“Taiwan belongs to the people of Taiwan” Congratulations to Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi (楊双子) on her remarkable achievements! Her book, Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), after winning the Japanese Translation Award this summer, was shortlisted this September for the Translation Literature category of the Annual National Book Awards in the United States. Among the ten works shortlisted this year, it stands as the sole representative from Asia. Below is Yang Shuang-zi’s touching acceptance speech: “Some people ask me why I choose to write about events from 100 years ago. I always answer: writing about the past is a way to move toward the future. 100 years ago, some Taiwanese said, ‘Taiwan belongs to the people of Taiwan.’ Today, 100 years later, we Taiwanese are still saying this. However, the audience we are addressing has changed. 100 years ago, we said this to the Japanese. Today, 100 years later, we say this to the Chinese. What remains unchanged over the past century is that we have always faced a powerful, vast, and aggressive neighboring country. At the same time, within Taiwan, there has been significant diversity in terms of national and ethnic identity. Today, some people in Taiwan consider themselves Chinese, just as 100 years ago, some Taiwanese considered themselves Japanese. I write to answer the question: who are the people of Taiwan? And I continue to write about the past because I want to help shape a better future. Thank you.”