Chinese Name: 蔣勳
Born: 1947
Birthplace: Shaanxi Province, China
Did You Know That…?
Besides being a writer, Chiang Hsun is also a painter. In recent years, he has been residing in Chishang Township (池上鄉), Taitung County, to further his artistic exploration.
Born in Shaanxi Province, China, in 1947, Chiang moved to Taiwan with his parents in 1950 and has lived on the island ever since. As a teenager, he spent much of his time reading world literature, particularly works from the Romantic period of the 19th century. He was also deeply passionate about music and fine arts. However, because his father—a public servant and the sole provider for six children—could not afford the cost of music or painting lessons, Chiang turned to an inexpensive outlet: writing passionate poems in his notebooks.
While in high school, Chiang was discovered and recommended by renowned poet Ya Hsien (瘂弦), which led to his work being published in influential magazines such as Youth Magazine (青年雜誌). He later began writing novels and joined literature clubs and the editorial board of his school magazine. During this time, he met Chen Ying-zhen (陳映真), an English teacher at his school, who invited him to join the theater club. This inspired Chiang to pursue theater more seriously, leading him to enroll in the Theater Arts Department at Chinese Culture University (中國文化大學).
However, upon entering the theater field, Chiang became disillusioned with the environment, which he felt was not conducive to the realization of his aesthetic ideals. He considered switching his major to fine arts or philosophy but ultimately settled on history due to family objections. This shift deeply influenced his thinking, expanding his vision from art that emphasized subjectivity and sensation to historical research rooted in objectivity and reasoning.
In 1976, Chiang traveled through several countries—France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., and Greece—documenting his observations on art. He returned to Taiwan at the end of the year and was appointed editor-in-chief of Lion Art Magazine (雄獅美術) the following year. Under his leadership, the magazine broadened its scope to include visual art, architecture, theater, and literature. In 1981, Chiang was invited to participate in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Throughout his career, he has taught at Chinese Culture University, Fu Jen Catholic University, National Taiwan University, and Tunghai University.
Chiang’s creative output spans a wide variety of genres, including essays, poems, prose, novels, and biographies. His essays, often art critiques, balance subjectivity and objectivity with fluid prose and clear reasoning. His poems marked a breakthrough in Taiwanese literature by employing spoken language rather than the highly individualistic tone of the modernist poetry of the 1960s. His prose is known for its clarity and flexibility, often tackling serious issues with wit and a light touch. His novels, unconstrained by realism, critique society through vivid depictions of sensory experience. A lifelong practitioner of the arts, Chiang brings a rich visual sensibility to his writing, transforming lines into images and replacing words with visual impressions to create a unique aesthetic.