- Name: 張永祥
- Born: Oct. 26, 1929
- Birthplace: Shandong
- Did You Know That …?
- Originally from Shandong, Chang Yung-hsiang was never considered a fit actor as he spoke with a thick accent. However, the legendary writer went from failed auditions to becoming the first-ever screenwriter to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Golden Horse Awards. In a career spanning over 40 years, Chang has penned more than 120 screenplays for movies and television series from the golden era of Taiwan cinema.
Born in 1929, the veteran screenwriter is a National Award for Arts laureate and also one of the screenwriters who won most accolades in the history of the Golden Horse Awards. He is a five-time winner of best screenplay with "Indebted for Life and Love (還君明珠雙淚垂)," "Land of the Undaunted (吾土吾民)," "He Never Gives Up" (汪洋中的一條船)," "Story of a Small Town (小城故事)," and "If I Were for Real (假如我是真的)."
Chang is also the mastermind behind the 1976 anti-communist television program "Cold Snap (寒流)" and sensational crime series "Justice Pao" (包青天)" and "The Strange Cases of Lord Shih (施公奇案)." In 2016, Chang became the laureate of the Golden Horse Lifetime Achievement Award — an honor that was described by the award presenter Li Hsing (李行) as "belated." "Chang Yung-hsiang should have won the Lifetime Achievement Award a long time ago!" the noted filmmaker said on stage.
In 1949, the 17-year-old Chang, along with students from a high school in Shandong, fled the Chinese Civil War from China's landlocked province Hunan to the Penghu archipelago located in Taiwan Strait. He was later admitted to Fu Hsing Kang College in Taiwan and graduated with a degree in performing arts.
During the time when Chang served in the military's entertainment troupe, "Spring in a Shabby Alley (陃巷之春)" — the first stage show that he completed — hit the stage in 1954. Featuring veteran actor Sun Yueh (孫越) and based on his childhood memories, the play was sensationally received at that time.
To build a solid foundation in writing, Chang spent five years delving into literature in a Tainan-based library. Day after day, he immersed himself in classic novels, including "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare's classics, stories by Henry-René-Albert-Guy de Maupassan, and the writings of Leo Tolstoy.
When Chang served was an instructor at Fu Hsing Kang College, his colleague Li Man-kuei (李曼瑰) approached him with a screenplay opportunity writing for a film called "Beautiful Duckling (養鴨人家)." With no previous screenwriting experience, Chang sought inspiration from the countryside of Yilan.
At that time, Chang encountered a student from a duck farmer's household. Chang chatted with the student from dusk to dawn and later returned to Taipei. In the following week, he finished the screenplay. The script was directed by Li and the 1965 film went on to win the best screenplay award at the annual Asia-Pacific Film Festival. Years later, "Beautiful Duckling" was touted by respected director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮) as the first time "I ever cried in a movie theater."
However, life was not all roses after Chang first rose to fame in 1965. Chang was forbidden to travel abroad for his alleged involvement in
the "July 13 Penghu Incident (澎湖713事件)," an uprising against the Kuomintang that took place in 1949 on the outlying islet. Chang was absent from the international awards ceremony in 1965 and the travel ban lasted 28 years.
Addressing the accusation, Chang said it all began when he claimed he was a spy working for the communist cause just to survive. "To save my life and not be shot dead at that time, I wrote a confession letter affirming that I was a communist spy," he said. "I have never been a communist bandit. We all were children at that time," Chang said.
It wasn't until 1977 that Chang managed to be honored in person as a scriptwriter when his "The Glory of the Sunset (煙水寒)" won an award at the International Film Festival Panama. The film company successfully applied for a travel visa on his behalf, and his ban was finally lifted.
Having written scripts for classic films including "The Story of A Small Town" and "Beautiful Duckling," the renowned screenwriter took the most pride in 1972 drama film "The Execution in Autumn (秋決)" — another collaboration with prominent filmmaker Li.
Before Chang started to write the script for the film, Li told him a story about a death row prisoner who hoped to see his mother prior to his execution and the wish was granted. The story turns sour when the prisoner bit his mother's nipple. "It's all because you spoiled me, I am the way I am now," the prisoner shouted. Based on the heart-wrenching story, Chang spent nine months finishing the script.
In his Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at the Golden Horse Awards, Chang urged the film industry to recognize people who work behind the scenes, while expressing his appreciation for their service and dedication. The 90-year-old, who was greeted by a minutes-long standing ovation, said he hoped the lifetime award can be granted to more of these unsung heroes, as they work "a lot harder than me, throughout their lives."