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
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS