Sep 30, 2020
Eileen Chang’s 100th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the centennial birthday of Chinese-born writer and translator Eileen Chang. Lauded for her graceful writing style, intimate understanding of human psychology, and exploration of themes like loneliness and embittered romance, Chang is widely recognized as one of the great writers of modern Chinese literature.
Eileen Chang was born Zhang Ying into an aristocratic family in Shanghai, China on this day in 1920. By the time she was in high school, Chang earned notice for her rare literary talent, and some of her first work was published in the school’s magazine. She went on to study literature at the University of Hong Kong before returning to Shanghai in 1941.
In her early twenties Chang forged her path as a writer, and her short stories and essays, as well as her 1943 novella “The Golden Cangue,” established her as one of China’s most heralded new voices. Among her beloved works from this period are the novellas “Love in a Fallen City” (1943) and “Red Rose, White Rose” (1944), both of which are depicted in today’s Doodle. In 1955, Chang moved to the U.S., where she continued to write across a variety of mediums, from novels to screenplays for Hong Kong films. Her work exploded in popularity across the Chinese-speaking world in the 1970s, but Chang remained a modest and private person throughout her life.
Happy birthday, Eileen Chang, and thank you for your providing a novel lens into life and love through your decades of literary contributions.
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