A pair of heritage enthusiasts
Lin Heng-dao (林衡道), a cultural preservationist who had safeguarded Taiwan's historical monuments, had a disciple called Chiu Siou-tang (邱秀堂). With Lin's tutelage, she combined her passion for historic monuments with his knowledge of culture and history to promote Taiwan's heritage through a comic series titled "Old Master Q (老夫子).”
Chiu and Lin first met at Tamkang University, where she was studying as a student and he was serving as a history professor. Their common interest in local cultural heritage led Chiu to accompany Lin in investigating historic monuments across Taiwan.
In 1994, Chiu partnered with Lin to write a special column called "Taiwan Scenery (台灣風情)” for the United Daily News. The serialized column ran for two years, introducing the historical sites, culture, and scenery of Taiwan to avid readers.
After working as an historian for years, Chiu entered the comics industry by chance after assisting comic artist Joseph Chak Wong (王澤) and his father, the creator of "Old Master Q,” in holding an exhibition on comic manuscripts in Taipei. During their stay, Chiu showed them around Taiwan and became friends with the Wong family.
Chiu was later invited to serve as the chief editor of "Old Master Q” after the junior Wang took over the family comic business and established an office in Taipei. Under Chiu's directive, "Old Master Q” began to take on more cultural and historic elements.
Chiu's background allowed her to channel her passion into the comic books, introducing Taiwan's food, culture, and historical monuments through "Old Master Q,” giving the old comic series from Hong Kong a new life spruced up with cultural elements.
Apart from working on the comic series, which is still being serialized today, she has also published a book titled "Loving Taiwan Scenery (戀戀台灣風情),” which documents Lin's memories about Taiwan's history, landscapes, food, customs, religion, and economy. The 2014 book was dedicated to her lifelong mentor, who passed away in 1997.
Coining a philosophical approach towards life that can be summarized as "culture is a lifelong attitude” and "culture heritage is my faith,” Chiu continues to follow Lin's path, dedicating her life to preserving cultural heritage and researching historical monuments.
Lin Heng-dao
Dubbed as the "Immortal of Taiwan's Cultural Heritage,” Lin Heng-dao was a professor, historian, and commissioner of Taiwan Historica (臺灣文獻館) who spearheaded the research and preservation of cultural heritage in Taiwan ... (read more)