Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 23. (Budapest, 2004)

Kornélia MAJOR: The Park of Loyalty and Filial Piety. Chen Yingzhen's Latest Short Stories

times of historical and political confusion people often commit crimes against each other. However, in the short stories conflict is never brought about by this fact; trouble is never caused by people's belonging to different communities. We condemn Ma Zhengtao or the other police agents not because of their origins but because of their misdeeds. Naturally, the works do touch upon of identity problems; nonetheless, they do not centre on them. For Chen, identity is something given, a question of historical and cultural heritage. It is what the individual and the society do with this heritage that matters. All questions, the issues of historical responsibility, guilt, family and the relationship of generations can be interpreted in this wider perspective. I believe that these works give voice to Chen's deep anxiety about the future of Taiwan. Probably, Chen Yingzhen attracts less attention than he used to; his opinion of contemporary Taiwanese society may be highly pessimistic or can be questioned indeed. His message, however, is valid in any case and communicates a point to be considered for all Taiwanese. The words loyalty (zhong) and filial piety (xiao) in the title Zhongxiao gongyuan denote the most important virtues of traditional Chinese morality; they are the very pillars of Chinese society. These are the values that the trilogy shakes and questions. Chen offers new standards and bases of comparison; it is up to the readers what they do with them. (Translated by Zsuzsanna Tóth)