Youth, as a group, are commonly viewed as the backbone of a nation’s future and the pillar of its society. Carrying the promise of ”freshness” and “hope,” youth bear heavy societal expectations, particularly during times of national upheaval and uncertainty. Whether in the literary imagination or the implementation of real-life reforms, youth carry symbolic importance as “national seedlings” or “future protagonists of the nation” who are imbued with unprecedented potential. In the literary imagination, “the growth of youth” and “the growth of the nation” are often viewed as being two sides of the same metaphorical coin. Thus, since the beginning of the twentieth century, Chinese-language fiction has romanticized the growth and dissipation of youth to the point that its trials and tribulations are taken as witness to political clashes and wrenching social transformations. During the half-century following 1895, during which Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule, the relationship between the two groups underwent multiple transformations, form initial Taiwanese military resistance to cultural enlightenment and eventual conformity as imperial subjects. These transformations, in turn, found a heterogeneous variety of expression in the literary imagination. Using “body politics” and “the youth imaginary” as its mode of inquiry, this paper attempts to outline the mutually complementary development of the discourse of youth and the Taiwanese imagination during the Japanese occupation. The discussion is divided into two main parts: 1)space and body/identity politics; and 2)the transformation from the Taiwanese body to the body of the imperial subject.