Why a Booktrail?
An intimate portrait of a Taiwanese family and a history of the bicycle industry
The Stolen Bicycle
What you need to know before your trail
Cheng, a novelist, once wrote a book about his father’s disappearance twenty years ago. One day he receives a reader’s email asking whether his father’s bicycle disappeared as well. Perplexed and amused, Cheng decides to track down the bicycle, which was stolen years ago.
The journey takes him to a scavenger’s treasure trove, the mountain home of an aboriginal photographer, deep into the secret world of antique bicycle collectors, and ultimately to his own heart.
Travel Guide
One Hundred Years in Taipei
Having a bicycle was something a family saved for in Taipei at the time the book is set.Most of this book is set in Taiwan but there are also journeys back to WW2 and both Malaysia and Myanmar.
Chart of events from the book
1901 : The first Meji Bridge is completed. Construction begins on the Chokushi Boulevard.
1905: Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shimpo prints Taiwan’s first story about a stolen bicycle on 27 September
1916: Maruyama Zoo officially opens in April on the south bank of the Kee-lung River
1919 Shizuko is born
1926: Mr Ichiro the orangutan and Miss Ma the elephant arrive at Maruyama Zoo
1941: Pasuya is enlisted in the Silverwheels
1942: Singapre and Rangoon fall to the Japanese. The elephant transport team is formed in Burma
1947: Ten thousand are killed on 28 February when an anti-government uprising is violently suppressed.
1970: Habitat destruction and over-harvesting send the butterfly handicrafts industry into decline A-hun rides to Taipei
1992: The Chung-hwa Market is torn down. Our hero’s father goes missing.
2002: The Mejii Bridge is destroyed.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Stolen Bicycle
Destination : Taipei, Malaysia, Burma Author/Guide: A Wu Ming-Yi Departure Time: 1901 onwards
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