A Pail of Oysters

by Vern Sneider

Vern Sneider’s A Pail of Oysters is the most important English-language novel ever written about Taiwan. Yet despite critical acclaim, this exciting and controversial book has long been unavailable to readers. Unlike Sneider’s previous novel, the humorous bestseller The Teahouse of the August Moon, this 1953 publication has a dark, menacing tone. Set against the political repression and poverty of the White Terror era, A Pail of Oysters tells the moving story of nineteen-year-old villager Li Liu and his quest to recover his family’s stolen kitchen god. Li Liu’s fate becomes entwined with that of American journalist Ralph Barton, who, in trying to report honestly about KMT rule of the island, investigates the situation beyond the propaganda, learns of a massacre, and is drawn into the world of the Formosan underground. The Chicago Sunday Tribune said, “This book will hold the reader enthralled to the very end and will probably give him more information about this unhappy spot than he has gathered before. It will certainly not win converts to the side of the generalissimo.” Indeed, the novel made enemies. Banned in Taiwan, in the United States it was denounced by Chiang Kai-shek’s the powerful China Lobby. Anecdotal evidence suggests – and Sneider himself suspected – that his book was subject to suppression even in the United States by pro-KMT agents. A Pail of Oysters is a landmark work from a time when novels were often seen as a moral force. But politics and historical importance aside, A Pail of Oysters is simply a good story well told. In the words of the San Francisco Chronicle, “The novel is touching, tragic and oddly gay sometimes in spite of this; a testimony to the stubbornly optimistic human spirit.” This Camphor Press edition comes with a new introduction and a brief biography of the author.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Asia

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

From Wikipedia:

Vernon J. Sneider (6 October 1916 – 1 May 1981) was an American novelist perhaps most noted for his 1951 novel The Teahouse of the August Moon, which was later adapted by John Patrick for a Broadway play in 1953, a motion picture in 1956, and the Broadway musical Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen in 1970. The play The Teahouse of the August Moon won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1954. He was born and died in Monroe, Michigan. He was the son of Fred Sneider and Matilda D. Althover Sneider. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1940, he entered the army. He was a member of a military government team that landed in Okinawa in April 1945. There he became commander of Tobaru, a village of 5,000 people that became the Tobiki Village of The Teahouse. He was married first to Barbara Lee Cook (1925-1968).

His novel A Pail of Oysters, about life during the White Terror in Taiwan, was reissued by Camphor Press on February 28, 2016, the 69th anniversary of the 1947 2-28 Incident.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brutal indictment of KMT rule in the 40s and 50s-- and the author has some pretty harsh words for American aid as well. The prose is a bit hackneyed, but I'd recommend this to anyone interested in Taiwanese history. My parents were instructed to read this book before being posted to Taipei in the 60s--but they couldn't take it with them, because it was banned in Taiwan. It has long been widely believed that KMT agents even bought up & destroyed copies in the US--even stealing them out of libraries.

[Joyce Bergvelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pail of Oysters is considered to be one of the must-read novels on Taiwan for anyone who wants to learn more about one of the most turbulent times in its history: the early years of The White Terror period in which the people of Taiwan suffered political oppression and prosecution under martial law, which lasted until 1987.

Written in 1953 by American author Vern Schneider, this book was banned in Taiwan for decades as it provided the uncomfortable, painful truth of what was happening under Chiang Kai-shek’s authoritarian regime. Set during the first cold war shortly after the Japanese colonists had departed from what was then called Formosa, the island was crawling with agents from mainland China trying to undermine Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang/KMT) rule. Even in the U.S., it was a time when thinking was black and white to the extreme: if one deviated only slightly from the narrowminded American government line, one might be easily be branded a communist.

In the day, the U.S. had chosen to back the KMT as opposed to the ‘evil communists’, and therewith Chiang Kai-shek, who supposedly represented ‘Free China’ but who had in effect brutally occupied Taiwan: intimidating, imprisoning, torturing and executing any Taiwanese who dared voice any opposition. Up to 4.000 people lost their lives during the period between 1950-1953 alone, while some 140.000 people were imprisoned for their perceived dissidence. It was one of the most confusing, dangerous and chaotic periods in Taiwan’s history, where no-one knew whom they could trust, and people settled scores with their enemies or competitors by placing even a whiff of suspicion on them of being a communist, agent, or dissident. Trials were an absolute scam, evidence rarely required. Shooting first and asking questions later were the order of the day.

It was a dark truth that the KMT government has managed to keep a closely guarded secret from the outside world until the early nineties, when the first wind of democracy brought a gradual, positive change to the island and people finally dared speak of the episode.

A Pail of Oysters provides so uncomfortable a truth of what was really going on, that the book was not only banned in Taiwan, but it also came under serious fire from pro-KMT lobbyists, politicians and publishers in the U.S.. They were afraid readership might affect public opinion in the U.S. on the Taiwan issue, which basically meant keeping communist China in check and looking after its own interests in the region. If American officials did have an inkling of how cruel the regime really was, it turned a blind eye.

The book saw the light of day again in reprint in 1981, but even then, it was difficult to come by. It is thanks to Camphor Press that the book was re-released in 2016, and very welcome it is, too.

The story starts media res, right bang in the middle without too much of an introduction, with the young Li Liu, the son of a poor oyster farmer, desperately trying to hide a pail of oysters from the approaching KMT soldiers, many of whom supplemented their lowly wages by ‘squeezing’ the local populace. Just as most Taiwanese, Li Liu and his family would have been glad to see the back of the Japanese colonists when they left in 1945, but they had provided structure, law and order to the island as part of the Japanese Empire, and there had been no real corruption to speak of. By now, they had learnt the hard way that with the coming of the marauding, lawless Chinese Nationalist soldiers, they were even worse off than they had been under Japanese rule. Soldiers make their way into Li Liu's family home, eat their fill of the small amount of food that was supposed to feed his starving family, and steal the family’s Kitchen God to sell as a trinket.

Li Liu’s ailing father sets upon him the almost impossible task to retrieve this precious religious icon, upon which the youngster leaves the South to travel to the capital of Taipei, where he believes the Kitchen God is headed. The mood of despair, hopelessness and poverty is immediately set, even on the very first pages.

Enter Ralph Barton, an American journalist who is sent to the island for three months to write a number of essays on Taiwan for a magazine. On his ventures he finds himself accompanied at all times by someone from the Information Department to ensure that he is shown the side of Taiwan that the KMT government wants him to see. However, an incident with a dog rather puts a banner in the works, and Barton is inevitably drawn to discover the dark, ominous side of Taiwan under Chiang’s rule. It is more than obvious that Schneider used the character of Ralph Barton as a vessel to tell the world what he himself learnt what was actually going on in ‘Free China’ at that time. With what we know now, the characters and political intrigues which he details in the book show how very well-informed Schneider really was on what was happening, and at what level he must have had his contacts within the underground opposition. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why Vern Schneider wrote a novel: a work of non-fiction would have been impossible as it would have endangered his contacts.

And then there are Precious Jade and her brother, who as children were sold by their family to the despicable wealthy landlord Wang, who has adopted the boy as his son to look after him in his old age, and forces Precious Jade-and the other girls he has purchased- to work as prostitutes in a local brothel. When the situation becomes unbearable for Precious Jade, the two of them flee and eventually come across the very naïve country bumpkin and homeless Li Liu, whom they take in and help in his own quest.

Schneider weaves the three threads of the story well, detailing the events as they would have occurred in real life, which eventually lead to heartbreaking tragedy. The prose -surprisingly undated- is lively and intense, the characters are credible and the dialogue realistic without losing sight of the cultural nuances, with the sense of danger ever-present. The ending is not a happy one, which serves to leave the reader feeling the great injustice that was done to the people of Taiwan during this very dangerous time. A very brave book, especially for the time it was written and highly recommended, even for those without prior knowledge on the history of Taiwan.

[Arjen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic, set in the early 1950’s when the KMT consolidated its rule of Taiwan with strong clashes between the local population and the newly arrived forces chased out by the communist party victory on the mainland.

It gives a lot of information and some fascinating facts about daily life collected by the journalist-writer Vern Sneider, but the plot didn’t surpass an Enid Blyton’s Famous Five adventure.

Nevertheless, the book was allegedly snatched from US public libraries by KMT sympathizers as it sullied the good name of the Republic.

[Gabrielle (Estel.Edits) · Rating 3 out of 5]

IG @estel.edits

[A Pail of Oysters] An American journalist and a Taiwanese sibling duo live during the White Terror.⁠
//⁠
WHAT I LIKED⁠
While this book wasn't my favorite, I need to recognize the importance of its time. It was published in the midst of American and Taiwanese propaganda spouting the 1947-1987 White Terror of Taiwan Kuomintang Government as a utopian perfection. American author #VernSneider made purposefully steps away from his previous commercial success of #TheTeahouseoftheAugustMoon in order to discuss the difficult topics he found important. This book is heralded as one of the most important English-published books about Taiwan although it was banned in Taiwan throughout this time.⁠
//⁠
My favorite aspect of #APailofOysters is the family's connection to their kitchen god. As a westerner growing up amidst mostly organized religion, these parts gave me new insight into a family's simple dedication to their own patron spirit. ⁠
//⁠
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE⁠
A Pail of Oysters reminds me of #TheGoodEarth . Their importance in popular American-China and American-Taiwan relations is astounding, but the descriptions of the actual people could include more vibrancy. This could be a stylistic choice as well. Reviewing my thoughts on this book, it seems my mental landscape is caste in a grey light - perhaps this was the author's choice given the content.⁠
//⁠
A Pail of Oysters (by Vern Sneider) ⚡️⚡️⚡️3/4⁠

[Zhi Zhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the story fast-paced and entrancing. However, this book nearly put me in a reading slump because of Sneider’s inconsistency with his Chinese spelling. At some parts, he introduced the characters using the pinyin version of their names. Yet, at other parts, he used the direct translation of the characters’ names, which is repulsing for me as a Chinese speaker. I would have appreciated the book more if the author stayed consistent with how he approached elements that are not in English.

It is also very clear at some parts that the story is not written by a Taiwanese, like Wu Ming-Yi, or Chinese speaker. However, I have decided that I will let those parts slide considering Sneider actually put in a lot of effort into learning about the culture and history of Taiwan.

Speaking of history, if you want to learn more about the White Terror in Formosa (now Taiwan) but prefer learning about it in a fictional book, you would enjoy “A Pail of Oysters”—that is, of course, if you can get past cringing at the author calling a character “Precious Jade” over and over again instead of Pao-yu in a book set in a place where people spoke Chinese.

[Federico Arcuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

American writer Vern Sneider tries to give a sympathetic depiction of 1951 Cold-War-time Taiwan, clearly standing with the local Taiwanese population and criticizing the U.S.-supported Nationalist regime, with its fascist tendencies. For this reason it was suppressed both in Taiwan and the U.S.

I liked the novel because it shows how politics and IR are intertwined with the personal lives of the main characters, as the writer manages to dinamically shift from the point of view of a Taiwanese person from an "aborigenal" village, to a descendant of a Chinese in Taipei, to an American journalist and correspondent in the capital. Whereas the criticism of the "White Terror" period implemented by Chiang Kai-Shek is very powerful, with an interesting detective-story-like build up to the explanation of what really happened during the 228 massacre three years earliers, one still needs to bear in mind that the novel is still written from the point of view of a proud American capitalist. Thus, when confronted with the question of "What to do with Formosa?", Sneider, throught the words of a local underground revolutionary, can only identify liberal capitalism as a source of democratization.

"First, all Formosans agree that we are too small to be independent. The question, then, is who should control us. Here there is a great difference of opinion. But I would say the majority want the following order of preference: 1. American Take-over 2. UN Trusteeship 3. The Japanese 4. Nationalists 5. communists; [...] Our group is willing to go along with the Nationalists. First, because it is so much easier to work with what is established, second, because this could be such a good government. [...] There are two factions within the KMT, [...] the one that is controlling the government is made up of a number of ex-Communists who want to fight communism with communistic techniques." Conversely, the other democratic faction is democratic, thinking "in terms of people, not in terms of the state".

"We want to build a new Formosa and take away the monopoly from the state [...] the detailed plan is a long story. But in general we would build it through a system you are very familiar with- it is called free enterprise."

Whereas a democratic-liberal position against the blind anti-communism conservatism of 1950s U.S. might have been quite revolutionary at the times, it is clear that the equation free enterprise = prosperity = democracy does not hold anymore. But this text is still interesting to see how not only Americans, but, supposedly, people from the Global South believed in this project. Taiwan was eventually democratized, but was capitalism actually that conducive to it?

Finally, it is worth mentioning how the author tries all the time to criticize Americans and their attituted towards Taiwanese people, who are seen as savages and inferior, mere others that serve the purpose of countering the hegemonic force of Comrade Mao. This is definitely praise-worthy, especially at those times. However, I think that the author himself unadvertedly (or maybe not?) indulged in the Othering of Taiwanese people. For instance, when the American journalist, arguably moral hero of the novel, saves a dog that was being beaten up by Taiwanese people just for fun. Or when Jade is tempted to steal something from her new (American) workplace, but her (More americanized) brother tells her "We must not steal [...] because that is not the way when dealing with westerners". You can steal from a fellow Taiwanese, thats fine, but do not steal from a civilized westerners. How could you even think about that?

A great deal could be said about this sort of toxic-progressive cultural relativism, which is paradoxically criticized by Sneider himself, through the mysoginist and racist character of American journalist Henry Miller, who, when confronted with the atrocities committed by the KMT government to ensure "Law and Order", argues that "they have a different outlook on thing here... you dont understand the Chinese... that is the only kind of justice they understand", while the moral journalist rightly replies " It is a damn good thing things are different back in the States. At least we got justice there. And if the American public knew the crap that went on around this place, 90 per cent of these bastards would be heading back to the paddy fields"

[Peter A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1953, A Pail of Oysters (the novel) is a stinging indictment of the Kuomintang’s (KMT’s) rule of Taiwan in the early 1950s. This book painted a very different picture from that of the US government’s about Taiwan, “Free China,” and of the KMT’s portrait of itself to the outside world.

Li Liu, the youngest son of a large family from central Taiwan, is working in the oyster flats, which provide the income for the family. “Save-the-country” troops watch him and his brother work, and leave. The oysters serve as barter for other goods. Li Liu’s father send him to trade for rice, and when he returns, two soldiers were in the house, took his bartered rice, other food, and the picture of the god of the hearth. His ill father directed Li Liu to get it back.

Thus begins the quest, in which Li Liu meets Precious Jade and her brother, both sold by their parents to work for a man owning many women to work in prostitution; Ralph Barton, an American writer and journalist on assignment in Taipei; and other characters to show the corruption of the country, the use of “communist” to remove opposition, and the hopes of some for a better future for Taiwan.

The author’s style keeps the reader engaged. The story skips among the key characters, but their stories finally converge before the tragic ending.

This book develops the short story of the same name, published in 1950, which focused on Li Liu, to a full-length novel. The book covers the 228 Massacre (February 28, 1947) across Taiwan by KMT troops of the Taiwanese, which received little press in the US, and about which KMT government suppressed discussion for many decades in Taiwan. Both the KMT government and some US State Department members objected to the book’s publication. The KMT government banned the book from Taiwan.

By the end of the story, Barton, as a stand in for the author, learned a great deal of Taiwan, and is disgusted. He stated, “he would reveal–in articles and fiction–in any way he could, the utter stupidity, the ignorance of a small group who not only enslaved eight million people, but who endangered all of Asia.”

FB. A story by a courageous author using fiction to shine light on US support for a corrupt and repressive KMT regime during 1952 Taiwan’s White Terror.

[Kerry L · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about the years known in Taiwan as "The White Terror." Told through the journey of one very provincial young man as he must make his way to Taibei to recover his family's stolen kitchen god. Along the way he ends up forming a bond with a brother and sister who have left the people that their parents sold them to and an American journalist who gets a glimpse into the wheels of government on the island and America's involvement in propping up the Kuomintang (國民黨/KMT). The story is wrapped around several large events that occurred when Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek (蒋介石大元帅) and his followers quite brutally took over Taiwan after being forced out of the mainland by Mao's Communist forces. I was stationed with the USAF and lived in Taiwan in the '70s at which time this book and another called "Formosa Betrayed" which also detailed the crimes perpetrated against the Taiwanese by the "Gangsters from the Mainland (从大陆来的共匪)" were banned by the Chinese Nationalist Party as the KMT was known in English, the political party which was heir to the Nationalist Party in power on the mainland from 1912-49 and which the Nationalists moved to Taiwan in 1949. The books were available at our base library, but not allowed to be taken off base by those living downtown in Taibei. Until 2000, the KMT were in power in the Legislative Yuan (their Congress) by which time most of the "Old Guard" were gone and they became an opposition party to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which is composed of more native born persons of both Mainland (Mandarin) and Taiwanese heritage. There are many more resources available now to study this period in China and Taiwan's history than were available during the time that I was there and I recommend both this book, "A Pail of Oysters" and "Formosa Betrayed" which are now available as new printings with added historical context included. I hope that you find one or both of interest as I have barely scraped the crust of the mainlander's takeover of power in Taiwan.

[RJ Tinker · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have an interest in Taiwan and the '2/28 incident', you should read this book. It's a quick read and is enjoyable.

before you start reading, please read about the context of when the book was written and the work of the author. It was published in the early 50's by an American author who spent 3 months in Taiwan traveling around and learning all he could through interpreters. The book was written for an American audience in order to shed light on the situation in Taiwan and get sympathy for the Taiwanese people.

Understanding all of this, I'd say the author did an admirable job.

Sidenote: I often see historical fiction like this being bashed because it's a white American author. Pearl S. Buck is often seen derisively for her 'Good Earth' series. For this book and books like it, I really think one must appreciate its context in order to make a fair assessment.

As for WHY I gave it 3 stars.

Though it's perfectly readable the plot itself was unimaginative and didn't make sense in some parts (Some of the parts with Mr.Chou concealing his language abilities didn't always add up).

There were some factual errors about the geography of Taiwan along with a few spelling errors.

But mostly, the characters were flat for me.

[Stephanie Froebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative style of this book simply is a bore.

The concept is very intriguing, but the story is fast-paced and is more of a telling rather than a showing. The only reason I finished this book, to be honest, is because
1. I'm living in Taiwan right now
2. I payed money to read it
3. I started it, therefore I would like to finish it

I wish this book was more,for the story was something that could be great. In this case, it wasn't.

If the book ended when Billy and his sister died, that could have saved this for me

[Julien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voici une histoire poignante en pleine terreur blanche à Taïwan dans les années 50. Les personnages sont attachant et plusieurs points historiques de l'histoire de Taïwan y sont abordés. Il est intéressant de noter tous les détails que l'auteur a glissé dans sa narration à partir de ses notes durant son séjour à Taïwan. Également, l'évocation de possible dissensions au sein du Kuomintang est un élément intéressant du livre.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, revealing part of the history of Formosa/Taiwan.

[Erin Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The style and prose feel outdated sometimes but given this book's particular history, it deserves 5 stars.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first books I have read in a while that I had a hard time putting down.

[Jeff Withington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic perspective on the conflict & chaos in Taiwan during the KMT occupation.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Important subject, especially since it seems this book was once banned, but the storytelling was lackluster. I ended up skimming through the second half.

[Apteryx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough times in Taipei.

[Courtney Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a hard read with how harrowing the images presented were. The characters were kind of flat, but they were there more to portray the general conditions of the country and they do that.