從清法戰爭、開山撫番到乙未之役等──《點石齋畫報》中的臺灣報導

From the Sino-French War, the Qing-Aboriginal War to Cession of Taiwan: Articles About Taiwan in Dianshizhai Pictorial

中國晚清時期隨著新式印刷術的引進，各種報刊如雨後春筍般的出現，其中發刊於1884年5月而終刊於1898年8月之《點石齋畫報》，以十分具有吸引力之圖像、多元化之主題以及與時事脈動緊密之結合而風行一時，更為後世文史學界與藝術學界所重視。在四千多幅圖像當中，雖然主題仍以中國本部（即「漢地十八省」）之新聞以及域外事物為大宗，不過其中亦有許多與帝國海外領地臺灣相關之內容，包括1884至1885年間之清法戰爭（臺灣民間稱「走西仔反」）、1885至1895年間之「開山撫番」戰役、1895年臺灣改隸時的「乙未之役」，甚至發生於澎湖的鯨魚擱淺事件等，圖文並茂的呈現了臺灣在滿清帝國統治最末十年以及日本帝國統治最初四年之間的臺灣社會與歷史，以及其他奇聞軼事與臺灣風俗等，圖文並茂的呈現了編繪者意圖形塑的臺灣社會與歷史，惟其中有貼近歷史事實者，亦有道聽途說甚至虛構幻想者，頗需分疏辨別。其圖像皆出自當時清國著名畫師之手，融合了傳統繪畫技巧以及西洋透視構圖，其文字則以淺近文言出之，帶有筆記小說之色彩，每則報導皆兼具繪畫、文學與歷史之多重價值。藉由此份具有代表性之晚清大眾傳播媒體，對於理解當時清國民眾所認識之臺灣形象，實有不言可喻之重要意義。

During the late Qing Dynasty, various journals blossomed up since the latest printing technique that time had been introduced to China from Western culture. Among them, Dianshizhai Pictorial, issued from May 1884 to August 1898, was famous for its vivid images, various topics and articles related to current events. These features are later being focused by historians or artists. Even though the majority of four thousand or so images focused on Mainland China (18 provinces in China), still many other events in Taiwan were reported, including the Sino-French War during 1884 to 1885, the Qing-Aboriginal War during 1885 to 1895, the Cession of Taiwan in 1895 or even the whale beaching episode in Penghu. Its vivid wording and pictures revealed the Taiwanese society and history during the last ten-year of Qing-governed and the first four-year of Japanese-governed periods. The journalists intended to present the Taiwanese society and history at that time in their points of view. Some of the reports were historically real, while others seemed to be rumors. The images were the combination of traditional Chinese style and the Western style, which were drawn by the masters of the Qing Empire. The reports were written in the Note Novel style and easy for people to read. The reports in Dianshizhai Pictorial own a vital role in various aspects: the art, literature, and history. Dianshizhai Pictorial is one of the critical social media in late Qing-governed period, and it is an essential material for studying the ordinary people's viewpoint towards Taiwan in that time.