Yang Shuang-Zi won the 2026 International Booker Prize with the book "Taiwan Travelogue," and this success reflects Taiwan's cultural influence on a global scale. However, this victory is accompanied by harsh political and geopolitical realities.
Cultural Victory Implications
At the award ceremony, Lin King, the English translator of the book, expressed concerns about Taiwan's situation. In her speech, she said: "In 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine, I decided to only translate works by Taiwanese authors." King continued that this choice will continue as long as Taiwan's sovereignty remains a contentious issue.
The book "Taiwan Travelogue" tells the story of a young Japanese writer who travels to Taiwan in 1938. This book focuses on Taiwan's history and distances itself from the broader framework of China that Beijing envisions. Yang states, "Literature and politics are directly related. Politics determines the allocation of resources, and the allocation of resources determines which works are recognized as good literature."
China's Reaction to Taiwanese Successes
Days after the announcement of the award winner, China's Taiwan Affairs Office reacted, stating: "Writers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait should emphasize national positions and respect historical facts." From China's perspective, they are unwilling to hear Taiwan's voice.
This book clearly shows that Taiwan's culture is influenced by various histories, including indigenous, Japanese colonial, and local Han influences. While China considers Taiwan part of its territory, Taiwan has continued to operate with de facto independence since 1949.
During Yang's book tour in Germany this October, an event at Literaturhaus München sparked controversy when the translator significantly shortened some statements regarding Taiwan, China, and historical policies. The translator later admitted to her mistakes but denied any intentional content omissions due to political stance.
Given the political and military pressures from China, Taiwan has faced many challenges in recent years. In April of this year, Lin Shao-Xing, a Taiwanese barista, won at the World Coffee Art Competition, but all references to Taiwan in connection with this victory were quickly removed from the official competition website. The website attributed her victory to "Chinese Taipei," a term used in international competitions to refer to Taiwan.
In 2024, China allegedly planned a car accident during the visit of Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khim in Prague. Czech intelligence officials told local media that this incident was part of a larger and more aggressive scheme by Chinese diplomats.
In early October of this year, the FBI announced that officials had arrested a California woman on charges of spying on the son of Taiwan's President at the behest of Chinese officials. This woman traveled to Seattle in 2025 under orders from Beijing and was gathering information from the President's family.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated at a press conference on October 6 that it consistently opposes "the noise regarding Chinese spies" and the defamation of China. These incidents illustrate China's use of soft power to limit Taiwan's voice, a topic that clearly falls somewhat outside the realm of international law.
