39-Year Delayed Fan Letter Turns Spotlight on Veteran Actor Jiang Houren and Star Song Kangling

Veteran Taiwanese actor Jiang Houren, once a prominent leading man in the 1980s alongside actors like Kou Shixun and Chang Chen-kuang, has stirred nostalgic memories by sharing a black-and-white photograph with former star Song Kangling. The image, posted on Jiang's Facebook, dates back to the 1980s and has resonated with many who recall their earlier careers.

Jiang, 70, titled his post "A Signed Photo That's 39 Years Late," recounting how a young girl, then just three years old, recognized him and began collecting his news clippings. By age eight, she sent him three letters written in a mix of Chinese and phonetic script to the television station, eagerly awaiting a response.

The actor shared further details about the fan's correspondence, noting her precocious observations. She referred to the actresses in his dramas as 'aunties' but called him 'brother,' a detail Jiang found particularly striking, musing whether it was a premonition or a memory from a past life. The accompanying photo of the fan at age eight, a first-grader, also revealed a still from a drama featuring a young Song Kangling, unexpectedly drawing attention to the veteran actress.

Song Kangling, 69, rose to fame in 1978 after being discovered by producer Chou Yu-tsun for the drama "The Burning Daughters' Love." She married businessman Tsai Chao-lun in 1979 and briefly retired before returning to Taiwan in 1988 to film several dramas, including "Wang Zhaojun" and "Love of an Angel." She retired again in 1990 at the height of her career and divorced her husband in 1995.