Painting Taiwan's Train Stations in Prague: Czech Illustrator Sparks Children's Railway Imagination

(CNA, Prague, May 18, special report by reporter Liu Yu-ting) During the Prague International Book Fair, Czech illustrator Řízek held a 'Magic Train' drawing workshop themed on Taiwanese railway culture, introducing Czech children to the station architecture of Taiwan's Japanese colonial period and guiding them to draw their own 'Taiwan Station.' Children focused on their blank paper, using brushes to depict Taiwanese train stations, some adding colorful mountain and sea backgrounds, others drawing steam-billowing trains. This scene is not in Taiwan, but in Prague, Czech Republic. The person guiding the children's drawing is Czech illustrator Tomáš Řízek, who has long drawn creative inspiration from Taiwan, documenting the land's history, culture, and daily scenery through delicate visual language. Czech people have also come to deeply understand the beauty of Taiwan by participating in his workshops and reading his picture books. Řízek told a CNA reporter that his picture book 'Magic Train' combines illustrations and text to depict the appearance of Taiwan's railways from the 1920s to the 1930s, before World War II, showcasing the station architecture and urban landscapes along the lines at that time. Řízek shared that the book includes many historically significant stations, many of which are characteristic buildings preserved from the Japanese colonial era. While some old stations are gradually disappearing and facing demolition, they have recently received more attention and preservation efforts. For example, he was impressed that the old Taichung Railway Station building is still preserved. Speaking about his creative process, Řízek stated that all his works are hand-painted using the Egg Tempera technique, which originated in medieval Europe, thus requiring a great deal of time and effort for each painting. For this work, he also invited his friend, Taiwanese writer Liu Ko-hsiang, to write poetic descriptions, giving the picture book both artistic and literary beauty. Řízek expressed his hope that through 'Magic Train,' young readers can understand that Taiwan has a diverse cultural background, not just Chinese culture, but also history from the Japanese colonial period. Furthermore, 'Magic Train' has also been translated and published in Czech, hoping to introduce Taiwan to more European readers. He shared that because he has traveled extensively in Taiwan for many years, he has personally visited most of the scenes in the book and has deep memories of each place. Readers can also actually visit the scenes in the book to experience the cultural stories and the beauty of the railways throughout Taiwan. Besides 'Magic Train,' Řízek's picture books set in Taiwan include 'Night Market Boy,' which depicts night market life and memories of growing up; 'Atayal Warrior, March Forward,' 'Dalubaling Lake,' and 'There's a Monster on Meilun Mountain,' which are themed on indigenous legends; and 'Little Rain Monster,' a playful picture book combined with the landscape of Yilan. Řízek's picture book works have received high international acclaim, including the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition Grand Award, the Alpine Prize, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. In addition to picture books, Řízek founded Mi:Lu Publishing over a decade ago and has been dedicated to promoting Taiwanese literature. For example, he has translated and published works such as Wu Ming-yi's 'The Man with the Compound Eyes,' Liao Hung-chi's 'The Whale Caller,' Liu Ko-hsiang's 'The Flying Squirrel's Perspective,' and Tung Wei-ger's 'Northwest Rain' into Czech, showcasing the diverse face of Taiwanese literature to Czech readers. (Editor: Tang Sheng-yang) 1150518