Weighed with sorrow upon the death of nativist poet Chao Tien-yi (趙天儀), who passed away in April at the age of 85, Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun said Chao had been a prime contributor to the development of modern Taiwanese poetry. Highly regarded for championing children's literature, the Taichung-born writer also played a large role in the preservation of the nation's literary heritage, the Minister said.
As one of the founders of Li Poetry Society (笠詩社), a literary club composed of Taiwanese nativist poets, Chao had long been involved in the editorial work of poetry journals and was a firm believer that poetry shall give voice to all layers of society, the Minister stated.
The Ministry of Culture will request President Tsai Ing-wen to honor the life and achievements of the 85-year-old whose words shaped Taiwan's literary landscape, enriched the lives of children, and encouraged new voices in Taiwanese literature.
Writing under the pseudonym of Liu Wen-je (柳文哲), Chao's oeuvre encompasses poetry, prose, and literary works for children. The celebrated writer's career took a dark turn in 1973 when he was dismissed from his position as acting director of National Taiwan University's (NTU) Department of Philosophy on unfounded accusations on being a communist sympathizer. This dismissal of over a dozen tenured professors and teaching staff became known as the NTU Department of Philosophy Incident (台大哲學系事件).
Suffering from distress inflicted by his sudden and unwarranted termination of employment, Chao could only express his anguish through words. Two of his poems from that time — "Daddy Lost His Work (爸爸失了業)" and "Don't Cry, Child (不要哭 孩子)" — were published in the authoritative "Chung-Wai Literary Monthly (中外文學)."
Given the circumstances and state machinations, Chao might not have been able to see his poems in print if it were not for the persistent efforts lobbied by Chun Li-min (朱立民), dean of NTU's College of Liberal Arts then, and Yen Yuan-shu (顏元叔), who was the founder of the prominent journal and a fellow NTU professor.
After NTU, he became an editor at the National Institute for Compilation and Translation, which has since been merged with the National Academy for Educational Research. Chao released poetry collections such as "Guling Street (牯嶺街)" and "Red Envelope (壓歲錢)" during this time.
Delineating the distinctive contour of Taiwan, Chao's realistic poems demonstrate a profound care for his native land and fellow people who have been struggling at the bottom of the socioeconomic food chain. For example, "Cape Eluanbi (鵝鑾鼻)" reflects the magnificence of the Pacific Ocean that surrounds Taiwan, while "Song of the Light-Vented Bulbul (白頭翁之歌)" paints an idyllic picture of his hometown Taichung.
In a later stage of his career, Chao devoted himself to teaching and penning stories that have played a role in inspiring a deep love of reading in generations of children in Taiwan through his simple yet sincere words. When writing for kids, the children's author delved into a wide variety of subjects, with works in this category including "The Chameleon Bird (變色鳥)" and "Games That Little Sparrows Play (小麻雀的遊戲)."
Praised by renowned poet Xiang Yang (向陽) as "a poet who carves portraits of Taiwan during his day-to-day work," Chao was also an expert in poetry studies and comparative literature and won a string of awards including Wu Yung-fu's Cultural Criticism Award (巫永福評論獎) and the Da Dun Literary Award (大墩文學獎).
Throughout his life, the philosophy major never ceased to nurture new generations. He taught at his alma mater NTU in Taipei and the Providence University in central Taiwan. To encourage students from the Taichung-based university to create literary works and conduct research on the richness of Taiwanese literature, the prolific writer established the "Chao Tien-yi Literature Scholarship (趙天儀文學獎學金)" as well.
Although Chao has departed, his works act as both mirror and window for reflecting upon a particular era in Taiwan for generations to come through his donations of personal manuscripts and collections of early poetry and publications to the Tainan-based National Museum of Taiwan Literature.
Read the original press release here.