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Paving the Way for Ch'en Ching-k'ai's Exoneration | Literary Brick: An Interview with Writer Ch'en Yün-ying
Last edited: 2026-07-27
──Excerpted from the introduction of Reaching the Shore: Collected Works of the 11th Global Chinese Literature Nebula Awards 2021
Accumulated Warmth and Resonance
Looking back at Ch'en Yün-ying's works, almost all of them are related to 'visual impairment.'
Ch'en Yün-ying mentioned that her career can be summarized into two parts: 'professional baseball' and 'visual impairment.' After concluding her ten-year career reporting on professional baseball, she transitioned to full-time writing and began touching upon visual impairment issues, having cultivated this field for twenty years.
She is the author of books such as Walking Gives Me Rebirth. Among them, Blind Fighter and Goodbye, Ohara won the National Culture and Arts Foundation's literary writing grants; Let Me Be Your Eyes won the 2003 'Good Books for Everyone to Read' Annual Best Children and Youth Book Award; Ts'ai Kuo-nan's Gold Jewelry of This Life won the Ministry of Economic Affairs' 2008 Golden Book Award; and in 2014, she won an honorable mention in the essay category of the United Daily News' 1st 'Action Literature for Love Award.' Furthermore, "Guilty Despite Being Disabled? Discussing Ch'en Ching-k'ai's 'Feigning Blindness for Insurance Fraud' Case" won the First Prize for Reportage Literature at the 11th Global Chinese Literature Nebula Awards in 2021, and was collected in the anthology Reaching the Shore.
Through a friend's introduction, Ch'en Yün-ying had the opportunity to understand the Ch'en Ching-k'ai case. Her first interview was with Ch'en Ching-k'ai, I-ch'iao (Ching-k'ai's wife), and others. "Actually, right after the interview ended that day, I felt I had already found my conclusion," she recalled, experiencing many emotional impacts from that first interview and consequently beginning to learn more about the various facets of the Ching-k'ai case.
Her years of experience teaching writing classes in prisons gave her greater empathy for wrongful convictions; meanwhile, her exposure to visual impairment issues brought a deeper understanding of blind baseball and the visually impaired. All of this infused her writing on the Ching-k'ai case with a unique warmth and resonance.
What Does She Want the Public to See Through Literature?
I-ch'iao (Ching-k'ai's wife) told me on the day of the interview that she once asked Ching-k'ai what he would want to see most if he could see one day. She said she hoped the answer would be herself, but unexpectedly, Ching-k'ai said it would be himself. Ching-k'ai said, 'Everyone says my wife is very beautiful, my daughter is very cute, and my parents have aged a lot, but I most want to see myself.' On second thought, it is also very reasonable; he has never seen what he looks like anymore." Teacher Ch'en spoke of the interactions during that first interview as if they were still vivid before her eyes. And this became the conclusion of the book, perfectly coinciding with the documentary Blind Spot.
The Ching-k'ai case involves a vast amount of expertise in special education, psychology, medicine, law, and other fields, yet what the author most wants to convey is actually the concept that "loss of sight does not equal loss of ability." Knowing clearly that many professional concepts are hard for ordinary people to grasp and might even become barriers for readers, she wanted to use an approachable way in the book to let people see a more multifaceted Ching-k'ai.
"I would think, if it were me, what would I be curious about?"
Therefore, the book records Ching-k'ai's family life, which she believes is a way to bring the public closer to Ching-k'ai's daily life and is also her favorite part of the interviews. Watching Ching-k'ai interact with his family and play with his daughter, we discover that a visually impaired person may indeed be different from what people imagine. Equally important is her desire to convey her realizations accumulated over many years. The public often finds it difficult to imagine how the visually impaired live, leading to many misunderstandings. She also hopes that through the writing of this book, more people will come to understand that 'blindness' does not equal 'incapacity.'
When Sorrow and Joy Coexist, Words Illuminate the Path to Exoneration
There is a line in The Alchemist that goes: 'When you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.' Writing this case, I truly felt this way. You see, I was practically a stranger to everyone, yet everyone was helping me, so I am extremely grateful." Ch'en Yün-ying finally told us this.
Since the criminal judgment was finalized in 2018, this case has gone through a stay of execution, a civil retrial victory, review of a finalized guilty verdict by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, and is currently undergoing proceedings in the retrial investigation court.
The journey has been filled with both joy and sorrow. The sorrow lies in the legal system's misunderstanding of visual impairment issues; the joy is that there has always been light along this journey, and we are all still working hard on the path to exonerating the Ching-k'ai case. As Teacher Ch'en said: "I feel sad for the path Ching-k'ai has walked, but I am also joyful for the completion of the book and the civil exoneration in Ching-k'ai's case."
The day of the civil retrial verdict in the Mingsong case in August 2020 was the scene that left the deepest impression on Teacher Ch'en, even making her blood boil. Like a dramatic twist, it opened a new chapter for Ching-k'ai's path to exoneration and for her temporarily stalled writing.
On August 27, 2020, the Mingsong retrial case was pronounced. Ching-k'ai stood in the middle, with Lawyer Yang and Lawyer Chien standing on his left and right. When the judge read out, "The original final judgment is annulled...", Ching-k'ai did not understand the legal terminology. Lawyer Yang gently grasped Ching-k'ai's hand and said, "We won!" He was stunned for a moment, unable to react in time; Lawyer Yang grasped his hand again, and said in a firm and elevated tone, "Ching-k'ai, we won." Suddenly, Ching-k'ai let go of his voice and wailed loudly.
──Excerpted from Ch'en Yün-ying, "Guilty Despite Being Disabled? Discussing Ch'en Ching-k'ai's 'Feigning Blindness for Insurance Fraud' Case"
Through Teacher Ch'en's words, the heaviness of the wrongful conviction and the resilience of life are recorded. Wrongful convictions bring despair and hardship, but because of every effort made, the path to exoneration is illuminated, and these issues are gradually seen by the public.
Works by Teacher Ch'en Yün-ying
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.