世界上每個地方，總會有迷人的景點值得觀光。它們也許是一系列的山、豐富的歷史紀念館或是美妙亮麗的湖畔。每個國家都為他們特有的景觀感到驕傲，並且大家都很樂意的談論著。而我的家鄉「澎湖群島」，她的地質地形豐沛多變，是一處面海的窗，美得令人讚嘆，不但是造物者的神奇圖騰，對我來說，更是與雙親連接的根點，因為這個澎湃的大自然所在，充溢著父母的形影。如果沒有深入描繪她特殊的地貌和異乎尋常的海事驚豔，你是無法探觸到這塊大地雕塑的神奇。

澎湖群島位於臺灣和中國大陸之間，由六十幾個島嶼組成，多數島嶼低平且被峭壁所環繞，由於澎湖列島係由一系列的火山形成，多年來又被腐蝕的玄武岩漿和海沖積層的元素，而塑造成當前壯觀的外型。另外，澎湖海島的地位，遠古時代就扮演東亞航海的重要戰略中心、歐洲國家漁類源頭以及中國人遷移至另外一個新大陸的中繼站。

例如，西嶼鄉(Hisyu)位於澎湖西邊一個小海島，以捕漁業和採礦業為主。主要出產烏賊、龍蝦、五顏六色的魚和淡菜，被歐洲人稱為「漁夫的海島」。澎湖和意大利是世界兩大瑪瑙生產區域，但西嶼瑪瑙顏色美好、質量佳，更稱冠世界。而我，一個澎湖子女，喜愛搜尋玩耍沿海瑪瑙的活動，感覺這樣可以貼近對先祖的記憶。

 外垵 (Waian) 位於西嶼鄉最南邊的小鎮，就是父母出生的血跡所在。早在1778年的第一個引導臺灣和中國大陸之間海上船隻的燈塔就建造在此，我渴望在這片臨海的大地奔跳、讀海，似乎這樣我才能真實的捕捉少女快樂的記憶，因為那時父母健在。另外澎湖又有「菊島」之稱，燈塔週圍遍地菊花，整片黃色花浪，不畏猛烈季風候和降雨量的缺乏，生長於痛瘠瘠薄土地，她照樣盛開迎風招展，象徵著島民剛毅、打拼的生命力，也似乎是父母早年生活的標誌。因此更是我成年後每次不論自臺灣或溫哥華回鄉最愛留連的地方。

有什麼地方能尋到如此巧奪天工的地質，五彩繽紛的魚種，一座被漁船依靠有如曠野裹的島嶼，她不時擲出鏗鏘迷人的韻腳？當然，不同的人對相同地方會有不同的觀感，是否她是我的故鄉而我有特殊的鍾愛？但我深信，從來沒有一個地方的景觀如此的扣人心弦、叫人肅然起敬！如果你有心想親近她，你會愛上她的。我兒子一個瑞士朋友他說，雖然他走過世界很多海灘，但西嶼沙灘令他驚奇和難忘。

從小對父母的依賴和害怕他們突然消失，我是懷著這種心態而長大。事實上，他們真的離我而遠去，而今既使他們過世幾十年，午夜夢迴尋不著慈顏依然叫人惆悵心悸。為懷念他們，早期於臺灣出版一本長篇小說並獲兩種獎項，也曾被廣播電臺盜播兩個月之久的「井月澎湖」。

     這本小說的劇情是從雙親出生地外垵開始，到他們移民至臺灣高雄，作一個生活歷史的結合；從馬關條約的簽訂，到日本入侵澎湖、臺灣作為小說背景。自描述李祥(祖父的化身) 為起點，到李子山(父親的化身)過世，傳遞澎湖李家和許家的興衰糾葛，見証殖民時代的悲歡歲月。其實書中李家(Lee family) 是我父親的家族，許家(Zhu family) 是我母親的家族。

     著名評論家葉石濤先生曾評論 井月澎湖 是傑出的歷史小說，它有六大特色：

1.      充分反應臺灣各階段歷史的時代、社會的變遷，從清末到1986年代。透過民眾日常生活的細微末節反映異族統治下澎湖民眾的愁苦。澎湖列島地方史是臺灣整體歷史情境的縮影。

2.      透過澎湖婦女悲慘的生涯來控訴封建制度下臺灣婦女無人權的生活狀況。

3.      民眾的媽袓信仰及各種宗教活動均刻劃入微，是一卷臺灣民俗圖繪。

4.      這本小說也是海洋文學，描繪四面環海的澎湖人以海維生，和海岸生態是密不可分，但耕種是次要。

5.      善用母語，表示本土性的重要。

6.      注意到臺灣是多種族社會，小說人物具多種族背景。人物刻劃栩栩如生，給小說帶來複雜的光和暗交錯的表現。

感謝葉老的評語，他可以探觸到本書所表達的重點，更感動他說到我心坎深處。

曾有記者問我寫作有否使命感？寫這麼多年，從來沒有想過使命感，只是感到人類千古不滅的情感，一直主宰我們的生活。從友情、愛情，到親情，始終是人性底層最掙扎課題。而我執著親情，對雙親近乎病態的依賴，九本著作幾乎以親情為主軸，「井月澎湖」更是發揮到淋漓盡致。

從感念父母到追尋父祖的澎湖，可說是投入文學書寫始終不離的主題，經歷四個寒暑，此刻澎湖已不再是抽象名詞，而是具體感受家族綿延的顛沛，我的血緣如此真實生活在那口歷史井月之中。感謝詩人張德本豐富的歷史書庫讓我應用，使本書更具歷史眞實。如今移居溫哥華十年佔英文語言的地利方便，我又花了兩年時間將之譯成英文，讓更多種族了解我的故鄉；感謝加拿大作家Barbara Ladouceur為本書的英文編輯；此外我也將自己一系列親情文章、童詩、臺灣詩人的作品翻成英文，有些刊在當地報紙和入選北美詩刊，並獲讀者回應。台文戰線文友說:「在異鄉寫自己的母語，可消除思鄉的痛苦」，於是我又將童詩翻成臺語文。「I come from Taiwan; my hometown is Penghu」是我的口頭禪。親友問我住在溫哥華會不會想念家鄉，我就是這樣努力用功來回應家鄉的呼喚。

期望我的文學，幫我展現對祖先的崇敬，以及我美麗的家園澎湖像珍珠鑲映臺灣海峽之中閃閃發光。當我知道某事是壯觀美好，第一件事想做的是分享朋友，進而傳播至更遠的國度。我知道果實的奉獻是珍貴的，花的奉獻是甜蜜的，讓我姑且做一片葉子的義務，謙卑地奉獻一些濃蔭給您!

The Service of the Leaves

In each place in the world, there are always some fascinating sights to visit. They might be a series of mountains, historical monuments or wonderful lakes. Every country is proud of their features, and everyone is interested in talking about them. In my home country, the Penghu Islands offer a rich diversity of spectacular geological scenes and landscapes. Not only are there many special spots and symbols of interest that attract a great number of tourists, but for me there is a personal connection with my parents who spent their childhood there. However, no portrait of these sights is complete without mentioning the special landforms and maritime aspects of the Penghu Islands.

The Penghu Islands consist of nearly sixty islands and are located between Taiwan and Mainland China. Most of the islands are low and flat-topped, and surrounded by steep cliffs. Because the Penghu Islands are volcanic, composed of basalt magma and sea alluvium eroded over the years, these elements have shaped the currently magnificent outlook. Moreover, the Penghu Islands have been a strategic hub for navigation in East Asia, a vital source of fish for European countries since ancient times, and a stopover for the Chinese on their voyages to the far seas and their migrations to new lands.

For example, Hisyu is a small island located on the west side of Penghu. Fishing and mining are the major industries here. The surrounding sea is concentrated with squid, lobster, colorful fishes and mussels. Once Europeans called Hisyu “The Island of the Fisherman.” In addition, Penghu and Italy are the world’s two largest agate-producing areas, and Hisyu’s agate has been recognized worldwide as being the best because of its colors and fine quality. Searching for agate along the seashore is my favorite activity because it reminds me of all the delightful family times there, when I was young.

Waian, the township where my parents were born, is located to the south of the Hisyu. A lighthouse was built in 1778. It was the first lighthouse in Taiwan and was built to guide the boats between mainland China and Taiwan. It was my favorite place, so as a teenager, I would often watch the ocean’s movements, reading them like a book that recalled happy memories of my parents when my mother was still alive.

Additionally, it is easy to discover a lot of chrysanthemums throughout this area. This flower thrives in a climate of strong seasonal winds and a scarcity of rainfall. Its vitality symbolizes the inhabitants’ spirit of fortitude and endeavor. It also seems to be a symbol of my parents’ life; hence I always walk along paths looking for this flower whenever I come back to Penghu from Taiwan or Canada.

Is it possible to find a place where the special geological landscape, colorful kinds of fishes and varieties of scenery are combined in such wonderful harmony? Of course, different people have different opinions about the same sights. I don’t know if it is because Penghu is my home country, but I am convinced that Penghu has some of the most fascinating sights I have ever seen, and there I feel connected to my family. If you visit Penghu, you will also fall in love with this land. A Swiss man, who is my son’s friend, said that he has visited many seashores of different countries, but Hisyu’s coastal beach is a truly memorable place for him.  

I adore my parents timelessly. Even though they passed away many decades ago, whenever I see them in my mind, I feel strong emotions. And so, I wrote the novel Penghu Moon in the Well to honor my parents. This book has won two literary awards in Taiwan and it has even been read over a period of two months by a Kaohsiung radio station.

The novel begins in Waian, the place of my parents’ birth, and then shifts to Kaohsiung when my parents move there. In 1895, China’s Qing Dynasty was forced to sign the Treaty of Shimpnpseki(馬關條約) ceding Taiwan and Penghu to Japan, and so this historic event forms the background of Penghu Moon in the Well. In this novel, I describe Lee Shiang, who embodies my grandfather whose son Lee Zi-Shan, is, in fact, the embodiment of my father. The novel highlights the lives of two Penghu families as a testimony to the colonial years in Taiwan. Actually, the Lee family represents my father’s relatives, and my mother’s relatives are presented as members of the Zhu family.

The noted Taiwanese critic, Dr. Ye, said that this novel is outstanding because of the following six features:

1. It fully reflects the historical time, social movement of each stage of Taiwan from the end of the Ching Dynasty (1895) to the 1986’s. It presents the details of daily public life and the distress of the people in Penghu under the rule of a foreign nation---Japan. The local history of Penghu Islands is the epitome of the whole historical situation of Taiwan.

2. It complains about the misery of women’s lives in Penghu because of the human rights that Taiwanese women were deprived of under feudalism.

3. The details about the people’s faith in the Goddess Matsu and other kinds of religious activities are vividly portrayed; it is like a scroll of folk illustrations of Taiwan.

4. This novel is also an example of oceanic literature. Surrounded by the sea, the Penghu people’s survival depends on the kindness of the sea, cultivation of the land is secondary. Their lives are inseparable from the coastal ecology.

5. Excellent command of the mother tongue, is important in accurately portraying the true nature of Taiwanese culture.

6. The reality of Taiwan as a multiracial society is highlighted. There are various kinds of racial backgrounds in the novel. The portrayals of the characters are vivid and full of contrasting personalities; the novel interlocks lives of complicated lightness and darkness.

I very much appreciate Dr. Ye’s analysis of my novel.

Once a reporter asked me if writing was my mission. I have been writing for many years, but the thought of a mission never crossed my mind. I just think that emotions are inextinguishable and that they control our lives. From parental love, the love between friends to romantic love, it’s the most basic of human instincts. In fact, I continue to adore my parents very much even since they died, as I depended on them too much while they were alive. My writing has always focused on family love and this novel is my greatest tribute to this subject.

I worked on this novel Penghu Moon in the Well for about four years. This included a lot of historical research. Now Penghu is no longer just an abstract noun. She specifically touches my mind to remind me where my blood relationships began. I immigrated to Vancouver over ten years ago, and now I have translated Penghu Moon in the Well into English to open up the story of my home country to more people. It took me two years to do this; I am grateful to Canadian writer Barbara Ladouceur, who edited this translation for me; additionally, I’ve also translated into English a series of essays about family love, a book of children’s poems and a book of poetry written by a Taiwanese poet.

A famous Taiwanese writer, Tik-Lai Song, said to me, “Writing in the mother language is a good way to solve homesickness in a foreign country.” Then I translated my children’s poems from Chinese to Taiwanese, my mother language. I always say, “I come from Taiwan; my hometown is Penghu.” My friends and relatives in Taiwan asked me if I miss my home country. Of course I do, but instead of responding to my country’s summons to come home, I work hard on projects that will introduce my beloved homeland to the western world.

I hope that the story of my adored ancestors can show in some way my beautiful home country, the Penghu Islands, which lay like pearls, reflected in the sparkling Taiwan Straits. Furthermore, when I know something is magnificent, the first thing I have to do is share it with my friends everywhere, so that the knowledge of this beautiful thing can spread everywhere around the world. I would like to quote from a message God sent from the ocean: “The service of the fruit is precious; the service of the flowers is sweet; but let my service be the service of the leaves in the shade of humble devotion.”