Li Yuan (writer)

{{Short description|Taiwanese novelist and screenwriter (born 1955)}}

{{about|the writer|the Tang dynasty official|Xiao Ye|other people|Li Yuan (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox Minister

| name = Li Yuan

| native_name = {{nobold|李遠}}

| native_name_lang =

| birth_name =

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| image = 李遠 20240701.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Official portrait, 2024

| office1 = 6th Minister of Culture

| term_start1 = 20 May 2024

| term_end1 =

| primeminister1 = Cho Jung-tai

| predecessor1 = Shih Che

| successor1 =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|10|31|df=y}}

| birth_place = Monga, Taipei, Taiwan

| death_date =

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| occupation =

| party = Independent

| nationality = Taiwanese

| citizenship =

| education = National Taiwan Normal University (BS)
State University of New York at Buffalo (MS)

| spouse =

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| children =

| relatives =

| awards = Golden Horse Award for Best Original Screenplay (1986)
Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (1990)

| signature =

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| module = {{Infobox writer

| embed = yes

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| pseudonym = 小野

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| notableworks =

| years_active = 1974–present

| website =

}}

Li Yuan ({{zh|t=李遠|poj=Lí Oán}}; born 31 October 1951), also known by his pen name Hsiao Yeh ({{zh|c=小野|poj=Sió-iá}}), is a Taiwanese novelist, screenwriter and politician who is the minister of Culture since 2024.

Early life and education

Li's family is of Hakka descent and originates from Wuping County, moving to Taiwan in 1949. Li Yuan was born in Monga, Taipei, on 31 October 1951.{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Daw-Ming|title=Historical Dictionary of Taiwan Cinema|date=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810879225|pages=196–197|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YYubb-xIgiYC&q=Hsiao+Yeh+Golden+horse&pg=PA197}} His father was a statistician and his mother taught writing at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), later becoming a journalist. Li's father gave his eldest son the pen name Hsiao Yeh, and both parents encouraged him to write. Li read classics such as War and Peace and The Old Man and the Sea at the age of 11, at the behest of his father and was forced to write reports on them afterward, though Li preferred to draw cartoons and perform plays instead.{{cite news|last1=Ter|first1=Dana|title=Taiwan talent to debut at Singapore Writers Festival|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/11/03/2003658461|accessdate=5 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=3 November 2016}}

After studying biology at NTNU, Li earned a graduate degree in microbiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in the United States. Upon his return to Taiwan, Li became a teaching assistant at National Yang Ming University.

Career

Hsiao Yeh published his first book in 1974, and was hired by the Central Motion Picture Corporation in 1981. In 1986, Hsiao Yeh won his first Golden Horse Award for Best Original Screenplay. The next year, he and Edward Yang shared the 1987 Asia-Pacific Film Festival Award for best screenplay after co-writing Terrorizers. Hsiao Yeh stated in 2001 that, while he was at CMPC, many of his superiors came from military backgrounds and films were often made according to Kuomintang-led governmental directives.{{cite news|last1=Yu|first1=Sen-lun|title=Standing against the tide|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2001/06/17/0000090445|accessdate=8 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=17 June 2001}} There, Hsiao Yeh also met Wu Nien-jen, with whom he founded May Productions in 1989. Shortly after starting May Productions, Hsiao Yeh won the 1990 Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Later that decade, he became a television writer and presenter. Hsiao Yeh worked for Taiwan Television from 2001 to 2004 and served as general manager of Chinese Television System from 2006 to 2008. He contributed to the book Touring Taiwan, released in 2008.{{cite news|last1=Shan|first1=Shelley|title=Celebrities share travel stories in 'Touring Taiwan'|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/02/18/2003401783|accessdate=8 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=18 February 2008}} Hsiao Yeh was the artistic director of the musical "Hey! Atiku", which was based on one of his stories and debuted in 2010, the first such Hakka production geared toward children.{{cite news|last1=Lu|first1=Deborah|title=First-ever Hakka children's musical set to stir imaginations|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/supplement/2010/09/10/272017/[Hakka-Trifocal].htm|accessdate=10 November 2016|work=China Post|date=10 September 2010}}

In politics

=Activism=

Shortly after Tsai Ing-wen founded Thinking Taiwan in August 2012, Li was one of the first invited to join.{{cite news|last1=Wang|first1=Chris|title=Tsai launches Web forum to discuss policies|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/08/06/2003539583|accessdate=8 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=6 August 2012}} In March 2013, Li participated in an anti-nuclear demonstration planned by the {{ill|Green Citizens' Action Alliance|zh|綠色公民行動聯盟}} and held around the Presidential Office.{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Joy|title=Anti-nuclear protest to block Bo-ai Special District|url=https://chinapost.nownews.com/20130309-97157|via=|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501033250/https://chinapost.nownews.com/20130309-97157|archivedate=1 May 2018|accessdate=10 November 2016|work=China Post|date=9 March 2013}} [https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P3-2911015871/anti-nuclear-protest-to-block-bo-ai-special-district Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501092758/https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P3-2911015871/anti-nuclear-protest-to-block-bo-ai-special-district |date=2018-05-01 }} Days later, he and another former CMPC colleague, {{Interlanguage link multi|Ko I-chen|zh|3=柯一正}}, among others, started the Five Six Movement, in opposition to nuclear technologies.{{cite news|last1=Tseng|first1=Te-jung|last2=Ling|first2=Mei-hsueh|last3=Hsu|first3=Stacy|title=Actor Joseph Cheng makes first anti-nuclear film|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/08/11/2003569435|accessdate=5 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=11 August 2013}}{{cite news|last1=Hsu|first1=Stacy|title=Nuclear Power Debate: Directors call on public to join anti-nuclear protests|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/03/06/2003556402|accessdate=5 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=6 March 2013}} A wide-ranging group that included Li Yuan, Lee Yuan-tseh, Wei Te-sheng, Giddens Ko, and Kevin Tsai founded the Anti-Nuclear Fathers Front with the same goal, on Father's Day.{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=I-chia|title=Fathers form alliance for a nuclear-free homeland|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/08/09/2003569282|accessdate=8 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=9 August 2013}} In November, Li was invited to the Zero-Nuke Festival hosted by the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance.{{cite news|last1=Tang|first1=Chia-ling|last2=Chung|first2=Jake|title=Anti-nuclear filmmakers' festival opens in Taipei|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/11/23/2003577508|accessdate=8 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=23 November 2013}} He was largely supportive of the Sunflower Student Movement in 2014.{{cite news|last1=Ling|first1=Mei-hsueh|last2=Pan|first2=Jason|title=TRADE PACT SIEGE: Ex-Ma adviser starts pro-Sunflower art campaign|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/04/03/2003587174|accessdate=8 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=3 April 2014}}{{cite news|title=TRADE PACT SIEGE: Mayors divided by party line over protesters' decision|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/04/09/2003587632|accessdate=8 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=9 April 2014}} Li joined the 2018 Taipei mayoral campaign of political independent Ko Wen-je as campaign director.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=ELECTIONS: Ko ends term to focus on election, defends director |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/11/08/2003703818 |accessdate=8 November 2018 |work=Taipei Times |date=8 November 2018}}

=Formal political career=

On 12 April 2024, Li Yuan was appointed the Minister of Culture in the incoming cabinet led by Cho Jung-tai.{{cite news |last1=Hou |first1=Elaine |last2=Lai |first2=Sunny |last3=Hsieh |first3=Hsing-en |last4=Yeh |first4=Kuan-yin |title=New education, justice and culture ministers announced |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202404120006 |agency=Central News Agency |access-date=12 April 2024 |date=12 April 2024}} Li himself has no party affiliation.{{cite news |last1=Hsiao |first1=Alison |title=Li Yuan sees broad background as key to being named culture minister |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202404120012 |access-date=13 April 2024 |agency=Central News Agency |date=12 April 2024}}

Personal life

Li Yuan's son {{ill|Lee Chung|zh|李中 (作家)}} is a writer and film director.{{cite news|author1=Han Cheung|title=Movie releases: The Laundryman 青田街一號|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2015/08/21/2003625842|accessdate=5 November 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=21 August 2015}}