Chen Wang-tsung

Chen Wang-tsung (23 July 1925 – 9 March 2006) was a local Taiwanese opera actor born in Yilan City.In 1989, he won an Ethnic Art Heritage Award.
==Life==
Chen was born in 1925, Yilan, son of Tsai Po-hsuan (father) and Chen A-shih (mother). His father was married into his mother’s family, so Chen assumed his mother’s surname. Chen lost his father at the age of three and followed his mother to her remarriage in Chuangsan (Now Dongcun Community, Yilan City). After graduating from elementary school at the age of 13, he became self-reliant by selling candies and apprenticing at a Chinese herbal pharmacy. He was called up for the army in 1944, but was discharged early due to malaria. After the discharge, he started to engage in various lines of work, including clams selling, carpentry, pallet truck worker, labor union supervisor, rice mill worker, quarry worker, vice director of Yilan Chi Chi Tang, host of Yilan San Sheng Temple, representative of the 7th Neighborhood of Dongcun Village, Yilan; and finally, the local teacher of Taiwanese opera and the head of Zhuang San Xin Liang-le Opera Troupe. 
1944, towards the end of WWII, local opera troupe “Chuang San Troupe” was in need of actors of xiaodan (young female role), Chen filled in for Shan-bo Ying-tai, which got him into the life of Taiwanese opera. He has apprenticed with Huang Mao-lin, Lu Teng-ko (both the apprentices of Chen Ju-san), Huo Mu-tan, and Chiu Chun-mu.
In 1948, Chen made acquaintance with a woman whose last name was Wang by borrowing a fan. They got married after going steady for three years, and had four sons and a daughter after marriage. 
In 1953, when Chen was about 27-28 years old, he participated in an embankment construction work at Tiansongpi, Sanxing Township, causing problems to his left eye that led to blindness. The troupe was therefore disbanded. 
After the disbandment of the troupe, Chen Wang-tsung would satisfy his craving for performing by occasionally singing Taiwanese opera in the parks. It was not until the completion of the Fude Temple in Luodong Zhongshan Park, where Chen was invited by the local street Taiwanese opera performers to perform together and receiving an artificial eye from his maternal uncle Yeh Tsan-sheng did Chen recommence his performing career. The uncle and nephew performed together, partnered as sheng and dan and became well-known far and wide. 
In 1983, he was invited to the Taipei Youth Park to perform at the Folk Theater of the Council of Cultural Affairs (later upgraded to the Ministry of Culture). He touched the hearts of the audience with Taiwanese opera of local flavor. Since then, Chen had been receiving continuous performing invitations from cultural and educational institutions. He also assisted the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Yilan County Government and the National Center for Traditional Arts to complete the publishing work of the local Taiwanese opera documentation and preservation. In 1989, he won an Ethnic Art Heritage Award. 
On November 5, 1995, under the guidance of Yilan County Cultural Center, Zhuang San Xin Liang-le Opera Troupe was established in Yilan Sansheng Temple, guided and led by Chen. 
In 2005, after Chen learned that he had end stage lung cancer, he carried on with his teaching while ill. In the same year, he won the 1st Yilan Cultural Awards. At 7:36 pm on 9 March 2006, he passed away at home with his children and grandchildren by his side at the age of 81.
Category:1925 births
Category:Taiwanese people
Category:Taiwanese opera actors
Category:2006 deaths