Taiwan's representative writer Huang Chunming: The Short-Nose Elephant (Chinese Edition)

The short-Nose Elephant

https://www.amazon.com/Short-Nose-Elephant-Chinese-Huang-Chunming/dp/7551148930

​The elephant that appears in “The Short-Nosed Elephant” is always troubled by its short nose. So, I constantly research and take action on ways to enlarge my nose. The elephant's efforts always end in failure, but in the end, he realizes that his short trunk was part of his growth process and is reborn as a wonderful elephant whose mind has grown along with his long trunk.

Taiwan was Japan's first overseas colony after the First Sino-Japanese War, and was under a one-party dictatorship for nearly 50 years, with martial law lifted through the democratization movement. Against this historical background, Huang Chun-ming, who satirized the absurd society and nation and wrote on behalf of the people across various genres such as novels, essays, plays, and children's literature, is still loved by many and has established himself as Taiwan's representative writer. 

Among his many works, 『Sayonara Zaizen』, a novel that criticized Japan's economic invasion and inspired people's pride, was translated into Korea, and 『Two Painters』, published in 1971, was adapted into a play titled 『Chilsu and Mansu』. It depicts the lives of two young people who do not lose their dreams and hope even in poverty.

『The Short-Nosed Elephant』 is Hwang Chun-ming's fairy tale collection presented for the first time in Korea and contains wise and warm stories tailored to children's level.

​The paintings included in this collection of fairy tales also further enhanced Huang Chunming's work by adding his passion for cutting and pasting colored paper himself.

​More than anything, I respect the spirit of the author who stands from the perspective of the underdog and creates a moving story. This type of story is also told in the 2012 book 'The Giraffe with a Short Neck' by Korean author Go Jeong-wook, below.

https://m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/7441917

Published by Ko Jeong-wook, Korean author, 2012

​Have you ever thought of a giraffe with a short neck? The main character of this picture book is ‘Jiphy’, a giraffe with a short neck. Africa's most beautiful giraffe, Miya, has given birth to a calf. All the animals in the meadow were happy. But the baby giraffe had a short neck.

The animals' joy turned into sighing. Zippy was carefully cared for by her mother, Miya, and she grew up well, but she was ostracized in the meadow. Every time she saw Zippy like that, Miya Giraffe's heart ached so much. But Miya trusts her Jiphy.

“Jiphy. It's true that you have a short neck. But the God of the Grasslands must also have an idea. There must be a reason why you were born like this. “That’s right. As Miya said, everything born in the world has its own role and reason. No matter how small a creature is, it fulfills its role and lives faithfully. Even earthworms, which are considered insignificant, are essential to this world.

​More than anything, I respect the spirit of the author who stands from the perspective of the minority and creates a moving story. This type of story is also told in the 2012 book 'The Giraffe with a Short Neck' by Korean author Go Jeong-wook, below.

It is a unusual story that an elephant has a short nose or that a giraffe has a short neck. However, the story of not viewing this situation from a negative perspective but overcoming it with humor and a positive spirit and eventually overcoming it gives courage to children who are worried about discrimination and differences.