1920年代臺中士紳蔡蓮舫的家庭生活

Family Life of Tsai Lien-Fang, a Taichung Gentry in 1920s

蔡蓮舫為清水「蔡源順」家族之後代，曾任臺中區長、臺中市協議會員、臺中州協議會員等職，是日治時期臺灣中部舉足輕重的士紳，也是臺灣總督府攏絡禮遇的對象。一如臺灣其他大家族，蔡蓮舫也有養子和妾的問題。他的親生子陸續出生後，兩位養子深感不安，唯恐在家中的地位動搖，乃爆發爭產風波；蔡蓮舫之妾廖貴由於接連生下三子，加上具有漢學基礎、善於調解糾紛、又會打扮，在家中極受重視，能發號施令。因此，蔡家的家庭成員組成、發生的家庭問題，可謂臺灣大家族的縮影，具有一定的代表性；不過，妾的地位高，在當時的時空環境卻不常見，因此蔡家也有其特殊性。本文主要利用《黃旺成先生日記》和中央研究院臺灣史研究所檔案館典藏、蔡蓮舫之孫蔡鎮國先生提供的〈蔡蓮舫家族文書〉，輔以〈臺灣總督府專賣局檔案〉等官方檔案和《臺灣日日新報》撰成。黃旺成曾在蔡蓮舫家中擔任家庭教師，其1921至1925年的日記記錄了他在蔡家生活的所見所聞，涵蓋食衣住行、人際關係等各個面向，極為珍貴。其次，〈蔡蓮舫家族文書〉包含照片與蔡蓮舫的各式任命書、褒揚狀，亦屬第一手資料。本文即透過上述資料，試圖重現1920年代蔡蓮舫的家庭生活。

Tsai Lien-Fang, the descendent of Tsai Yuen-Shun's family, was appointed as the mayor of Taichung District, delegate of Taichung City and of Taichung Prefecture. He was a prominent gentry in central Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era, and was also closely connected to and deeply respected by the Government-General of Taiwan. Like other prominent clans in Taiwan, Tsai Lien-Fang's family faced clashes due to concubines and adopted children. Tsai Bo-Xiang and Tsai Bo-Fen, who were both adopted, worried about their family status being undermined by the birth of Tsai Lien-Fang's own children. As a result, a dispute broke out over the family estate. Liao Kui, the concubine of Tsai Lien-Fang, who gave birth to three sons and had a background on Chinese studies, was good at resolving disputes. Hence, she was highly respected and remained a dominant figure in the family. While the Tsai family had typical characteristics of affluent eminent clans in Taiwan, it also showed a rather unique state of affairs with a concubine enjoying high status and commanding high esteem, a rare situation in those days. With reference to historical materials including journals of Huang Wang-Cheng, family documents of the Tsai clan from The Archives at the Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica, government documents, and the Taiwan Daily Newspaper, this study attempts to reconstruct the life of Tsai Lien-Fang and his family in the 1920s. The observations and experiences recorded in the journals of Huang Wang-Cheng, a tutor of the Tsai family from 1921-1925, offered valuable insight into the daily activities and interpersonal relationships of the Tsai clan. Photographs, appointment letters and award certificates of Tsai Lien-Fang were also precious first-hand historical materials.