A Prize-winning Book: Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi

Speakers:

Yang Shuang-zi, author

Lin King, writer and translator

Moderator:

Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, Columbia University

Yang Shuang-zi’s novel Taiwan Travelogue, translated by Lin King, received the U.S. National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2024 and the Baifang Schell Book Prize for Translated Literature from the Asia Society in 2025. The story follows two young women, one Japanese and one Taiwanese, in 1930s Japan-ruled Taiwan. Presented as a lighthearted look at food culture and railway travel, the novel dives deep into themes of colonial power imbalance, political identity, linguistic erasure, and interpersonal relationships.

For non-Columbia affiliates, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. After registering you will receive an email with a QR code that must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either the 116th Street & Broadway or 116th Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register using a unique email address (one email address per registrant) by 4:00pm on Sept. 16 for campus access.

Names will be submitted for QR codes 1-2 days prior to the event. Registrants will receive an email from CU Guest Access with the QR code before or on the day of the event.

This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and co-sponsored by the Taipei Cultural Center in New York and the Andrew J. Nathan Taiwan Lecture Series.

Host or Publisher Weatherhead East Asian Institute