Introduction

During the 1930s, Wang Szu-ming was a quack doctor in Taipei's Dadaocheng district, and a bit like today's most effective online hucksters. Wang relied on his clever tongue and the catchy songs he composed about neighborhood tales to sell medicines, and was very a popular and successful peddler. His wife A-Yue was also an extremely effective endorser and promoter, and spread rumors concerning the effectiveness of their medicines. As a result, the couple was able to finish peddling and go home early each day. Since he had seen many persons becoming sick or delaying care after being convinced of the efficacy of Wang Szu-ming's strange folk remedies, Sung Wen-gui, a reporter for the Tai Wei Hsin Bao, which was then the main news medium concerning medicine and health in Taiwan, had long taken a dislike to Wang's peddling of quack remedies. Having failed at becoming an official and not hired by the leading Taiwan-Nichinichi-Shimpo newspaper, Sung felt unfulfilled in his lowly position with the Tai Wei Hsin Bao, and decided to write an expose concerning Wang Szu-ming in order to obtain an official post. After extensive planning, Sung finally wrote a report exposing Wang Szu-ming's extravagant and untruthful claims. Because the report caused Wang's reputation to plummet, his once-adoring devotees began boycotting his remedies. This not only gutted his business, but also caused many people to seek to get even with him. As a result, Wang was forced to close his business for a month and lie low. But he hoped time would blunt people's attacks, allowing him to make a comeback once his followers had forgotten about their grievances. Because Japan and China were at war, the Japanese government made six films about the "Three Human Bombs" within the space of one month. These films glorified these three war martyrs and encouraged people to sacrifice themselves for their country. At that time, the Japanese authorities got singer Jiang Wen, who had received his education in Japan, to produce a Chinese-language album glorifying the Three Human Bombs in song. In the midst of this propaganda campaign, Jiang Wen began receiving greater attention from music fans. But although he chafed at the tightly restrictions on content imposed by the Japanese government, he could not pass up the authorities' generous support. Because the flood of propaganda about the Three Human Bombs had made this the prevailing subject of public interest, both Wang Szu-ming and Sung Wen-gui looked for ways to increase their media attention. First Wang Szu-ming went against the government line but gave voice to what ordinary people thought by composing a song about the Three Human Bombs in which he said that no one wanted their family members to die on the battlefield. This action recaptured his followers' affection, but also attracted the wrath of the government. Sung Wen-gui discovered that a renewed attack on Wang Szu-ming would not only attract public attention, but also boost his visibility in the mainstream media, and provide a chance for promotion. At this time, all the markets, bulletin boards, public toilets, and public baths in Dadaocheng were abuzz about the media war over the t