Лун Интай: Писатель, критик и культурный деятель Тайваня

Taiwanese pundit & cultural minister

Lung Ying tai is a writer, cultural critic, and public intellectual. With more than 30 books to her credit, she not only has a large number of readers in her native Taiwan, but her works also have an impact in Chinese language communities in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and North America. Lung became widely known for her criticism on the Kuomintang party's martial law regime and has since become a critic of Mainland China's increasing restrictions on press freedom and civil liberties. Lung Ying tai served as Taipei's first Cultural Bureau Chief (1999–2003) and Taiwan's first Minister of Culture (2012–2014). She established the Lung Ying tai Cultural Foundation in 2005. She is currently engaged in full time writing, residing in eastern Taiwan by the Pacific Ocean.

Lung Ying tai was born in 1952 in Daliao, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Her father, Lung Huai sheng (龍槐生) left his home in Hunan and joined the Kuomintang army at the age of 15. Her parents fled mainland China after the KMT lost the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Like most mainlander refugees who migrated to Taiwan around 1949, with "no agricultural heritage to rely on, no family network to seek help from, no ancestral background or social status to lean on, and no local language and knowledge to navigate with," Lung's parents made a determined investment in the education of the next generation." Despite the financial difficulties in raising four children, Lung's mother, Ying Meijun (應美君) insisted that Lung, her only daughter, get a college education. After attending Tainan Girls' Senior High School, Lung earned her bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages and Literature from the National Cheng Kung University and a PhD in English and American Literature from Kansas State University.

Taiwan was under Kuomingtang's one party rule when Lung Ying tai returned to Taiwan in 1983. She started an op ed column in the China Times, delivering reflections and critiques of contemporary Taiwan society. These essays were published collectively in 1985 as a compilation titled Ye Huo Ji (野火集, The Wild Fire Collection). The book went through 24 reprints in 21 days, garnering so much attention that poet Yu Kwang chung referred to its impact as that of a "tornado" (the phrase in Chinese, Longjuanfeng, was a pun on Lung's name). It became "the best selling and most talked about book of the decade in Taiwan," and was regarded as influential in the island's democratization process. Lung moved to Europe with her husband in 1986. During her time in Europe, she remained prolific, authoring the following books: Ren Zai Ouzhou (人在歐洲, 1988, The Mundane and the Lofty—Journey through Europe), Xie Gei Taiwan de Xin (寫給台灣的信, 1992, Letters to Home), Kan Shiji Mo Xiang Ni Zou Lai (看世紀末向你走來, 1994, Living in a "Fin de siècle"), Haizi Ni Manman Lai (孩子你慢慢來, 1994, Take Your Time, My Children), Mei Li De Quan Li (美麗的權利, 1994, The Right to Seduce), Zai Heidebao Zhui Ru Qing Wang (在海德堡墜入情網, 1995, In the Shadows of Heidelberg: A Tale of Love and Fate), Gan Bei Ba Tuomasiman (乾杯吧托馬斯曼, 1996, Cheers, Thomas Mann), Wo De Bu An (我的不安, 1997, Our Age of Uncertainty), Ah! Shanghai Nan Ren (啊！上海男人, 1998, Shanghai Men), and Bainian Sisuo (百年思索, 1999, Reflections of this Century). Lung writes in more than one language and for more than one audience. "It is not unusual for her to publish an essay simultaneously in Taipei's China Times and Shanghai's Wen Hui Bao, with the German version appearing in the Frankfurter Allgemein, and the English version on the BBC's European service." Her work has appeared in mainland Chinese newspapers since the early 1990s. In 1994, she criticized the Singaporean government's restrictions on personal freedom in 1994 in an article titled, "Thank God I Am Not Singaporean" (幸好我不是新加坡人).

In 1999, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying jeou traveled to Germany and invited Lung to serve as the first Director of Taipei City's Cultural Bureau. She came back to Taiwan and assumed the role in September 1999. During her tenure, he designed and implemented policies that increased the visibility of the arts in the city Huashan Creative Park, Taipei Film House, Wistaria Tea House, Treasure Hill, Chien Mu House, and Lin Yutang House, among others. The Cultural Bureau listed and protected 1,146 old trees, rescued 276 from being removed, and enacted the "Taipei City Tree Protection Ordinance," the first of its kind in Taiwan. Lung also promoted cultural exchanges between local and international artists—more than 50 artists from all over the world visited Taipei between 1999 and 2002 through the City's artist in residence program. She completed her tenure in March 2003 and accepted a Visiting Professorship at the City University of Hong Kong.

In February 2012, Lung took on the position of Director of the Cultural Affairs Council of Taiwan, tasked with reorganizing and consolidating four separate ministries to establish the Ministry of Culture. Under her leadership, the Ministry of Culture was officially founded in May 2012. Lung was appointed the first Minister of Culture of Taiwan. Inaugurated on 21 May 2012, she stated a hope that cultural policies be served by politics rather than serve political purposes. Her policies were driven by approaches such as "rooted in the soil," "internationalization," "cloud based," and "value driven," that is, connecting with the grassroots to serve the general population, expanding internationally with Taiwan's soft power, embracing cloud technology to fuse culture with cutting edge science, fostering an innovative industry ecosystem and enhancing the aesthetic economy. During her tenure, a longstanding issue regarding Public Television Service that had lingered for three years was resolved. Laws governing public broadcasting and filmmaking were revised, while new laws concerning museum management and the preservation of underwater cultural heritage were proposed. New institutions, including the National Performing Arts Center, the National Film Institute, Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center, the National Center for Photography and Images, and the Taipei Music Center were founded. She also started initiatives on reading, TV culture, international, and cross strait cultural exchanges. On December 1, 2014, Lung tendered her resignation from the ministerial post citing her aging mother as the main reason, with political and media hostility as contributing factors.

From 2015 to 2020, Lung continued her role as the Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities at the University of Hong Kong. In addition to her writing career, Lung is an eloquent speaker in both Mandarin and English, receiving frequent invitations to deliver talks worldwide, often drawing a large audience. Her 2016 book, Qingting (傾聽, 2016, Listening), is a compilation of 23 speeches edited for a reading audience. In 2018, she published Tianchangdijiu: Gei Meijun de Xin (天長地久: 給美君的信, 2018, Eternal Love: Letters to Meijun). In the preface, Lung said she was skeptical about whether writing still held relevance after witnessing the collapse of an era and the disillusionment of values during her public service experience. This book represents her attempt to rediscover pure intentions—through personal reflections on life, death, and love for both older and younger generations. Lung moved to Chaozhou, a small town in southern Taiwan, in 2017, where she developed her first novel, Da Wu Shan Xia (大武山下, 2020, At the Foot of Mount Kavulungan). The story focuses on Da Wu Mountain (or Mt. Kavulungan in native language) in Pingtung, Taiwan. An unknown writer, who spent most of her life wandering, returns to her rural roots and encounters a mysterious 14 year old girl, embarking on a journey where life and the land, plants, animals, and history bear witness to each other’s interconnected fate. "With the boundless curiosity of a child, the tenacity of an investigative field researcher, the ethereal and graceful prose of a literary artist, and the profound and majestic language, Lung paints the world of Da Wu Mountain She explores philosophical reflections on life and displays a deep concern for the land and its culture.” "The fundamental skill of any writer is to enable readers to see things they wouldn't have seen otherwise," says Lung. She also depicts hundreds of species of plants and animals, and the book includes illustrations hand drawn by herself. Lung became active on Facebook, often sharing her rural experiences with her readers. During the 2019 2020 Hong Kong protests, Lung wrote in a post that the participants were like “an egg lying on the ground of the garden” confronting “a wall of iron and steel.” “How do we treat an egg? We bend down, gently pick it up, cradle it in our palms, and ensure it doesn't shatter.” In response, People's Daily accused her of ignoring the "violent rioters" and attacked the "narrowness of her thinking." In an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, Lung said she wished that politicians in Beijing have enough wisdom to understand the situation deeper and to see into the future with longer views and perspectives” in their dealings with Hong Kong. As cross strait military tensions escalated, Lung posted a message on Facebook, highlighting the destructive impact of war on civilization, and concluded with “No matter what you say, I am anti war.” This statement sparked a debate in Taiwan, where people have become politically divided with polarized views about the future of the island. Some criticized her for "only speaking against war and not daring to voice opposition against the Communist Party." Lung continues to write for international readers. In 2019, she wrote “23 Million People on a Canoe: Why Europe should care about Taiwan’s future” for The Berlin Pulse. In 2023, she released a guest essay in The New York Times about the perspectives on local sentiments under cross strait tension. In September 2023, Lung was invited by Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, the Center for the Study of Asia, and the Harvard Yenching Institute to deliver talks on the intricate cross strait issues and share her experience residing in Taitung, Taiwan. In October 2023, she commenced a tour of Germany and Austria commemorating the one year anniversary of the German edition of Da Wu Shan Xia (大武山下, At the Foot of Mount Kavulungan, Am Fuße des Kavulungan). The tour began at the Frankfurt Book Fair, followed by engaging panel discussions at universities in Würzburg, Tübingen, Heidelberg, and Göttingen. Lung was also invited to the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖWA), where she shared insights into the cross strait matter. Over the course of her four decade long writing career, Lung has encountered numerous attacks. In her youth, Lung was considered a troublemaker by conservatives. In her middle years, Taiwan’s localists criticized her, labeling her as pro unification or alleging ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Mainland China banned most of her books, and some even accused her of advocating for Taiwan independence. These conflicting comments may serve as a testament to Lung’s dedication to remaining "an independent pen for society." "She is the only person in Taiwan who dares to criticize the Nationalist Party, the Democratic Progressive Party and the Communist Party," says Huang Ching lung, former Chief Editor of the China Times, and she is thus "destined to be solitary while offending multiple sides."

Lung has two sons from her previous (and only) marriage to a German man. One of Lung’s books, Qin Ai De Andelie (親愛的安德烈, 2007, Dear Andreas), is a collection of letters and e mails between her and her older son. She is currently tending to her mother all while engaging in full time writing, residing in Taitung by the Pacific Ocean.

Speech (video): Lung Ying tai Big River, Big Sea: Untold Stories of 1949 (English talk). (Oct. 18, 2009). The University of British Columbia. Speech (video): Face to Face with Dr Lung Ying tai (Minister of Culture, Taiwan). (February 22, 2013). SOAS, University of London. Speech (video): "Prof. Lung Yingtai: To Believe or Not to Believe." (October 20, 2017). Loke Yew Hall, The University of Hong Kong. Kawase, Kenji. (4 December 2019). "Hong Kong tests Beijing's wisdom, says prominent Taiwanese writer". Nikkei Asia. Speech (video): "From Wild Fire to the Big Sea: In Conversation with Lung Ying tai." (October 16, 2021). UCLA Center for Chinese Studies. Speech (video): "Enfant Terrible, Minister of Culture, Silent Loner? Lung Ying tai in Conversation with Barbara Mittler." (July 25, 2022). Institute of Chinese Studies, Heidelberg University. Filkins, Dexter (14 November 2022). "A Dangerous Game Over Taiwan". The New Yorker. Lung, Ying tai (18 April 2023). "In Taiwan, Friends Are Starting to Turn Against Each Other". The New York Times. Speech (video). "Lung Yingtai: “A Look Inside: Taiwanese in a Time of Cross Strait Crisis” ." (September 18, 2023). Boston University. Speech (video). "Lung Yingtai: My Life in an Indigenous Village." (September 27, 2023). Harvard University. Speech (video). "Lung Ying Tai: Taiwan. A Young Democracy under Geo Political Pressures." (October 31, 2023). Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Vienna, Austria.