Chants of “YuWo! YuWo!” could be heard at the Kingstone Bookstore in southern Taipei’s Gongguan commercial district on the afternoon of April 28, attracting the attention of passers-by. A long line of youngsters, holding books, cameras and posters, and leaning forward as far as they could to get a glimpse of the site below, could be seen along the stairway leading down to the bookstore.
Excited voices chattered away, which minutes later evolved into shrieks as YuWo finally stepped onto the stage, ready to interact with her fans and autograph her latest novel, “No Hero Vol. 7: The End, the Beginning.”
Although not yet 30, YuWo is already a best-selling author with numerous works to her credit. Dubbed “Taiwan’s J.K. Rowling” by the Thai media, in 2010 her books topped the Mandarin literature sales chart of the largest online bookstore in Taiwan, books.com.tw. In terms of genre, her works fall into the category of “light literature,” a term originating from Japan that refers to books that can be read in a relaxed manner, with comic-style illustrations on the covers and on the inside.
YuWo, the pen name of Chen Wen-hsuan, graduated 2006 from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at National Cheng Kung University in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City. Her biggest passion has always been reading and writing. As a student she devoured countless books, ranging from romances to Taiwan folk stories and world classics. She finished her first work when she was still only a college sophomore—at a time when her classmates were still busy studying, partying and working at part-time jobs.
“It all started seven or eight years ago, when I read a vast number of online novels mainly on mainland China’s literature websites,” YuWo said. “At the time, male authors dominated the cyber world and the female protagonists in their works were very different from the women I knew. For instance, back then I came across the work of Giddens Ko, a renowned Taiwanese writer. The females in his work were all very beautiful and they were all portrayed as sidekicks to the main characters, who were always men. Gradually, I came up with the idea of countering this phenomenon with my creations.”
With this thought in mind, YuWo began posting her works online while still in school. After noticing her online postings, Taichung-based Min-Hsien Cultural Enterprise Co. Ltd. agreed to publish her first work, “1/2 Prince,” in October 2004. The book depicts how the younger brother of the female protagonist mocks her, telling her she is one who can only rely on men to obtain and play the latest version of an online game. Enraged, she challenges her brother to a contest at the game, in which she becomes a prince who leads a crowd of followers to save the world.
The book became a hit, especially among readers aged between 12 and 20, and would lead YuWo on the path of becoming a full-time novelist. To date, she has published seven series of novels totaling over sixty books, including “Black Flower,” “GOD,” “Hunting of the Shaded Guardian,” “The Legend of Sun Knight,” “No Hero,” and “No Kill.”
One of her best-selling serials is “The Legend of Sun Knight,” which depicts the friendship of 12 knights and the various adventures they undergo.
Bite, a ninth-grader fan from New Taipei City’s Xizhi district, skipped her Saturday cram school course just to attend YuWo’s autograph session April 28. She first came into contact with YuWo’s work when she was in fifth grade, Bite said. “I like every book by YuWo. The fantasy parts in her books are very interesting, with heroes, knights and sci-fi characters. The stories have filled my imaginary world of fantasy and provided me and my classmates something interesting to talk about.”
Wu Hsin-yi, a 12th grader from New Taipei City’s Banqiao district, has been an avid follower of YuWo’s works ever since she read “The Legend of Sun Knight” in seventh grade. She said that through the novelist’s books, she has learned not to always go with the same styles and abide by the same rules, but to explore and try new things.
Danza, a second-year medical student who has attended every autograph session held by YuWo, said YuWo’s books “give my imagination a chance to fly away with the protagonists” and to experience their world that is full of heroes and sci-fi characters. “Books by YuWo are humorous and they use the same kind of slang that we use in everyday life—which really helps to narrow the distance between the readers and the fantasy world she depicts,” she said.
Excited fans flock to YuWo’s autograph session at the Kingstone Bookstore in Taipei’s Gongguan commercial district April 28. (Photo courtesy of Angel International Publishers Co. Ltd.)Indeed, these are the kinds of effect YuWo intends her books to have on her readers. “My books are written in a relaxed and joyful mood,” the writer said. “Even if one of the plots is about deteriorating public order or media chaos, I still try to describe it in an interesting and positive way, so as to bring hope to life. In addition, I will not preach, for instance, that ‘friendship is important’; instead, I arrange for my characters to encounter various challenges, and I show them coming to one another’s aid during these challenges.
“People these days are under a lot of stress. If they continue to read about negative things for leisure, their burden will only increase.”
According to YuWo, other young readers have also benefited from her works. She once received a letter of gratitude from a patient who said she had to endure a dull and painful course of medical treatment at the hospital, but found comfort through reading her books. Other readers told her they used to have a hard time striking up a conversation with others—until they read her works, which give them something to talk about and helped them make new friends.
Chuang I-hsun, editor in chief of Angel International Publishers Co. Ltd., echoed YuWo and said that her books are funny and relaxing. “Reading her stories is like reading comics or playing video games and is very relaxing,” he noted.
Another reason for YuWo’s popularity among young readers is that she has an outgoing personality and knows how to interact with her fans both online and in person, said Chuang, who has worked with YuWo for four years. “There are some authors who compose charming works, but are shy when facing crowds. One reason readers attend autograph sessions is to interact with their favorite writer, so if the novelist is shy, the fans will feel a distance between themselves and the author.
“YuWo is very openly friendly and spends time maintaining her relations with the fans. She runs a blog and an online forum, which she often visits to read feedback from her readers. She also prepares gifts and hosts activities on her own, such as a contest on afterthoughts about her books.”
To date, the copyrights of YuWo’s books have been sold to several other countries and regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. She has also held autograph sessions throughout these same places. In addition, her works have also been turned into comics and made into stationary. A video games company is scheduled to release a game based on “1/2 Prince” in the near future.
“Creating is like a mother giving birth to a child, and I see every book and character I have created as my babies,” YuWo said. “Seeing a character grow from one volume in a series to another, and finally achieving something in the end is very touching. The readers’ responses also make me feel they are growing along with my characters, as if they regard the characters as real human beings.”
This satisfaction, noted YuWo, is the motivation for her to continue writing for as long as she can. (HZW)
Write to Grace Kuo at mlkuo@mofa.gov.tw