of ancient China but forced into the Japanese educational system, Hu Taiming, the protagonist of Orphan of Asia, ultimately finds himself estranged from all three cultures. This autobiographical novel is regarded as an expression of the postwar Taiwanese national consciousness.