| 摘要: | 戰後世代的國人對連橫（1978-1936）的記憶是《臺灣通史》作者、愛國史家、民族詩人、有節操的臺灣史作者、富民族大義的學者等等不一而足。要之，皆屬正面印象。
日治時代的臺灣人觀感迥然不同。客氣的謂其為「舊學中不可多得之士」、堪稱「煙霞〔鴉片〕中之達人」，但「前者忠於民，今者阿於官」；有的稱其為「慣作模稜兩可的文人」；不客氣的謂其為「御用文人」，「不顧同胞利害，甘心為官方利用，久中阿〔鴉〕片毒，良心也麻醉了」、「替日本人做皇民化運動的宣傳工具、專門打擊民族革命的文化漢奸」；甚至有人說他是「臺灣民眾的叛徒」、「狗彘羞與等偶」等。因而連橫在臺民中幾無立足之
地，後來嗒然舉家西渡祖國，1936年客死上海。
祖國人士只讀其文，未驗其行，因而對連橫及其著作評價頗高。國府遷臺後，更因局勢危疑，須全島一心，所以表彰連橫，不遺餘力，因連橫主張「臺灣之人，中國之人也」、「惟仁惟孝，義勇奉公，以發揚種性」、「愛我祖國，保我華族」。也即看好其「民族氣節」對感召臺民、刺激「臺灣精神」，以助光復大陸的效益。
表彰連橫的方法豐富而多樣。從總統下褒揚令、執政黨文化界大老發動屢開紀念大會、致辭、賦詩、作紀念歌、辦紀念文物展、立傳、編紀念集、報章雜誌出特刊大登紀念文章、蓋紀念建物、塑像、國家重要公眾場所以連橫字號命名、設紀念基金會頒獎學金、編全集、一再重印其著作、開紀念座談會和學術研討會，尤其於中學教科書選錄連橫作品和介紹作者，規定學子精讀，並對師範體系大專應屆畢業生演講，強調連橫的「民族氣節」，灌輸連橫是「最偉大的臺灣人」和「一部《臺灣通史》勢力超過日本全部陸海空軍」云云，呼籲以師道自任者應以連橫為楷模。
宣揚過程或隱諱揚善，或溢美附麗，或背悖史實，致其形象不斷膨脹，儼然無德不具，無功不與，無言不立，造神痕跡明顯。
如此過程也見證了「庇陰」與「貤封」兩種現象，可見於連氏父子之間、連氏祖孫之間、掖助的權要與連氏父子之間、執政的黨國機器與連橫之間，以及任何役用連橫者與連橫之間。
但塑造「集體記憶」，功效攸關條件。連橫仍有不利條件，以致舊記憶仍可威脅新記憶，唯其勢迄仍零星偶然。
Lien Heng（1878-1936）, author of The General History of Taiwan, is remembered by the postbellum generations in this island as a patriotic historian, a national poet, a scholar of integrity, and other kinds of honorable person.
But the prewar generations had a different memory. Some might say by euphemisms that Lien was a precious historiographer although he was also an opium addict; he used to stand by his people but later catered to the colonizer authorities. Another would satirize Lien for frequently taking a noncommittal stance. The other would rebuke him as but a colony government hack. But the most stunning vituperation is that Lien was a traitor. In the last case, Lien was depicted as being servile to the Government-General of Taiwan and stymying the anti-Japanese movements launched by his countryfellows. He was ostracized from the Taiwanese circles to the extent that "even a dog or a pig would spurn him." As a result, he had to move to mainland China in 1933 to seek new recourse where he died three years later.
However, people in China appreciate him after reading his works. They, of course, had hardly chance to check his behaviors in homeland in dealing with the Japanese colonizers and Taiwanese collaborators. After the Nationalist government was jeopardized by the Communists and found nowhere to go but withdraw to Taiwan in 1949, the unsettled government needed the islanders` supports. One of its expedients to ensure local underpinning is to give public praise of Lien Heng, for the sake that Lien was deemed by the mainlanders as a has-been with native origin and, the most important, an ethnic loyalist to the Chinese. By doing so, the Nationalist authorities expected that it would conduce to appeal for the so-called "Taiwan spirit" in backing the task of recovering the lost mainland.
Lien Heng was acclaimed by all means, including a public tribute from the president, meetings, speeches of eulogy, poems and hymn composition, exhibitions, biographies and memento books compiling, sweepingly reporting, memorial buildings, statues making, commemorative foundation and scholarship, collection and frequent reprints of his writings, seminars, conferences, namesakes in public resorts, selected readings of his works and commendation in high school texts, and etc.
Students of teacher`s training schools were required by the authorities to sit in for speeches instilling the ideas that Lien Heng was "the greatest Taiwanese" and a single copy of The General History of Taiwan was more powerful than the strength combination of the Japanese Army, Navy and Air Force. The teachers-to-be were also urged to take Lien Heng as an optimal model.
Through the aforementioned process, all pernicious records of Lien Heng were eliminated, diluted or sanitized, while many of his praiseworthy credits were exaggerated, to the extent that historical facts were audaciously twisted. In the long run, a sacrosanct Lien Heng was forged. Almost no virtue, merit and doctrine he had not fulfilled
In this process, both the "protection effect" and "patent-transferring effect" were witnessed between Lien Heng and his son Lien Chen-tung, Lien Heng and his grandson Lien Chan, Lien family and Chang Ch`i-yün, the most important promoter of the stature of Lien Heng, Lien Heng and the Nationalist government, or even Lien Heng and whoever used Lien`s icon.
Nonetheless, the construction of "the collective memory of Lien Heng" is next to perfectness. Some old ill memories about him still exist in private literature. They would any time expose and threaten the credibility of current remembrance. |
