Yang Shuang-zi

Yang Shuang-zi
Born	1984 (age 39–40) Taichung, Taiwan
Notable work	Taiwan Travelogue
Awards	Golden Tripod Award Best Translation Award National Book Award for Translated Literature

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yang.

Yang Shuang-zi (simplified Chinese: 杨双子; traditional Chinese: 楊双子; pinyin: Yáng shuāngzǐ; born 1984) is a Taiwanese writer. Her book, Taiwan Travelogue, translated from Mandarin Chinese into English by Lin King, won the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2024.

Name

Yang's name "Shuang-zi" is a pen name meaning "twins". Yang, named Yang Jo-tzu (simplified Chinese: 杨若慈; traditional Chinese: 楊若慈; pinyin: Yáng ruòcí), grew up mostly interested in writing literature, whereas her twin sister, Yang Jo-hui (simplified Chinese: 杨若晖; traditional Chinese: 楊若暉; pinyin: Yáng ruòhuī), was more interested in historical research and translation; Yang Jo-hui died of cancer in 2015, after which Yang Jo-tzu adopted the name "Shuang-zi" for herself to honor her twin sister, with whom she shared many literary and artistic pursuits.

Early life and education

Yang was born in Taichung, raised in a rural village, and identified with the Republic of China (ROC) as a child and young adult. However, shortly after graduating from National Chung Hsing University with a degree in Chinese literature, she participated in the Wild Strawberries Movement, a protest against Chinese politician Chen Yunlin's 2008 visit to Taiwan. During the demonstrations, police suppressed displays of the ROC flag, an action which Yang later questioned: "Isn't the action something we take for granted? I didn't understand why we couldn't do it. It made me question why I was so unfamiliar with the land where I grew up." The protest inspired Yang to pursue a master's degree in Taiwanese literature, which she completed in 2012. Over the course of her graduate studies, Yang came to fully identify as Taiwanese. Yang later stated that the Sunflower Student Movement of 2014 "made me realize that Taiwan has been facing threats from China" and motivated her to "write something for Taiwan from a perspective only I can see".

Career

In 2020, Yang released Taiwan Travelogue, originally in Mandarin Chinese, published by Springhill Publishing. The book went on to win a Golden Tripod Award in 2021. Later, the book was translated to Japanese and published by Chuokoron-Shinsha. The Japanese translation subsequently won Japan's Best Translation Award in 2024. The same year, Yang and King won the National Book Award for Translated Literature for their joint writer-translator effort on the English publication of Taiwan Travelogue, published by Graywolf Press.

Taiwan Travelogue follows Aoyama Chizuru, a Japanese writer who arrives in Taiwan in 1938 during Japanese occupation, and slowly begins to fall in love with her interpreter. Kirkus Reviews called it "A moving account of friendship in the shadow of the Japanese Southern Expansion policy"; Publishers Weekly stated "Yáng offers rich reflections on colonialism and translation along with delightful depictions of Taiwanese delicacies."

Personal life

Yang is married to her wife Lai Ting-ho.