Chen Yao-chang (陳耀昌), the physician who performed Taiwan’s first bone marrow transplant and the author of the historical novel “Puppet Flower” (傀儡花), has died at the age of 76.
Chen’s death was confirmed yesterday by Wang Jung-wen (王榮文), chairman of Yuan-Liou Publishing Co, which is scheduled to publish two new books by Chen by the end of this year.
Born in 1949, Chen graduated from National Taiwan University’s School of Medicine. In 1983, he completed Taiwan’s first autologous bone marrow transplant, making him the first doctor in the country to perform the procedure. He was also a pioneer in stem cell research, completing Taiwan’s first peripheral blood stem cell transplant in 1992.
Photo: Taipei Times
Among Chen’s students is Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung- liang (石崇良), who yesterday called Chen “my most important instructor, our chief advisor.”
Shih praised Chen for traveling to Vietnam to guide bone marrow transplant procedures, and for his efforts to make regenerative therapies more accessible, saying, “It was always the teacher’s dream to make regenerative medicine not be just for the rich.”
News of Chen’s death led many people to post tributes on his Facebook page, sharing photos and messages in memory of his guidance, help, and contributions.
In addition to his medical legacy, Chen was recognized as a novelist devoted to Taiwanese history, with “Puppet Flower: A Novel of 1867 Formosa,” his most noted work.
“Puppet Flower” recounts the Rover Incident between two Indigenous groups in southern Taiwan and an American merchant ship, which escalated into further conflict. It was later adapted into the television series “Seqalu: Formosa 1867” (斯卡羅).
Tsao Jui-yuan (曹瑞原), director of “Seqalu,” said yesterday that he had been “deeply struck and inspired” when he first read “Puppet Flower,” which offered him “a new way to understand history.”
He described Chen as an elder whom “you never felt pressured around, someone who always treated you with tenderness, patience, and an open mind.”
Chen once told reporters that history is valuable precisely because it reveals multiple perspectives. He said the Chinese-speaking world has long overemphasized exams, “but forgotten that history is what allows us to know ourselves again, or to grow again.”
In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Culture said it will recommend that President William Lai (賴清德) posthumously honor Chen.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
RSS