Since the appearance of the novel Beyond the Window in 1963, Chiung Yao has been steadily, book by book, building her literary castle. So far she has published 42 books, of which three have been translated into Japanese; over 50 films have been made from her works. Her popularity extends beyond Taiwan to young people in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and, recently, the Chinese mainland.
Among the hundreds of characters she has created, who does she like best?
"Beyond the Window contained the most of me, as well as the most of my philosophy of life. Still, I think my favorite character is Lu I-ping from Misty Rain." She laughs: "She is very straightforward, and dares to love, to hate, to say, to do. She'll say many things that I don't dare say myself!"
Like many of her young heroines, Chiung Yao has the temperament of a carefree dreamer. Her manner befits a common description in her novels: "in, but not of, this world." Yet when the topic turns to her writing, her life, or the views others have of her work, the gentle, polite, soft-spoken women becomes like another person: lively, joke-cracking, vigorous.
According to a friend, Chiung Yao is only serious when she is writing. When working on a novel she will close herself in her study, taking neither visitors nor phone calls, for 20 to 30 days, and do nothing but write, sleep, and eat. Then she'll emerge, usually a few pounds lighter, and usually with a completed novel. Besides writing, she enjoys embroidery, playing the organ, and painting. Whatever she does, she immerses herself completely in it. When it's organ-playing, she'll practice nine hours a day. Most recently it has been painting, so her studies are hung up all over the house.
Whatever she does, it is just another way of creating beauty. As she says, "Beauty is just happiness." Her husband, Crown magazine publisher Ping Hsin-tao, puts it another way: "Chiung Yao likes to dream; I like to make them come true."
Her favorite leisure activity, she says, is travelling abroad. But on a day-to-day basis, she enjoys talking with her husband after dinner, watching video tapes, and, of course, reading novels. "When my husband saw how hard I was looking for foreign novels, he started publishing a collection of contemporary foreign works." Now she has a new volume to look at each week. Says one friend, "I've never seen a husband take such care of his wife."
Over the years, the outcomes of her novels have changed from "this passion we'll remember" to "'till death do us part," "That's because my heart has softened.'" she says. It also has something to do with an early unhappy marriage. "At that time I was too young," she explains. "Now I know how to cherish, how to love for good."
At the time of the writing of Beyond the Window, she had a year-old child, was lonely and poor, and all of her disappointment came out through her pen. The result was a story of senseless passion, a story which many readers found unrealistic, but which made them very curious about Chiung's own marriage and love life.
"Love is a beautiful thing, but marriage is a practical affair," she says. "They're different. Of course, love should continue after marriage, but it must be a different love from the mad, passionate kind. Discovering that love is the only way to be happy in marriage. Before, my novels were about love only. But in fact, real love starts with marriage. So in the future I'm going to write some novels about marriage."
With fame, of course, comes criticism. "Empty," "weak," "gloomy," are among the criticisms that have been leveled at her work. "Some say my works are "parlor novels;" that's true, but I think they reflect contemporary society. Others ask me why I don't write about homosexuality or prostitution. I don't because I can't; such things are outside the scope of my experience. Anyway, not all of my novels are about love affairs. For example, Misty Rain is about the love between a father and his daughter."
"I feel very insignificant, actually. I like to live without pressure, to write what I want to write. I can't satisfy everyone's tastes, but there are many good writers on Taiwan, so no one should have to bear that burden."
Everyone, critics and fans alike, agrees that her writing is fluid, refined, and full of vitality. Among non-literary writers, Chiung Yao probably uses the most classical verse in her works, often as the titles of her novels.
"The speech of lovers is often naturally poetic, as when one of my characters says, 'It's too late for me to enter your past; but your future must be mine!' I'm rather proud of that line."
She is a little surprised by the popularity of her books on the Chinese mainland. "Perhaps," she says, "it's be cause my books are about love, something common to all people."
One woman writer has said that when she was young she was a big fan of Chiung Yao, but that she seemed to outgrow her. That is perhaps a common feeling; but there is always a new generation of young readers thirsting for romance.
As Hsia Tsu-li, another writer, says: "Chiung Yao's books are popular because she speaks the hearts and minds of young people. Her heroines are charming, tender, yet strong-willed and self respecting, and they lead interesting lives. Such are the dreams of youth."
All of her books, from Beyond the Window to her latest work, Ping Er, have been very popular with younger readers. But, she says, "I've realized I'm getting old. I don't even understand the language my children speak. Also, I think the attitudes of young people are different. They're less carefree. Someday, I may write something a little different."
Is that an indication there will be a change in Chiung Yao's style? Only time, and Chiung Yao, can answer that question.
[Picture Caption]
Chiung Yao has recently become fascinated with Chinese painting. Her studies hang all around her house.
Chiung Yao's novels are popular everywhere; but she herself keeps out of the spotlight.
Chiung Yao and husband Ping Hsin-tao are art lovers; their home's art gallery houses many statues and paintings.
Although over forty, Chiung Yao still seems in, but not of, this world. In artist Liao Wei-lin's portrait of her, she appears as tender and pathetic as her own heroines.
What place do Chiung Yao's works occupy in the literary world?
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