# Chin Han (actor, born 1946)

Chin Han (秦漢; born 24 April 1946), is a Taiwanese actor whose birth name is Sun Siang-chong (孫祥鐘), and got his first stage name Kang Kai (康凱) from Li Han-Hsiang (李翰祥) at the beginning of his acting career. He changed his stage name to Sun Ge (孫戈) during the shooting of Five Brothers from Tangshan (唐山五兄弟; 1972). It was director Yao Feng-Pan (姚鳳磐) who gave him the stage name Chin Han, which he kept ever since. In Chin’s long acting career, he is best known for starring in literary romantic (愛情文藝) films and TV series, adaptations from novels by Qiong Yao (瓊瑤) and other writers in the 1970s and 1980s. With Charlie Chin(秦祥林), Brigitte Lin and Joan Lin (林鳳嬌), the four eventually became known as the "Two Chins, Two Lins" (二秦二林) for their extensive roles in the genre of literary romantic film.

## Life and career

Chin’s father is Sun Yuan-liang (孫元良), a general who fought against the Japanese in WWII. Chin completed the training program of CMPC Film Academy (中影訓練班) in 1966 and joined Grand Motion Pictures Co., Ltd. (國聯) as a basic actor. He had to serve in the army after making his first film, Smiles from the Distant Mountains. After he completed his military service three years later, Grand Motion Pictures Co., Ltd. was already closed for business. He turned to TTV (台視) to act in a TV drama.
Chin's gentle and elegant appearance with a scholarly temperament has always been the best interpretation of the leading actor in literary films. After he role in Sung Tsun-Shou's (宋存壽) Story of a Mother (母親三十歲) and Outside the Window (窗外), both released in 1973, Chin was acclaimed as a promising star. When director Li Hsing (李行) was casting for his adaptation of Qiong Yao’s novel The Heart with a Million Knots (心有千千結), he approached Chin for the lead role. Due to his contract to star in Sung Tsun-Shou’s Where Have the Lovers (晨星) Chin had to turn down Li’s invitation and work in Hong Kong. Li Hsing instead cast Charlie Chin (秦祥林) for his film, which made Charlie Chin an overnight star. Chin Han and Charlie Chin became the two household names for the extremely popular genre of Literary Romantic Film (愛情文藝片) , which mainly are adaptations of Qiong Yao’s novels. Together with two other female stars of the genre, Brigitte Lin (林青霞) and Joan Lin (林鳳嬌), they are called “Two Chins and Two Lins” (二秦二林). Li Hsing once jokingly said, "If Chin Han had come to play The Heart with a Million Knots, there would not have been ‘Two Chins and Two Lins’ later.”
Chin Han later starred in quite a few films directed by Li Hsing, among them the biographical film adapted from the best-selling autobiography of Zheng Fengxi (鄭豐喜), He Never Gives Up (汪洋中的一條船; 1978), which won Chin the Best Actor award at the 15th Golden Horse Awards.
After Literary Romantic Film lost its audience In the early 80's, Qiong Yao turned to the small screen of TV to produce popular dramas adapted from her films and novels. In the TV series You Can’t Tell Him (庭院深深), originally a film directed by Sung Tsun-shou in 1971, Chin Han was paired with Leanne Liu (劉雪華). The series was an instant hit.
Chin Han has continued to act in the 1990s and afterwards both in films and on TV.

## Personal life

Sun married Shao Chiao-ying in 1971 and has a daughter Sun Shi-wen (孫詩雯) and a son Richard Sun (孫國豪). The marriage ended in 1984.
The triangle relationships in life among Chin Han, Brigitte Lin, and Charlie Chin is similar to their relationship in the literary romantic films based on Qiong Yao's novels, such as Cloud of Romance (我是一片雲; 1976). Chin Han and Brigitte Lin were close when making Outside the Window, but due his marriage Chin kept a distance with Lin. After working Lin on Cloud of Romance, Charlie Chin began to passionately pursue Brigitte Lin, who eventually accepted his proposal and was engaged to him in San Francisco in 1980. However, after Chin Han's divorce, Brigitte Lin found that she was still deeply in loved with Chin and chose to break off her engagement with Charlie Chin in 1984, which caused a scandal. They were romantically related again through the help of Qiong Yao, but eventually broke up because Chin Han was unwilling to marry her.

## Filmography
### Film
#### As actor

| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
| 1966 | Smiles from the Distant Mountains | 遠山含笑 | Zong Qi | |
| 1966 | How Many Sunsets | 幾度夕陽紅 | | |
| 1967 | Sister's Lover | 姐姐的情人 | Wah | |
| 1968 | A Time for Reunion | 春曉人歸時 | | |
| 1969 | Betrayer | 殺氣嚴霜 | | also screenwriter |
| 1971 | The Mad Killer | 瘋狂殺手 | | |
| 1972 | Everybody Is Laughing | 天下一大笑 | | |
| 1972 | Dangerous Game | 慾火焚身 | | |
| 1972 | Five Brothers from Tangshan | 唐山五兄弟 | | |
| 1972 | Heart Wish | 心願 | | |
| 1973 | Outside the Window | 窗外 | Li Liwei | |
| 1973 | Story of Mother | 母親三十歲 | Zhu Qingmao | |
| 1973 | Gui Fen | 桂芬 | | |
| 1974 | The House of Love | 愛的小屋 | Luo Wen | |
| 1974 | First Come, First Love | 近水樓台 | Cai Dawei | |
| 1974 | Where the Seagull Flies | 海鷗飛處 | Ou Shihao | |
| 1974 | Spring Comes Not Again | 不再有春天 | Zhi Cheng | |
| 1974 | Sex For Sale | 面具 | Lin Weibin | |
| 1974 | News Hen | 女記者 | Xue Xiaonan | |
| 1974 | Rhythm of the Wave | 海韻 | Jiang Tao | |
| 1974 | Love Camp | 愛情集中營 | | |
| 1975 | Girl School | 春滿女學府 | Lei Guangming | |
| 1975 | Hot Wave | 熱浪 | Ho Ta-fung | |
| 1975 | He Loved Once Too Many | 水雲 | Kiu Yee | |
| 1975 | The Unforgettable Character | 在水一方 | Lu Yu-wen | |
| 1975 | Eight Hundred Heroes | 八百壯士 | Jin Jian | |
| 1975 | Land of the Undaunted | 吾土吾民 | Li Yueh-ting | |
| 1975 | Where Have the Lovers Gone | 晨星 | | |
| 1975 | A Chilled Spring | 春天裡的秋天 | Xu Weiming | |
| 1975 | Dream Lake | 夢之湖 | | |
| 1975 | Posterity and Perplexity | 碧雲天 | Gao Haotian | |
| 1976 | Coffee, Wine, Lemonade | 咖啡，美酒，檸檬汁 | Lin Fan | |
| 1976 | Love Forever | 海誓山盟 | Xu Changwen | |
| 1976 | A Misty Love | 小雨絲絲 | Pan Jiawang | |
| 1976 | Deep Autumn Love | 落葉飄飄 | Di Chao | |
| 1976 | Love in the Twilight Zone | 陰陽有情天 | | |
| 1976 | Erotic Nights | 色香味 | | |
| 1976 | Painted Waves of Love | 浪花 | He Zijian | |
| 1976 | The Sang Sisters | 桑園 | Mo Dika | |
| 1976 | The Valley of Butterfly | 蝴蝶谷 | Liu Wenbin | |
| 1976 | The Spring Lake | 翠湖寒 | Hu Weikang | |
| 1976 | Wild Pigeons in the Evening | 野鴿子的黃昏 | Meng Wei | |
| 1977 | My Sweet Love | 霧濛濛情濛濛 | Xiao Zhangyun | |
| 1977 | The Love Offensive | 愛情大進擊 | | |
| 1977 | My Beloved | 雲愛，雲愛 | Du Dazhong | |
| 1977 | Love in the Shadow | 愛有明天 | Yi Siyin | |
| 1977 | True Love | 真真的愛 | Xu Dawei | |
| 1977 | The Smiling Face | 微笑 | Chen Yunyang | |
| 1977 | The Glory of the Sunset | 煙水寒 | Ye Yicheng | |
| 1977 | Cloud of Romance | 我是一片雲 | Gu Youlan | |
| 1977 | Confused Love | 變色的太陽 | Hou Shiwen | |
| 1977 | Love Rings a Bell | 風鈴，風鈴 | Wei Dekai | |
| 1977 | We Are the Youth | 我們是年輕的 | | |
| 1977 | The Lost Dream | 荒園草夢 | Jiang Xinhan | |
| 1977 | Melody from Heaven | 白花飄雪花飄 | Shao Yulin | |
| 1977 | The Love Corridor | 愛情走廊 | Chu Yun | |
| 1977 | We Feel the Wind Again | 又是起風時 | Xu Kewei | |
| 1978 | Morning Fog | 晨霧 | Tai Yalun | |
| 1978 | Wild Flower in the Storm | 花非花 | | |
| 1978 | Sea-Wave in Sunset and Love | 夕陽浪花愛 | Meng Nan | |
| 1978 | Love is Burning | 愛情火辣辣 | Du Ping (Du Ziping) | |
| 1978 | Hi, Honey | 嗨親愛的 | Hao Keai | |
| 1978 | The Diary of Di-Di | 蒂蒂日記 | Fan Xijun | |
| 1978 | Love on a Foggy River | 煙波江上 | Du Xihao | |
| 1978 | Lover on the Wave | 我踏浪而來 | Zhao Darong | |
| 1978 | A Journey of Love | 無情荒地有情天 | Lin Lei | |
| 1978 | Ask My Love from God | 此情可問天 | Chen Yuncheng | |
| 1978 | He Never Gives Up | 汪洋中的一條船 | Zheng Fengxi | |
| 1978 | The Story of Green House | 綠色山莊 | Lei Wen | |
| 1978 | Mountains Under the Setting Sun | 夕陽山外山 | Huang Shaokui | |
| 1978 | Love in the Blossoming Mountain Flowers | 滿山花開一片情 | Xu Guowei | |
| 1979 | A Sorrowful Wedding | 悲之秋 | Du Jiawen | |
| 1979 | Love Under a Rosy Sky | 彩霞滿天 | Chiao Shu-pei | |
| 1979 | The Wild Goose on the Wing | 雁兒在林梢 | Jiang Huai | |
| 1979 | Love Seed | 一顆紅豆 | Liang Zhiwen | |
| 1979 | By Love Obsessed | 情奔 | Zhi Gang | |
| 1979 | Dash | 衝刺 | | |
| 1980 | My Native Land | 原鄉人 | Chûng Lî-fò | |
| 1980 | Another Spring | 又見春天 | Yang Wei-han | |
| 1980 | Flying Home | 雁兒歸 | Li Junping | |
| 1980 | Poor Chasers | 一對傻鳥 | Chen Cheng-hsiung | |
| 1980 | Lotus Triangle | 情網 | | |
| 1980 | Reunion in the Rain | 蘭花草 | Liang Hanzhong | |
| 1980 | The Marigolds | 金盞花 | Lawyer Zhou | |
| 1980 | Flying Rainbow | 飛躍的彩虹 | Lu Changfeng | |
| 1980 | A Girl Who Comes from the Country | 我從山中來 | Lu Jun | |
| 1980 | Love in a Big Land | 大地親情 | | |
| 1980 | The Lotus Triangle | 荷葉、蓮花、藕 | Ye Yi | |
| 1980 | Twin Troubles | 愛情躲避球 | Long Kedong & Long Youdong | |
| 1981 | My Cape of Many Dreams | 夢的衣裳 | Sang Erxuan | |
| 1981 | The Land of the Brave | 龍的傳人 | Lin Chao-hsing | |
| 1981 | Love You Till I Die | 愛你入骨 | | |
| 1981 | Once Again With Love | 又見春天 | Yang Weihan | |
| 1981 | Coming with a Gun | 帶槍過境 | Ban Jie | |
| 1981 | Clouds, Please Stay | 雲且留住 | Li Jianwen | |
| 1982 | Girls' School | 女子學校 | Mei Yixin | |
| 1982 | The Girl Robber and I | 小妞．大盜．我 | Fei Shaohua | |
| 1982 | Marianna | 賓妹 | | |
| 1982 | Pigeons in the Evening | 鴿子的黃昏 | | |
| 1982 | The Drug Busters | 鐵血勇探 | Tang Keyuan | also director |
| 1983 | The Lost Generation | 風水二十年 | Mr. Tsun | |
| 1984 | Holy War | 聖戰千秋 | | |
| 1984 | Impending War | 戰爭前夕 | | |
| 1985 | Last Breath | 血染風采 | | |
| 1986 | Loves of a Small Town Doctor | 小鎮醫生的愛情 | Wang Liyi | |
| 1990 | Promising Miss Bowie | 祝福 | Ko Man-kit | |
| 1990 | Red Dust | 滾滾紅塵 | Chang Neng-tsai | |
| 1991 | Center Stage | 阮玲玉 | Tong Gwai-saan | |
| 1992 | Requital | 五湖四海 | Fan Dai-kuay | |
| 1994 | Treasure Hunt | 花旗少林 | Tong Ling | |
| 1995 | Don't Cry, Nanking | 南京1937 | Shing Yin | |
| 2000 | Feeling by Night | 夜奔 | De shun | |
| 2006 | The Knot | 雲水謠 | Wang Ting-wu | |
| 2012 | Threads of Time | 柳如是 | Qian Qianyi | |

#### As director

* The Drug Busters (鐵血勇探) – also actor

#### As writer

* Betrayer (殺氣嚴霜) – also actor

### Television series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | Rainbow Bridge | 七色橋 | Mu Yuande | |
| 1985 | How Many Sunsets | 幾度夕陽紅 | Ho Mu-tien | |
| 1986 | Lovers Under the Rain | 煙雨濛濛 | Ho Shu-huan | |
| 1986 | I Am a Chinese | 我是中國人 | | |
| 1987 | Deep Garden | 庭院深深 | Po Pei-wen | |
| 1988 | One Side of the Water | 在水一方 | Chu Shih-yao | remake of The Unforgettable Character |
| 1989 | Seagulls Soaring In Iridescent Clouds | 海鷗飛處彩雲飛 | Yu Muhuai | |
| 1991 | Love in Venice | 情定威尼斯 | | |
| 1995 | Secular Romance | 情愛紅塵 | Geng Haoran | |
| 1996 | Flowers Gone, Flowers Bloom | 花落花開 | Xia Haimo | |
| 1997 | Flying with the Iridescent Clouds | 我伴彩雲飛 | | |
| 2000 | Give Daddy A Kiss | 親親老爸 | Fang Nien-tsu | |
| 2002 | Cash Is King | 勝券在握 | Qi Ren | |
| 2004 | Son From the Past | 子是故人來 | Seng Ming | |
| 2004 | Wealthy Family's Shocking Dream | 豪門驚夢 | Chiao Cheng-tien | |
| 2005 | Purple Jade, Golden Clay | 紫玉金砂 | Pan Tianci | |
| 2007 | Niu Lang and Zhi Nu | 牛郎織女 | Jade Emperor | |
| 2009 | Dragon-Phoenix Luck | 龍鳳呈祥 | Long Jiandong | |
| 2014 | Moment in Peking | 新京華煙雲 | Yao Siyuan | |
| 2017 | The Glory of Tang Dynasty | 大唐榮耀 | Emperor Xuanzong | |
| 2017 | Cambrian Period | 寒武紀 | Zhan Shili | |
| 2017 | Dear My Friends | 親愛的她們 | Song Shuhao | |
| 2018 | Flesh And Spirit | 靈與肉 | Xu ingyou | |
| 2018 | Twenties Once Again | 重返20歲 | Xiang Dahai | |
| 2020 | New World | 新世界 | Shen Shichang | |

## Awards and honors

| Year | Awards | Category | Work |
| 1976 | 22nd Asia Pacific Film Festival | Most Popular Actor | |
| 1978 | 15th Golden Horse Awards | Best Leading Actor | He Never Gives Up |
| 1979 | 25th Asia Pacific Film Festival | Best Actor For Tragic Films | He Never Gives Up |