Dear Readers,

I identify as a 1.5 generation immigrant, having immigrated to Canada from Taiwan when I was eight years old. Old enough to remember what it was like to live in Taiwan and carry around an ache for my previous life there, but I didn’t live there long enough to be fluent in Mandarin or Taiwanese. The longing for a home that will never be mine followed me all throughout my life.

I used books and movies as a way to bridge that gap, and a fascination with folklore and urban legends is something that stayed with me and deepened in the years since. This story is inspired by the way Taiwanese folk beliefs is woven intimately into the day-to-day, as evident in the temples that are present on almost every city block in my hometown of Kaohsiung, and I have added my own interpretations for the sake of the story.

A few points of consideration:

This story cannot be set in Vancouver, BC, without acknowledging its location on the shared traditional territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the xʷmǝθkʷǝy̓ǝm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

I wish I could have delved deeper into the rich history of Vancouver’s Chinatown and the Chinese, Cantonese, and Taiwanese communities in the Greater Vancouver area and Richmond. I encourage anyone who has their interest piqued by what is mentioned in The Dark Becomes Her to visit the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and the Chinese Canadian Museum located in Vancouver’s Chinatown to learn from the exhibits there.

I have drawn from the many branches of Taiwanese folk religion to craft the “magic” in this story, especially Taoist practices, and it’s important to point out what may be viewed as supernatural are common beliefs held today by others. In particular, the guardians are inspired by the 八家將 (a Taiwanese folk belief of minor gods who are able to capture evil spirits), but they are not supposed to represent real gods.

I want to note especially that the spiritual practices in this story are embellished and fictional details are added and this book is not meant to be educational material on how Taiwanese folk religion is currently practiced or utilized in Taiwan and in overseas Taiwanese communities today.