Lighting the road
Zhan hosted a radio program and over a period of years corresponded with a prisoner named Chen. Mr. Chen was very concerned about his mother’s psychological health, as she was in the distressing situation of having a seriously ill husband and a son in prison. So Zhan decided to do what she could to help. She visited the father in hospital, and consoled his mother with news of Chen’s repentance, and the fact that he had obtained his plumber and electrician license through study in prison. She hoped Chen’s mother would live to see her son released from prison and keen to start a new life.
“Once a terminally ill patient asked me to sing his favorite Taiwanese song, ‘Hope You Return Soon,’ before his life ended. I watched him as he peacefully closed his eyes, and realized that music not only heals people’s hearts, but also provides enormous comfort to those facing the end.”
Since then, creating music and singing have brought the happiest and most meaningful moments in Zhan’s life. And this realization has led her to become a singing volunteer, fulfilling her sense of social responsibility by bringing her music to the prison population.
In 2007, after Zhan had ended her eight-year marriage, she took a trip to Penghu to allay her distress. On disembarking from the ferry in Hujing Island after the trip from Magong City, she heard the crackling of firecrackers; it sounded like there was some sort of celebration in progress—perhaps someone was getting married.
To her surprise, however, the 100-odd residents of this little island had all come to the wharf to welcome her. They even had a chair for her to stand on so everyone could see her clearly. Apparently the owner of the ferry company had informed the village of Zhan’s pending arrival as the ferry departed Magong.
Among the crowds, a woman ex-offender to whom Zhan had given counseling in jail broke into tears when Zhan appeared. She had always remembered the advice Zhan offered her: “Life is a play for which you need to write your own script.” On her release, she had come to live in Hujing, not trying to hide her past. But the locals accepted her warmly—in fact, she found a partner there and started a new life.
A mixture of surprise and emotion filled Zhan’s heart, like the surge of waves on the shore. Deeply impressed by the simplicity and loving attitude of the local people, she suddenly became inspired. Zhan recalled the image of her hardworking father, the ups and downs of her music career, and the many offenders to whom she had offered counseling, many of whom had later found the courage to begin their lives anew.
Under the Penghu sea breeze, “The Road of Life” was created: “Hard work is the capital for people away from home / Determination, the only feeling to trust.”
In 2012, Zhan organized the True Love 100 Charity Concert, donating the proceeds to charity. The photo shows Zhan and other performers at the concert.