A private library of historical materials
The “interior decor” that makes up the Fan Yi bookstore is simple and casual, as if the items were set out without any particular plan. Most of the space is given over to bookshelves and tables. Compared to other independent bookstores, this one lacks that hipster “intellectual youth” vibe. On the other hand, it does have something of the ambience of “angry youth”: Lin has quite a collection of posters and first-hand reports of the early days of the Aboriginal movement, and these yellowed documents seem to bring the history of the indigenous peoples’ struggles back to life.
The bookstore also houses rare historical materials related to Aboriginal peoples. The jewel of the collection is a Chinese-language edition of the book The Pictorial Life of the Taiwan Aborigines During the Japanese Period, by Ushinosuke Mori, a Japanese anthropologist who pioneered the study of Taiwan’s Austronesian peoples. It’s not for sale.
For scholars of Aboriginal studies, the Fan Yi bookstore can also operate like a library, and Lin Ming-te and his wife Li An are like reference librarians. Graduate students often call asking about certain works, and, says Li, “All they have to do is name the book, and my husband immediately knows which shelf it’s on.” If the student doesn’t want to buy the volume in question, the couple will lend it out. “If it’s a rare book that’s not for sale or loan, we will photocopy the parts they need for them.”
Besides scholars, the shop also gets visits from the local community. Lin says that they have had chiefs of Aboriginal communities coming here to research genealogical data, and it’s common to see school-age children get together with their friends after school and come to the shop to leaf through children’s books.
You can also come here just for the ambience. When you open the back door of the shop, you feel like you have stepped onto a forest path. In the backyard Lin and his wife have set up a swing set and seats in the shade of big trees, creating a relaxed and leisurely space that feels like you are reading in a woody copse. This has become the most popular corner for visitors to Fan Yi, despite the mosquitoes that often congregate there.
Taking advantage of good weather, Lin and Li put some humidity-damaged books out into the sun to dry.