Articles by Chiang Hsun

Taiwanese art historian: My Aquarian friend Hualing who embraced everyone [Part 2]

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun continues reminiscing about his time in Iowa, US, with Hualing Nieh Engle, as well as other prominent literary figures such as Wang Zengqi and Ah Cheng. Through ups and downs, Nieh’s Aquarian character shines through, strong and resilient.

Chiang Hsun

Taiwan art historian: My Aquarian friend Hualing who embraced everyone [Part 1]

Taiwan art historian Chiang Hsun remembers his time in Iowa, US, with Hualing Nieh Engle, reminiscing on her ability to embrace people from all walks of life — a perfect example of an Aquarian. Such is the breadth and depth of the Aquarius’s rushing waters, endlessly flowing, with the water bearer’s energy always being given away to all living creatures.

Chiang Hsun

A Taiwanese boy named Thomas and the faith he made his own

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun reflects on his spiritual journey, from youthful devotion to quiet estrangement, contemplating the place of Catholic faith in modern life in the wake of Pope Francis’s passing.

Chiang Hsun

Taiwanese art historian: What do Su Shi, Mao Zedong and Jesus have in common?

Defamed by villains, ostracised by the imperial court and repeatedly demoted to barren lands — was Song dynasty poet and essayist Su Shi’s dire fate truly dictated by the stars of Capricorn? Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun muses on the rumblings and trivialities in Su Shi’s life.

Chiang Hsun

Remembering Xiaohei, the Capricorn dog of Taipei [Part 2]

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun remembers the dog that he dubbed Xiaohei, or Little Black. From walks to feeding to encounters with other dogs (including potential suitors), to the day she disappeared with her puppies, Xiaohei was a stray, and yet not a stray.

Chiang Hsun

Remembering Xiaohei, the Capricorn dog of Taipei [Part 1]

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun remembers long walks in New York City, Paris, and along the river in Taipei, where he came across a little puppy that he dubbed Xiaohei, or Little Black. Despite a conscious effort to walk away and not get attached, perhaps it was destiny that brought them together?

Chiang Hsun

Taiwan art historian: My brother, my Scorpio hero [Part 2]

Taiwan art historian Chiang Hsun reflects on his older brother’s later years, from a military man to a Peking opera performer, and as a man who cared for his family until the end.

Chiang Hsun

Taiwan art historian: My brother, my Scorpio hero [Part 1]

Taiwan art historian Chiang Hsun looks back at the early life of his elder brother Gene, who embodied the charm of a Scorpio.

Chiang Hsun

The Japanese colonial-era principal and his wooden house in rural Chishang, Taiwan

As Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun sits by the window of a restored wooden building in Chishang, Taiwan, he watches the shadows under the moonlight. He muses: is there a story behind every old building? Are stories an important part of an old building?

Chiang Hsun

This ordinary, extraordinary life: A Taiwanese woman called Ching-ti [Part 2]

Every star in the sky follows its own orbital path - whether big or small, bright or gloomy. What is the last story we vividly remember? What is the last story that we would tell those around us, if there is still someone around? In this second of a two-part series, Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun mourns the passing of his dear friend Ching-ti, recalling her charitable heart in the final years as well as the struggle in her final days.

Chiang Hsun

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.

Chiang Hsun

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.

Chiang Hsun