Puppet Flower (Chinese: 傀儡花; Tongyong Pinyin: Kuěi Lěi Hūa; Tâi-lô: Ka-lé-hue) is a Taiwanese historical novel by Chen Yao-chang. First published in 2016 in Taiwan, the novel is based on the 1867 Rover incident in southern Taiwan and depicts interactions among Indigenous Taiwanese peoples, Han settlers, Qing officials, and Western diplomats.^[1]

The novel combines historical figures and fictional characters, including the fictional protagonist Butterfly, a young woman of Hakka and Indigenous ancestry who acts as a translator between different groups. An English translation by Pao-fang Hsu, Ian Maxwell, and Tung-jung Chen was published by Columbia University Press in 2023 under the title Puppet Flower: A Novel of 1867 Formosa.

The novel received the 2016 Taiwan Literature Awards in the novel category,^[2] and was adapted into the 2021 television series Seqalu: Formosa 1867 [zh].

The author Chen Yao-chang is a physician and professor who later became known for writing historical fiction.^[3] Before publishing Puppet Flower, he had written works on medicine and Taiwanese history, including Formosa Three Families [zh].^[4]

Chen described Puppet Flower as the first entry in a planned series of novels about Taiwan's multiethnic history, emphasizing that while the broad historical framework follows documented events, fictional characters were created to connect different storylines and communities.

In his article on The Storm Media, Chen mentioned that Taiwanese history textbooks don't put much emphasis on the year 1867, but it is a significant year as it is the first time in history that Taiwanese people signed an international treaty with a foreign country.^[5]

The novel begins with the wreck of the American ship Rover near the southern tip of Taiwan in 1867. Survivors who reach shore are attacked by local Indigenous Paiwan people, who mistake them for invaders because of earlier violent encounters with foreigners.

The incident draws the attention of Charles Le Gendre, a French-born American diplomat stationed in Amoy. Le Gendre travels to southern Taiwan to negotiate with Indigenous leaders and Qing officials following failed military retaliation by foreign forces.

Among the central characters are Butterfly and her brother Bunkiet, fictional siblings of mixed Hakka and Indigenous ancestry. Butterfly speaks several languages and serves as a translator between Indigenous communities, Han settlers, and Western diplomats. The novel also portrays her relationship with Le Gendre.

Historical figures appearing in the novel include Le Gendre, Liu Ming-teng [zh], William A. Pickering, and Indigenous leader Cuqicuq Garuljigulj [zh]. The story culminates in negotiations leading to the signing of an agreement intended to protect shipwrecked foreign sailors landing in southern Taiwan.^[6]

The novel focuses on ethnic and cultural relations in nineteenth-century Taiwan. It portrays interactions among Indigenous Taiwanese peoples, Han settlers, Qing officials, and Western diplomats.

Translation and multilingual communication are recurring elements in the narrative. Characters frequently move between languages and cultural systems while negotiating political alliances and personal relationships.

Critics have also discussed the novel's attention to historical detail, treatment of Taiwanese identity and its depiction of Taiwan as a society shaped by multiple ethnic and colonial influences.^[7]

In 2021, the novel was adapted into a television series produced by Taiwan Public Television Service. The series was titled Seqalu: Formosa 1867 [zh] and starred Wen Chen-ling as Butterfly and Fabio Grangeon as Le Gendre.^[8]