Author Hung Fang-yi Writes About Singer Chun Chun, Hopes to Give Voice to Taiwanese Women From a Century Ago

(Central News Agency, Reporter Chiu Tsu-yin, Taipei, June 30) Author Hung Fang-yi, in her first foray into novel writing, has chosen the popular singer "Chun Chun" (real name Liu Ching-hsiang) from the Japanese colonial era as the protagonist, penning the diary-style novel "Civilized Woman Flies Against the Wind." Hung Fang-yi hopes to use this book to give a voice to Taiwanese women from a century ago.

Hung Fang-yi has a long-standing research background in popular music history and has received Golden Tripod Award recognition for "A Flower Blooms from a Record." Transitioning from a music researcher to a novelist, Hung Fang-yi says the path was more winding than she imagined. She spent 70% of her time grappling with third-person narration, which felt like scratching an itch through a boot, before finally deciding to present the story in a "diary format," stepping into a well she had always vaguely sensed.

In an exclusive interview with CNA, Hung Fang-yi stated that historical records of Chun Chun's life are sparse, and her personality is almost untraceable. The most crucial clue she could grasp was always her "voice." The personalities of all the characters in the book are "always based on what I felt from those voices"; the seven fictional diary entries by Chun Chun were also "laid out according to the changes in her voice that I knew."

In fact, as early as when she was writing "A Flower Blooms from a Record," Hung Fang-yi attempted to create a timeline for the singers' voices. "You would hear Chun Chun's voice, from when she was very young, very innocent, and then very fiery, her performance style completely changing. You can hear a beautiful parabolic curve in this progression."

Hung Fang-yi mentioned that it wasn't until after finishing her second book, "Broadcasting Tonight," that she truly began to integrate the writing of "Civilized Woman Flies Against the Wind." However, the idea had surfaced much earlier. "You know there's something brewing there, and it's waving at you." Hung Fang-yi always had a very clear image in her mind: "Chun Chun's back," waiting for Hung Fang-yi's response.

Hung Fang-yi said, "Voice has weight. Even Chun Chun's last recording was when she was no older than 30, but her singing voice, like tree rings, clearly etched the footprints of time and scars as fine as ant teeth. She used a mature, seemingly effortless skill to wrap it in a frosting that melted in the mouth, a mix of bitterness and sweetness. I longed to explore what kind of past, what kind of perceptive ability, created such singing?"

Hung Fang-yi stated that the circumstances Chun Chun faced as a woman have never truly disappeared. "In many ways, I feel they still exist today." A century ago, Chun Chun sang at the forefront of her era, her voice carving out a space for women to be seen; a century later, readers opening Chun Chun's diary might unexpectedly recognize themselves within those words. Hung Fang-yi believes that contemporary female readers will "find much in common" when they read it. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150630

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