Chiang HsunAuthor

Chiang Hsun’s mother fought to keep the family alive and together throughout war.(Photo provided by Chiang Hsun) That young aristocratic man named Cheng Yizhai had returned. He had come back to Xi’an, to Erfu Street. By then, Mother was already married with children. A neighbour came to tell her, “Your father is back.” She paused, momentarily taken aback, and answered, “My father?” The neighbour asked, “Do you resent him?” I have often wondered the same.

The wedding photo of Chiang Hsun’s parents.(Photo provided by Chiang Hsun) My mother was an Aquarian. She was born on the 29th day of the 12th lunar month in the 7th year of the Republic of China (ROC) (her identity card understated her age by two years) — exactly on Lunar New Year’s Eve. “It was Lunar New Year’s Eve, and everyone was busy. It wasn’t the best day to be born,” she would often say.

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun continues reminiscing about his time in Iowa, US, with Hualing Nieh Engle, as well as other prominent literary figures such as Wang Zengqi and Ah Cheng. Through ups and downs, Nieh’s Aquarian character shines through, strong and resilient. Nieh Hualing was buried beside Paul Engle in November 2024. (Photo provided by Chiang Hsun) After I was invited to the Iowa International Writing Program in 1981, Hualing would often ask me over to her house.