臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Stories of Lung Ying-tsung on a Wheelchair

Lung Ying-stung donated the wheelchair which kept him company in his later years to the Museum, and the Museum wrote stories of this meaningful object in return, so that more people may share the writer’s precious memory. In 1987, after being sent to an ER, Lung suffered from declining health. Knowing that his father had yearned to travel in China, his son Liu Chih-fu took Lung to the country several times to explore ancestral past. Pushing a wheelchair, Liu Chih-fu took his father to the Silk Road, Chang’an City, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Du Fu Thatched Cottage which appeared in Lung Ying-tsung’s first work in Chinese, Tu Fu in Chang’an. The writer’s longtime wishes were finally fulfilled. Liu Chih-fu also turned the trips and his feelings into “Wheelchair in a Pile of White Dragons,” which was published on August 8 and 9, 1998 on Section 38 of United Daily News as “Father’s Day special.”

⚈ The wheelchair that kept Lung Ying-tsung company when he was old. (Provided by Lung Ying-tsung)

Excerpts of the wheelchair stories:

In the trip to the Silk Road taken later on, my considerate son Chih-fu prepared a wheelchair for me, without asking in advance, to support the weary me. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda rose high up in front of me. I seemed to feel that the poet came to stare at it with me. I had similar feelings when my soul flew here. The poet was poor, desperate and weak. I felt that my mind was bounded heavily by my body. But the persistent poet climbed up, step by step, and reached the top. I tried to keep up with him, leaning against the rails, going up in spirals…

In 1992, I was weak. My wife and a few family members traveled with me to Sichuan. I wanted see the Du Fu Thatched Cottage in this pilgrimage trip – it was my wish. All along the way, Chih-fu pushed my wheelchair, enduring much trouble. He had to look after his mother who was just as old as me. He was even busy keeping records of this journey. He never had a rest during the whole trip, but he never complained. At this age, with such a body, I was able to fulfill my dream in a distant place because Chih-fu contributed the most! I don’t know how I can express my overwhelming gratitude and feelings. All these were condensed into a gentle smile to express everything unsaid.

⚈ Photo of Lung Ying-tsung and two of his family members in front of terracotta sculptures. In his later years, Lung Ying-tsung and his family traveled in China together. (Provided by Lung Ying-tsung)

⚈ Photograph of Lung Ying-stung and two of his family members in front of the Palace Museum in China. In his later years, Lung Ying-tsung and his family traveled in China together. (Provided by Lung Ying-tsung)