Beside Mr. Lin Zhan-Mei,
the Taiwanese government officer, Mr. Tang Jing-Song, worked
very hard in promoting riddle study. In his term of duty, he
often went to Fei Garden to hold scholars meeting and riddle
making and guessing parties. He started the riddle study fashion
and popularized it to everywhere in Taiwan (Tainan and Taipei).
He also had written a book called <mi Shi >. Therefore,
many people named him as Taiwanese riddle study predecessor.
He had influenced many scholars and created prosperity of literature
fashion.
After the Sino-Japanese war(1894), Japanese had occupied Taiwan.
Traditional cultures¡¦ maintenance and development was oppressed
at that time . However, Taiwanese still wanted to hold on Chinese
cultures. Some predecessors, like Xie Xing Lou and Wu Jing-Ge
often used all kinds of folk activities to pass on Chinese cultures.
Lantern riddles were also developed vigorously under that kind
of condition. There were all kinds of riddle activities in every
New year holidays and moon festivals. These activities had great
meanings for people in Taiwan. Although there were no riddle
club had established at that time, most of poetry club had riddle
division for riddle making and guessing. The newspapers and
journals were also had a lantern riddle column.
 After
year Min Guo thiry-eight, government had established in Taiwan.
Many of riddle experts from mainland China moved to Taiwan
and they had put a fresh power into Taiwanese riddle field.
The predecessors, like Yuan Ding-Hua, Wang Su-Cun, and Lai
Chu-Geng had assembled eighty people and established the first
riddle club in Taiwan ¡V Collective-wisdom riddle club. Many
clubs were also established in Leelung, Kaoshong, and Tainan
around. Nowadays, there are more than ten riddle clubs, riddle
journals, and books. In the year Min Guo eighty-eight, the
riddle clubs in Taiwan were united to ¡§Taiwanese riddle research
association¡¨ in order to promote traditional cultures. The
members of this association would host all the riddle parties
in each festivals and holidays. They devoted themselves to
riddles.
Lantern riddle was belonging to ¡§Xiao Dao¡¨, it was just a
witting game for fun. It had ¡§enigmatic language¡¨ and ¡§hidden
verses¡¨ style. It was really popular in Ming and Qing dynasty.
However, it was not statecraft, so scholars won¡¦t leave their
names on their works. It was just for fun. In the history
of literature, many forms of literature were popular at beginning
and weaken their popularity in the end. However, only lantern
riddle was not like that, it was popular all the time. Maybe
it was because riddle contained a lot of interesting thoughts,
and could use variety of subjects. It could also use current
issues, people, objects, and places in the riddles.
One thing worth to be mentioned was the raising Taiwanese
localism, which was just like what riddle fans do. Professor
Xu Cheng-Zhang from Tainan had written many books in Taiwanese
classical verses. And Collective-wisdom members Mr. Chen Xi-
Tian and Ye Ming-Dong also had written several riddles which
were based from Taiwan¡¦s classical verses. It would be an
excellent way to promote Taiwanese classical verses and make
¡§Taiwanese knows Taiwan issues.¡¨
Nowadays, the freedom of democracy and diversification of
media, like magazines, TV, radios and internet, would allow
people to get information in lantern riddles. And riddle fans
would have more convenient way to exchange their point of
views and skills. The combination of beauty of Chinese character
and traditional culture activities should be promoted in the
future.
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