Family members, entertainers and politicians across party lines yesterday bid a final farewell to Taiwanese singer-songwriter Hung Yi-feng (洪一峰), who died of pancreatic cancer in Taipei late last month at the age of 82.
Dubbed “the king of Formosan song,” Hung sprang into fame when a song he wrote, Butterfly Infatuated with Flower (蝶戀花), made its debut in 1946. Other well-known tunes such as Memories of an Old Love (舊情綿綿) and The One I’m Missing (思慕的人) remain very popular among KTV patrons.
Hung formed a singing and dancing troupe in 1957 and began a national tour that received much acclaim until the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government began banning Taiwanese songs in 1959.
Hung moved to Japan to continue his music career. In 1962, Hung played the leading role in a musical that took its name from his song Memories of an Old Love. Its overwhelming success landed him another leading role in the movie When Will We Meet Again (何日再相逢) the following year and many more over the next five years.
His eldest son, Chris Hung (洪榮宏), was sent to Japan to study music when he was 10 years old. He later said that the Spartan-style training his father gave him from an early age dealt a significant blow to his self-esteem and to their relationship.
Chris Hung later developed a drinking problem and the tension between father and son escalated. It was not until Chris Hung converted to Christianity and introduced his father to the religion in 1991 that they found peace again.
Delivering the eulogy yesterday, Chris Hung, 47, thanked his father for teaching him to be a skilled singer and a better man.
“He was my best teacher and best friend,” he said at the memorial service held at the Bread of Life Christian Church in Shihlin (士林).
Hung Yi-feng was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and hospitalized in December. He fell into a coma following a bout of pneumonia and was transferred to a hospice ward last month.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who delivered his speech in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), lamented the loss of Hung Yi-feng, calling him a well-rounded entertainer and national treasure.
“On behalf of the Republic of China government, I want to thank him for his contribution to bringing joy and solace to every family over the past 50 years,” he said. “I believe he will continue from above to protect this land and its people.”
Ma also presented Hung Yi-feng’s family with a certificate honoring his contribution to Taiwanese culture.
Chiu Kun-liang (邱坤良), a professor at National Taipei University of the Arts who grew up listening to Hung’s songs, had previously said that Hung Yi-feng “was unfortunate to have been born in Taiwan ... If he had lived in another country, he would have long been recognized as a national treasure.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
RSS