台灣文人林子瑾在日本的殖民統治下，原本以漢文化的遺民自居，但在接觸西方民族主義思潮之後，對於台灣人的過去與未來開始有其「民族」的想像。在其詠史懷古作品中，可看到對於過去中國歷史的懷想，對台灣漢文化的追憶，以及對抵抗日本失敗的「台灣民主國」之弔念。此外，在其翻譯作品《德國史略》中，也可見他夾雜在譯文的闡發，比如對日本殖民統治的控訴，以及試圖以議會制衡獨裁統治的暗示。呼應當時民族自決的風潮，林子瑾透過對愛爾蘭獨立運動的支持，希望同樣被殖民的台灣能擺脫日本的殖民統治。1945年日本戰敗投降，他在探討當時局勢的詩文作品中，再次顯現出漢文化遺民的身影，一方面諷刺著日本帝國的失敗，一方面也歡迎文化母國中國的到來。然而，當時中華民國政府對於台灣人的處置，卻讓他感到憂心。認為當時政府的措施，對戰後正在凝聚的民族想像埋下不安的因子。從林子瑾對於「民族」的理解與相關探討，可以體認當時代知識分子對於世界性的民族主義思潮有一定程度的了解。但也可見漢文化遺民想像夾雜在民族主義論述中的混雜情況，正反映當時知識分子在世變下的精神樣貌。

Under Japanese colonial rule, Zijin Lin considered himself a Chinese cultural adherent, and began his national imagination after being enlightened by western nationalism. In his historical odes, his nostalgia for Chinese history, Han culture, and the Republic of China is palpable. In his translated work German History, Lin condemned Japan for its colonial rule over Taiwan and championed a parliamentary cabinet system to resist the dictatorship. Echoing the trend of national self-determination, Lin commented on the Irish independence movement and expressed hopes that Taiwan would overthrow Japanese rule; in 1945, Japan surrendered after being defeated. Lin continued to assert himself as a Chinese cultural adherent in his works. He satirized the failure of the Japanese Empire and expressed a cordial welcome to the arrival of his cultural home-China. However, the Republic of China government's treatment of Taiwanese people caused Lin great concern regarding his national imagination following the war. From his nationalism-related exploration, we discover that contemporary intellectuals understood global nationalism to some degree. Therefore, the imagination of a Chinese cultural adherent was mixed with nationalism, reflecting the spirit of contemporary intellectuals as the times changed.