1944

Shih Shu-ching

Biography

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1945

Born in Lukang, Changhua, Taiwan.

◆ Born Shih Shu-ching, which bears the same sound but different Chinese characters. Her elder sister is the well-acclaimed literary critic Shih Shu (Shih Shu-nu). Shih Shu-tuan, more widely known as Li Ang, the celebrated novelist, is her younger sister.

1957

Enters Changhua Girls’ Junior High School.

◆ Enjoys reading classics, during this time, ranging from Cao Xue-Qin’s Dream of the Red Chamber, Lu Xun’s A Madman’s Diary to Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1960

Enters Changhua Girls’ Senior High School.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1963

Studies French at Tamkang College of Arts and Sciences.

◆ Writes short stories like “The Last Descendants of Job” (“Yuebo de houyi”), “Sorting out Those Days” (“Shiduo naxie rizi”), etc. under the influence of Sigmund Freud and other existentialist writers.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1965

First novel “Gecko” published in Modern Literature, Issue 23.

◆ Elder sister Shih Shu sends “Gecko” to Chen Ying-zhen who later recommends this piece to the editorial board of the journal Modern Literature (Xiandai wenxue). Chen and Pai Hsien-yung both greatly appreciate this work.
◆ Short story “Porcelain Guanyin” appears in Modern Literature, Issue 25.

1966

Starts a peer magazine, Literature Quarterly ( Wenxue zhikang ), with Chen Ying-zhen, Qi Deng-sheng, Yu Tian-cong, Huang Chun-ming, and Wang Zhen-he.

◆ Short story “Recovery” appears in Literature Quarterly, Issue 1.

1967

“The Last Descendants of Job” published in the first issue of the magazine Grassland (Tsaoyuan).

1969

Marries Shih Chung-he (Robert Silin).

◆ First short stories collection The Last Descendants of Job published.
◆ Graduates from Tamkang College of Arts and Sciences with a BA in French.
◆ Marries Robert Silin (Chinese name Shih Chung-he), then a PhD student from Harvard University’s Department of Anthropology.

1970

Moves to the United States of America with her newly-wed husband.

◆ Attends the master’s degree program in Theatre at Hunter College, the City University of New York.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1971

Prose and short stories collection Sorting out Those Days published.

1972

Returns to Taiwan and teaches theater-related courses at National Chengchi University, Tamkang University, and Shih Hsin University.

◆ Starts research on Taiwanese Opera and Chinese Theater .

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1974

Wins funding from Sun Yat Sen Academic and Cultural Foundation to research on the Peking Opera piece, The Story of a Jade Bracelet.

1975

Wins funding from Sun Yat Sen Academic and Cultural Foundation to build an archive of Taiwanese Opera.

◆ Gu Wei-fu donates his mansion to serve as Lukang Folk Arts Museum. Shih sets up the Lukang Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and Local Development Association with Han Pao-teh and Yen Shui-long.
◆ Novel Cowbells Toll published.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph taken in Pingtung, Taiwan, 1973)

1976

Theater criticisms collection Chinese Theater under Western Eyes published.

◆ Lapis Lazuli Tiles published.
◆ A Day of Aunt Chang-man published.
◆ Starts fieldwork on Taiwanese Opera with Professor Chen Chi-lu of National Taiwan University’s Department of Archaeology and Anthropology and finishes writing “Playing Deities in Taiwanese Opera.”

1977

Settles down in Hong Kong.

◆ In memoriam “Cry for Teacher Yu” appears in the reissued Modern Literature, Issue 1.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1977

Wins sponsorship by Asia Fund in the USA and starts research on the history of Lukang.

◆ Investigates into the history, architecture and folk arts of Lukang with Professor Han Pao-teh and researchers of Academia Sinica; results are included in Research on the Ancient Looks of Lukang (Lukang ku feng mao chih yen chiu), which is later published in 1978.

1979

Named the director of Asian Programs at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

◆ Shih adapts Pai Hsien-yung’s “Wandering in the Garden, Waking from a Dream” and “Li T’ung: A Chinese Girl in New York” into stage plays that open in Hong Kong.

 

(note：Photograph taken with Lin Hwai-min (on her right) and Pai Hsien-yung (on her left) in Hong Kong)

1979

Novel “Lee May” published in Journals of Literary Arts (Bafang wenyi chunkang), Issue 1.

◆ This piece is later renamed as “Taiwan Jade.”

1981

Finishes writing the first “Hong Kong’s story”: “Su-si’s Resentments.”

1983

Upside-down Ladder to Heaven published in Hong Kong.

◆ “Furnace Transmutation: The Second Episode of Hong Kong’s Story” wins the 8th Short Stories Recommendation Award from the United Daily News.

1984

Short stories collection Su-si’s Resentments published.

1985

Visits China with Hsu Wen-hsiung and Tu Kuo-ching on the tour group, known as “Taiwan’s expatriate writers in the United States,” organized by Lucy Chen.

◆ Theater criticisms collection On the Stage, Off the Stage published.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph taken with Lucy Chen at Singing Sands Mountain (Mingsha Shan), Dunhuang)

1986

Stories of Hong Kong published in China.

◆ Short stories collection Love Probing published.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph taken with Li Yao-tang, pen name Ba Jin, at his Shanghai residence (1986))

1987

Interviews with well-known contemporary Chinese novelists; the interviews are later published in the Supplement of the China Times and the China Times Express.

◆ Selected short stories Taiwan Jade in Fujian, China.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph taken with Li Ke-ran in Beijing)

1988

Short stories collection Man with the Destiny of Chinese Chives published.

◆ The Barren Years published.
◆ Attends the conference “Female Writers on Men”, hosted by Huang Lu and organized by Writers Monthly. The typescript is later published in Writers Monthly, Issue 2.
◆ Invited by the Four Seas Magazine, (China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Corporation), to visit Beijing and Chengde.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph taken while visiting Nie Hua-ling and Paul Engle)

1989

Dialogues: Facing the Psyche of Contemporary Chinese Literature published.

◆ Prose collection Pinpointing the Edge of Heaven published.

1993

Her Name is Butterfly: Volume One of the Hong Kong Trilogy published.

◆ Victoria Club published.
◆ Collection: Shih Shu-ching published by Avanguard.

1994

Returns to and settles down in Taiwan, leaving Hong Kong where she spends seventeen years.

◆ Art criticisms collection Art and Auction and Overthrowing Forerunners published.

1995

Mountain Covered with Hong Kong Orchid Trees: Volume Two of the Hong Kong Trilogy published.

◆ Wins the Ten Good Books to Read Award and Literature Recommendation Award for this book from the China Times and the Literati’s Best Book Award from the United Daily News.

1997

Remembering Hong Kong staged as the annual performance of the National Institute of the Arts.

◆ Director and playwright Wang Chi-mei stages Remembering Hong Kong, basing on Shih Shu-ching’s Hong Kong Trilogy.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

1997

The Lonely Cloud Manor: Volume Three of the Hong Kong Trilogy published.

◆ There’s No Place like Home published.

1998

The Lonely Cloud Manor won the Literati’s Best Book Award from the United Daily News.

◆ Kingstone Book Co., Ltd selects Hong Kong Trilogy as the most influential book in 1997.
◆ Art criticisms collection of Notes on Dan Mei published.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph of Professor Chi Pang-yuen presenting the Literati’s Best Book Award to Shih Shu-ching)

1999

Novel Blush of Intoxication published.

◆ Hong Kong’s Yazhou Zhoukan assesses Hong Kong Trilogy as one of the 100 Best Chinese Novels in the 20th century.

2000

Settles down in Manhattan, New York City, the United States.

◆ Waiting for the Master – Blossoms on a Withered Tree published.
◆ Blush of Intoxication wins the 3rd Taipei Literary Creation Award from Taipei City Government.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

2001

Two Frida Kahlos published.

◆ Named visiting writer at Shih Hsin University.

2002

ヴィクトリア倶楽部 (Victoria Club, Japanese edition; translated by Fujii Shozo) published.

◆ Joins the Zen-school pilgrimage in China.

2003

Passing by Loytsin: Volume One of the Taiwan Trilogy published.

◆ Radio Television Hong Kong assesses Mountain Covered with Hong Kong Orchid Trees as one of the Ten Best Books.
◆Named visiting writer at National Dong Hwa University, Hualien.

2004

Elle s’appelle Papillion (Her Name is Butterfly, French edition; translated by Wang Jiann-Yuh) published.

◆ Where the Heart Is – Following the Footsteps of Sheng Yen and Visiting Zen Temples published.
◆ The China Times selects Passing by Loytsin on the finals of the ten books of the year, category of writings in Chinese, 2004.

2005

English edition of the Hong Kong trilogy, City of the Queen: A Novel of Colonial Hong Kong published; translated by Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-chun Lin.

◆ Novel Exorcism published.

2008

Dust in the Wind: Volume Two of the Taiwan Trilogy published.

◆ The book is shortlisted by the Taiwan Literature Award, presented by National Museum of Taiwan Literature, in 2008.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching)

2008

Wins the 12th National Culture and Arts Reward from National Culture and Arts Foundation.

 

(note：Photograph provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph of winners of the 12th National Culture and Arts Reward: Shih Shu-ching, Lee Tsu-yuan, Liu Kuo-Song, Mark Lee Ping-Bing, Liu Ruo-yu and Lee Tai-Hsiang)

2009

Attends the conference at the 2009 Women Make Waves Film Festival.

 

(note：Photograph taken by Chen Yi-hsiang and provided by Shih Shu-ching; Photograph of the hosts and speakers at the conference of the 2009 Women Make Waves Film Festival: Wang, Wei-Tsy, Chou She-wei, Chien Wei-ssu, Shih Shu-ching and Chien Ying-ying)

2010

Book launch and the exhibition of Shih’s donated manuscripts of People of Three Generations .

◆ People of Three Generations: Volume Three of the Taiwan Trilogy published.
◆ Exhibition of “Works of the Grand River that Writes the Biography of the Land: Shih Shu-ching’s Donated Manuscripts” at National Museum of Taiwan Literature. view more

◆ 빅토리아 클럽 (Victoria Club, Korean edition; translated by Kim Yangsu) published.
◆ Delivers lecture “I Write Historical Novels” at National Taiwan Normal University.

 

(note：Copy rights reserved by Public Television Service)

2011

National Museum of Taiwan Literature exhibited Xerox copies of Shih Shu-ching’ manuscripts of the Hong Kong Trilogy and Taiwan Trilog at C5 e-Library Waiting Lounge in Taoyuan Airport Terminal 2.

◆ Delivers The Facial Expressions of the City at Hong Kong Literature Festival.
◆ Delivers lecture “From Reading All the Books to Literary Creation” at Hong Kong Book Fair.
◆ Named the Deputy Chairman of North America Chinese Writers’ Association.

 

(note：Photograph taken by Lee Hsin-ju and provided by National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

2014

International Academic Conference on Shih Shu-ching and Exhibition of Shih’s Manuscripts.

◆ National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Applied Chinese Language and Culture holds “International Chinese Writing Culture and Representation of Art: International Academic Conference on Shih Shu-ching.”

 

(note：Photograph provided by NTNU Extension, School of Continuing Education)

2016

Novel Transcendence published.

◆Named visiting writer at Hong Kong Baptist University.