An old Chinese saying which states that “a person’s life begins at 70” has been perfectly illustrated by Wu Tseng-huan (吳曾煥), a 85-year-old widow who found her calling after dedicating herself to the fields of art and philanthropy at the age of 70.
Born into a poor family in Hsinchu County, Wu’s life had always revolved around others and she had little time to pay attention to her own needs.
Because of her financially disadvantaged background, she was only able to graduate from elementary school, and married a man called Wu Hui-tsan (吳惠燦) at the age of 18.
Wu Tseng-huan’s lack of education was her biggest regret in life, prompting her to be the type of mother who would rather starve than deprive her children of an education.
She worked diligently to give her children the freedom to pursue their passions, something she was unable to do as a child.
From an early age, Wu Tseng-huan was interested in painting, but her hopes of becoming an artist were dashed after her parents were forced to refuse her request to frame one of her works that was ready to be exhibited.
“We can barely afford to feed ourselves, let alone frame a painting,” Wu Tseng-huan quoted her parents as saying.
Although her husband’s family made a decent living running a wholesale business, her life was no easier than before she got married because she had to raise her five children and attend to her parents-in-law.
Things took a turn for the worse when her husband’s family business hit rock-bottom, forcing her family to take what little they had left and relocate to Taipei.
In spite of the sudden change, Wu Tseng-huan’s husband and children remained at the center of her life and she helped raise her 10 grandchildren.
However, just when Wu Tseng-huan thought she could start living a more peaceful life after all her children and grandchildren were grown up, misfortune struck again.
She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had to have her pancreas, gallbladder and part of her stomach removed.
One year after her surgery, her husband died of colon cancer.
“My mother’s life revolved around her husband and she was devastated by his passing,” said Wu Ling-chiao (吳鈴嬌), one of Wu Tseng-huan’s daughters. “However, she persevered and dedicated herself to philanthropy by working with the [Buddhist Compassion Relief] Tzu Chi [Foundation.]”
Wu Tseng-huan became an honorary board member at the foundation after making a sizable donation, but she wanted to do more and joined a group of volunteers in collecting recyclable items thrown away on the streets as a way of giving back to society.
She also collected donations for people affected by the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011.
Although her children were concerned because of her age, she was undeterred, saying that “there are a bunch of volunteers who are older than I am.”
She later found another purpose in life after she apprenticed to the calligraphy teacher of one of her grandchildren.
Starting with the basics, Wu Tseng-huan diligently practiced calligraphy and Chinese ink painting techniques on a daily basis.
Her determination to hone her skills, coupled with her arduous experiences early in life, made her work far more sophisticated than that of her younger counterparts.
Encouraged by her children, Wu Tseng-huan recently had her first exhibition at Taipei’s Zhongshan District Office.
Visitors at the exhibition were frequently amazed not only by Wu Tseng-huan’s skill, which some said was on a par with that of professional painters and calligraphers, but also by how she had put into practice the old saying that “It is never too late to learn.”
“My mother is a woman who lives her life to the fullest. Despite receiving little education, my mother was able to achieve what few people can: To be content with what one has and do things that matter,” Wu Ling-chiao said.
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
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
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
RSS