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Best actress, actor honored by 51st Golden Horse Awards

Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng:

The 51st Golden Horse Award for best lead actress goes to Chen Shiang-chyi.

Taiwan’s Chen named best actress

Receiving the award from her long-time partner Lee Kang-sheng (李康生), Taiwanese actress Chen Shiang-chyi (陳湘琪) finally won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress after three nominations in her 20-year-long career. She outperformed other strong competitors from China, including Gong Li (鞏俐), Zhao Wei (趙薇), and Tang Wei (湯唯), to secure an award for Taiwan.

Taiwanese actress Chen Shiang-chyi:

I finally made it and won an award for Taiwan. Because I love Taiwan’s cinema, I’m glad I did grab an award for Taiwan. Thank you all.

Chen’s natural acting key to winning

In the film “Exit,” Chen accurately acts out the complex psychological condition of a woman facing an empty nest and menopause. Her acting is described as “natural yet experienced.” She defeated her top rival Gong Li after three rounds of voting among the jury. An emotional Chen said that acting in the film helped her get over many obstacles in her personal life. 

Taiwanese actress Chen Shiang-chyi:

For me, the most memorable scene is probably the final act where Ling Zi [Chen’s character] keeps hitting herself hard on a door because I seemed to have entered her state. It was not acting anymore but rather a moment of overcoming life’s predicaments. It also seemed to relate to a heavy door in my own life that I had to face and open again. The story and my life seemed to overlap.

Chen Jianbin, winner of the night

The award for best lead actor goes to veteran Chinese actor Chen Jianbin (陳建斌). The 44-year-old plays the role of a rustic shepherd in the film “A Fool.” His character comes to new realizations about human nature while looking for his missing family. Chen’s acting is brilliant and accurate. He said he first had the idea for the script while shooting for “Paradise in Service.” “A Fool” had no promotional campaign and even the production process was kept a secret.

Chinese actor Chen Jianbin:

When I went to a rural village to shoot the film, I wanted all the outdoor scenes to be shot secretly without drawing the attention of local residents. My debut was done with two other Virgos, one being my wife and the other Wang Xuebing (王學兵). I completed my debut with both of them. Thank you.

Chen sets new record

Chen grabbed both the titles of best lead actor and best new director for “A Fool,” his directorial debut. He set a new record for the Golden Horse Awards by notching up a third title – the one of best supporting actor for his role in Taiwan-made film “Paradise in Service” – on the same night.