Chi Pang-yuan (; 19 February 1924 – 28 March 2024) was a Manchurian-born Taiwanese writer, academic, and Chinese–English translator. She was instrumental in introducing

Taiwanese literature Taiwanese literature refers to the literature written by Taiwanese people, Taiwanese in any language ever used in Taiwan, including Japanese language, Japanese, Taiwanese Hans, Taiwanese Han (Taiwanese Hokkien, Hokkien, Taiwanese Hakka, Hakka and ...

to the Western World through translations. She is also known for her autobiography ''The Great Flowing River'' (2009).

Education and career

Chi's father,

Chi Shi-ying Chi Shi-ying (; October 4, 1899 – August 8, 1987) was a Chinese politician, intelligence officer, and dissident. As a close confidant and secretary to Chen Li-fu, as well as a member of the CC Clique, Chi was one of the key leaders of Kuomintan ...

, was a politician and intelligence officer affiliated with the Kuomintang's

CC Clique The CC Clique ( zh, c=CC派), or Central Club Clique ( zh, t=中央俱樂部組織), officially Ko-hsin Club ( zh, t=革新俱樂部) was one of the political factions within the Kuomintang (The Chinese Nationalist Party), in the Republic of Chin ...

, as well as a personal secretary to Chen Li-fu. Chi herself held the CC Clique in high regard, describing it as the liberal faction within the Kuomintang. She cited several examples to support this view, including her father's career, Chen Li-fu's late-life advocacy for depoliticizing textbooks, and Liang Su-yung's defense of

Lei Chen Lei Chen (; 8 July 1897 – 7 March 1979) was a Chinese people, Chinese politician and dissident who was the early leading figure in the movement to bring fuller democracy to the government of the Republic of China. Born in Zhejiang in 1897, Le ...

. Chi studied English literature at

Wuhan University Wuhan University (WHU; 武汉大学) is a key comprehensive public university in Wuhan, Hubei, China. It is directly affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of China. The un ...

under the tutelage of

Zhu Guangqian Zhu Guangqian (朱光潛; 19 September 1897 – 6 March 1986) was a scholar and theoretician of aesthetics in 20th-century China. History Zhu was born in Tongcheng, Anhui in 1897 and graduated from the Anhui Province Tongcheng Secondary Schoo ...

and

Wu Mi Wu Mi () (August 20, 1894 – January 17, 1978) (once using the name Wu Yuheng () was one of the founders of Chinese comparative literature, a literary critic, critic, redologist (one who studies the Chinese classic book ''Dream of the Red Chambe ...

. In 1947, she became a teacher of English at

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

. In 1956, she went to the United States on the Fulbright Exchange Teachers' Program and in 1967, she went to

St. Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, US. Originally a college exclusively for women, it is now coeducational. It is the oldest Catholic college in Indiana a ...

as a Fulbright scholar again. She enrolled at

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

in 1968, but returned to Taiwan six credits away from completing a Master of Arts degree due to family matters. In 1969, Chi founded and served as head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at

National Chung Hsing University National Chung Hsing University (NCHU; ; lit. National Resurgence University) is a comprehensive research university in South District, Taichung, Taiwan. Currently, NCHU is among the four universities of the Taiwan Comprehensive University Sys ...

. In the 70s, while working at the

National Institute for Compilation and Translation The National Institute for Compilation and Translation (NICT; ) was the highest translation agency in the Republic of China. It is in charge of translating academic and cultural texts, as well as textbooks. It was established on 14 June 1932, in ...

, she pushed for the de-politicization of the mandatory Chinese textbooks in Taiwan and started translating Taiwanese literature into English. From 1977 to 1988, she was professor of English literature at NTU and was granted emeritus status after retiring. Chi subsequently became editor-in-chief of '' The Taipei Chinese PEN''. Chi's autobiography, ''The Great Flowing River'', is a bestseller in the

Sinophone Sinophone, which means "Chinese language, Chinese-speaking", typically refers to an individual who speaks at least one Varieties of Chinese, variety of Chinese (that is, one of the Sinitic languages). Academic writers often use the term Sinophone ...

world. It has been translated into English, German, and Japanese. President

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...

awarded Chi the

Order of Propitious Clouds The Order of Propitious Clouds () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The center of the medal features a picture of clouds, as a token of auspiciousness. This order was instituted in 1941 and classified into nine ranks. As wit ...

in 2004. In 2015, Chen's successor

Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...

awarded Chi the

Order of Brilliant Star Order of Brilliant Star () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation. The order is instituted in 1941 and can be awarded to both domestic and foreign nationals. ...

. Chi

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

in early 2024 and died on 28 March of the same year.

References

1924 births 2024 deaths National Wuhan University alumni Indiana University alumni Academic staff of the National Taiwan University Academic staff of the National Chung Hsing University People from Tieling Writers from Liaoning Chinese–English translators English–Chinese translators Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College faculty Literary translators Taiwanese people from Liaoning Taiwanese women centenarians Taiwanese translators Recipients of the Order of Propitious Clouds British women autobiographers Taiwanese autobiographers 21st-century Taiwanese women writers 20th-century Taiwanese women writers 21st-century translators 20th-century Taiwanese translators Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star Magazine editors Taiwanese editors Taiwanese women editors {{china-writer-stub