Renowned poet Chou Meng-tieh (周夢蝶) died in New Taipei City on Thursday at the age of 92 from complications associated with pneumonia.
Along with his poetry, Chou was known for his monk-like habits, which he adopted after immersing himself in Buddhism later in life.
Born in China’s Henan Province in December, 1921, Chou’s original name was Chou Chi-shu (周起述).
Photo: CNA
During the Chinese Civil War, he joined the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) youth corps and came to Taiwan in 1948 after the KMT lost the Chinese civil war.
He was separated from his family, including his grandparents, mother, wife and children, who all remained in China.
However, after five decades apart, Chou revisited his hometown.
At 32, Chou began to write poetry, which was published in the literary pages of Central Daily News and Young Soldier Daily (the forerunner of Youth Daily News).
In the 1950s, Chou became a member of the Blue Star Poetry Society (藍星詩社), an influential gathering of mostly Chinese poets and writers.
In 1959, Chou began selling poetry and literature in front of Cafe Astoria on Wuchang Street (武昌街) in central Taipei, which was a favorite hangout of intellectuals at the time.
That year, he published a collection of poems, entitled Gudu Guo (孤獨國, Lonely Land), which is his most well-known work.
Later in life, Chou delved into Buddhism and took up Zen meditation.
A picture of Chou sitting on a street corner, quietly meditating, became one of the symbolic images of an era, showing a literary man’s solitude against the backdrop of Taipei’s hustle and bustle.
Inspired by Confucian tradition and philosophy, Chou did not pursue material gains and lived a simple life, alone, throughout his adult life.
As a poet, Chou picked up the nom de plume of “Meng-tieh” (夢蝶), which means the “dream butterfly.”
He said it was inspired by Taoist master philosopher Chuang-Tze’s (莊子) famous tale about a butterfly dream.
The name is reflects his yearning for freedom, as well as his frugal, restrained way of living.
Highly regarded in Taiwan’s cultural circles, Chou was named the first literature laureate of the National Culture and Arts Foundation in 1997.
Hung Chung-hao (洪崇豪), spokesperson for the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital in New Taipei City’s Xinzhuang District (新莊) where Chou was treated, said that Chou did not have any relatives in Taiwan.
Instead, many of his student followers are helping to arrange the funeral in accordance with Buddhist traditions.
On the news of Chou’s death, the Ministry of Culture released a statement and requested that the Presidential Office issue posthumous honors for Chou.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS