Date unknown
Oil on canvas
65.0 × 53.5 cm
Private Collection
Lin Hsien-tang and his wife Yang Shui-hsin grew up in the olden times. However, being progressive-minded, Lin encouraged women to partake in public affairs. Yang was Lin’s ideal companion, both in the domestic and public spheres, and was an active figure in the women’s circle in central Taiwan. In a life interwoven with the traditional and the modern, Yang demonstrated a sense of ease and composure.
On March 19, 1932, Lin and Yang’s eldest son, Lin Pan-lung, established the Wu-feng Yi-hsin Association with the objective to facilitate the cultural development of the Wufeng community, cultivate the spirit of self-governance, and further construct the new culture of Taiwan. With the full support of Lin and Yang, the Yi-hsin Association organized regular and diverse events and activities, including Nichiyō Lectures, Yi-hsin Free School, book reading clubs and poetry societies, as well as gatherings for children and women, cultural plays, motion picture screenings, concerts, summer seminars, sports days, etc., making the Yi-hsin Association an epitome of the Taiwan Cultural Association but with a sense of communal closeness. Held weekly, the total number of the Nichiyō Lectures amounted to more than 200 sessions. These talks were special because each session included one male speaker and one female speaker, and the latter always went first in the talks. Yang Shui-hsin alone had given ten talks, and had also given talks in tours with a few female members in her family. Vibrant and lively, members of the Yi-hsin Association upheld the ideal of managing the community sustainably. However, the colonial authority had given the Yi-hsin Association a hard time since its inauguration, and due to external pressure, it was disbanded in October 1937. (Chou Wan-yao)
