A bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history, and power May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. She’s been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear. Soon a Taiwanese woman―who is younger even than she is, and who shares the characters of her name―is hired as her interpreter and makes her dreams come true. The charming, erudite, meticulous Chizuru arranges Chizuko’s travels all over the Land of the South and also proves to be an exceptional cook. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. It’s only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the “something” is. Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, this novel was a sensation on its first publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and won Taiwan’s highest literary honor, the Golden Tripod Award. Taiwan Travelogue unburies lost colonial histories and deftly reveals how power dynamics inflect our most intimate relationships.

Ji-woo, who has been secretly in love with his sunbae Kim Yoon, heads off to the end-of-semester MT with him. His excitement lasts only a moment before he receives a suspicious message. [Emergency Disaster Alert] Unknown individuals exhibiting abnormal behavior are appearing nationwide. All citizens are advised to evacuate immediately to a safe location. But swept up by everyone treating it lightly, the MT bus enters Gapyeong. And then. – Aaaaaargh! f*ck! I said don’t come! Don’t come! What are you all doing? You should be stopping it! A call from a senior who was on the bus ahead of them. From that moment on, everything changed.

Ji-woo, who has been secretly in love with his sunbae Kim Yoon, heads off to the end-of-semester MT with him. His excitement lasts only a moment before he receives a suspicious message. [Emergency Disaster Alert] Unknown individuals exhibiting abnormal behavior are appearing nationwide. All citizens are advised to evacuate immediately to a safe location. But swept up by everyone treating it lightly, the MT bus enters Gapyeong. And then. – Aaaaaargh! f*ck! I said don’t come! Don’t come! What are you all doing? You should be stopping it! A call from a senior who was on the bus ahead of them. From that moment on, everything changed.

OPENING GAMBITHaving successfully foiled the bandit attack on the city of Cizhou in Zhongbo, Xiao Chiye sets off in pursuit of their leader, attempting to cut their enemy off before he returns to his lair. At the same time, having gained control of Cizhou, Shen Zechuan sets his sights on neighboring Chazhou, with which he hopes to broker a trade agreement. But Chazhou is a lawless place, ruled by a ruthless bandit chief who has long neglected the starving populace. If Shen Zechuan wishes to make his mark here, he must rely not on any army, but his own cunning.As Shen Zechuan fights for a foothold in Zhongbo, a new power is rising in the capital of Qudu, and those with ambition eye the throne from all sides. The board is set for a game of wits that will decide the fate of the nation—and Shen Zechuan is playing to win.

OPENING GAMBITHaving successfully foiled the bandit attack on the city of Cizhou in Zhongbo, Xiao Chiye sets off in pursuit of their leader, attempting to cut their enemy off before he returns to his lair. At the same time, having gained control of Cizhou, Shen Zechuan sets his sights on neighboring Chazhou, with which he hopes to broker a trade agreement. But Chazhou is a lawless place, ruled by a ruthless bandit chief who has long neglected the starving populace. If Shen Zechuan wishes to make his mark here, he must rely not on any army, but his own cunning.As Shen Zechuan fights for a foothold in Zhongbo, a new power is rising in the capital of Qudu, and those with ambition eye the throne from all sides. The board is set for a game of wits that will decide the fate of the nation—and Shen Zechuan is playing to win.

DESPERATE MEASURES After a close call with a deadly epidemic and an attempt on the emperor’s life, the imperial court of Qudu is in turmoil. The emperor is determined to hold someone among the noble clans accountable, a desire Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye are prepared to use to their political advantage. The chaos gives them another opportunity as well—a chance to investigate the suspected mastermind behind the fall of Zhongbo five years ago. Yet as they delve deeper into the past, new dangers emerge in the present. For every move they make, their unseen adversary seems always a step ahead, driving them into a trap from which there is no way out. As Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye’s lives grow more and more entwined, both find they are increasingly reliant on each other. But when Xiao Chiye extends a hand in their most desperate hour, will Shen Zechuan take it?