Books bridge the cross-Straits divide
The growing popularity of personal stories written by authors from Taiwan is prompting greater understanding on both sides of the Straits, as Peng Yining reports.
In his memoir Once Upon a Time in Taiwan, writer Liao Shinchung, a 38-year-old former store assistant from the island, described his first encounter with a mainland resident, on an airplane in early 1990s.
He wrote: "There was a popular saying at that time in Taiwan: 'People in the mainland are very poor, so they only eat banana skins'. After a short chat with the man, I carefully tossed in a question. 'I heard ... well ... you all eat banana skins?' The man from the mainland banged the armrest with his hand and cried out: 'I heard people in Taiwan all ate banana skins!' We had a good laugh together, and then pondered the mystery, 'Who ate the banana?'"
