This book is a muchupdated collection of essays based on the original essay volume of the three-volume An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Literature published in Taiwan in 1975. The chief purpose of that anthology was to share with the English-speaking world outstanding Chinese authors who had been writing in Taiwan since 1949. The rich and complex literature of China, which dates from the Classic Book of Songs (sixth-century B.C.), had entered a new and exciting phase with Taiwan's literary scene that so amply portrays the tumultuous changes since the Sino-Japanese War(1937-1945).
　　The essay has always been a powerful genre in Chinese literature, and is substantial in both quality and quantity. In this new volume, fifteen more essays have been added that were written after 1975. These essays, recording the struggles, triumphs, setbacks and self-reflections of the people of Taiwan, represent the life and thought of the last quarter of the twentieth century. In steadily pushing forward towards greater modernization and cultural self-identification, the ilha formosa has nurtured process of transition, adaptation, and innovation that has profoundly affected the traditional life-patterns of the twenty-three million people living here.
編者簡介
Pang-yuan Chi( 齊邦媛 )
　　Pang-yuan Chi, born in Manchuria, came to Taiwan in 1947. A Professor emeritus of English literature and comparative literature at National Taiwan University and visiting scholar to the U.S.A. and Berlin. She has also worked as Editor-in-chief for The Chinese PEN Quarterly (Taiwan) in English. Her works include An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Literature (English) and literary criticism, Tears of A Thousand Years, When the Fog Is Clearing Up, etc.

Lin Yu-tang 林語堂．On Male Inferiority 泥做的男人．On the Beauty of Bare Feet 論赤足之美
Liang Shih-ch'iu 梁實秋．On Time 談時間．On Listening to Peking Opera 聽戲 ．On Kite-flying 放風箏
Ch'i-chun 琦君．The Sweater 毛衣．The Abacus 算盤．Sweet Osmanthus Flowers Falling Like Rain Drops 桂花雨
Ai Ya 愛亞．Of Tears and Lachrymatories 關於淚瓶、淚．Song 歌．The Poet Named Chou Mengtieh 那名字叫周夢蝶的詩人
Su Wei-chen 蘇偉貞．In the Name of Feet and Toes 以光腳的旨意為名
Liu Ke-hsiang 劉克襄．In the Eyes of the Flying Squirrel 小鼯鼠的看法．A Journey to the Frontier 邊境之旅．Away from the City─ To GG 遠離城市─ 致 GG ．A Lama Experience 喇嘛記
Chang Chi-jiang 張啟疆The Man Who Lost His Voice 失聲者