Chiang Hsun

Chiang Hsun

Author, art historian

Chiang Hsun is a Taiwanese author and art historian. After graduating from Department of History and Graduate School of Arts of Chinese Culture University, he furthered his studies in arts in Paris. After returning to Taiwan in 1976, he was the chief editor of the Lion Art Monthly published in Taiwan. He also taught in Chinese Culture University, Fu Jen Catholic University, National Taiwan University, and Tamkang University. He has written poems, novels, and essays, and is author of Six Lectures About Loneliness.

Ching-ti (left) and Chiang Hsun on the second floor of Tung Hua Books after Chiang's lecture on Dream of the Red Chamber, 23 May 2002. (Photo taken by Chen Wen-fa)

This ordinary, extraordinary life: A Taiwanese woman called Ching-ti [Part 1]

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun recalls his memories of his dear friend Ching-ti, from the lectures he conducted in her bakery to the death of her beloved husband. Ching-ti was a generous woman unbothered by life’s trivialities, but was unprepared to face the death of her loved one.
Russian Communist party supporters gather to lay flowers to the tomb of late Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to mark the 144th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on 21 December 2023. (Olga Maltseva/AFP)

Taiwanese art historian: Joseph Stalin and the other Sagittarian dreamers I've come across

Seemingly surrounded by Sagittarians, Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun muses about the different Sagittarian characters he has come across, from a would-be politician and an unconcerned husband, to a fashionista and artist, along with the famous Sagittarians in history such as Stalin, Disney and Yang Hucheng.
People watch the sunset at Dadaocheng Wharf along Tamsui River, Taiwan, on 11 December 2023. (CNS)

Taiwanese art historian: Remembering my dear Arian friend, Cheng Shu-min

Art historian Chiang Hsun shares his memories of former Taiwan politician Cheng Shu-min, who had passed away in July 2023. Shu-min had the true heart of an Arian woman, driven towards success and poised against woes in her private life and political career.
Chen I-shu, Aries. (Photo provided by Chiang Hsun)

Taiwanese art historian: The madness of Aries

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun reflects on the prominent Arians from history and those he had encountered. Perhaps there is a wildness in them passed on from generation to generation that brings together poetry, instincts, and even the power of madness.
The Milky Way seen as night falls over Taiwan. (iStock)

Taiwanese art historian: Are Libras and Leos always a perfect match?

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun muses on his encounters with a Libra who took him on a historical exploration, and a Leo that pushed Taiwan’s film industry into the world stage. Do the rules of attraction truly dictate that Libras and Leos themselves are compatible, even if they despise each other?
The second supermoon of 2023, also known as the Sturgeon Moon, rises behind the cable car of the Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 1 August 2023. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP)

Taiwanese art historian: What’s the significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Art historian Chiang Hsun recalls a time of basking in the glow of natural light that can be hardly seen or felt today. Modern artificial lights have driven out the darkness, but along with it life itself.
Astrology has a longstanding history, different from the lucky number and colour of each horoscope that we see in the media. (iStock)

Taiwanese art historian: Reading the stars, reading people

Discovering that horoscopes could be a discipline in itself, Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun takes back his earlier dismissal of them as a cheap thrill. Studying the stars and how they gather and scatter with the life choices one makes is a teaching in itself.
Mother's embroidery draft on coarse fabric. (Photo provided by Chiang Hsun)

Mother’s hands in the handicraft era: Taiwanese art historian

Musing at the way modern hands are preoccupied with the mindless scrolling of mobile phones, art historian Chiang Hsun remembers his mother who knew the weight of things with one touch of her hands. Those same hands made countless beautiful sweaters and embroidery for her family — it was her labour of love.
Mother in her teenage years, studying at a normal university in Xi’an. (Photo provided by Chiang Hsun)

Taiwanese art historian: What my mother taught me about blessings in life

Ordinary is beautiful, says art historian Chiang Hsun. That’s what the frenzy of war taught his mother; that’s what the simplicity of home cooking reminds us.