Top Women

The person we interviewed is a very active literary writer-Wen-ya Kuei. We went to visit the teacher's house and she treated us with hospitality. From her conversation we knew she was humorous, optimistic, and funny, but with high self expectation. Facing our many problems, she was very patient and answered us one by one, and afterwards, provided us with her personal information so it’s convenient for use to organize. The following is our interview results of her:
Interview time: 14:00, 11th of January, 2012

 

Wen-ya Kuei was born in 1949 in Taipei, Taiwan, from the ancestral home of Anhui Province Chizhou. Under the teaching of her father, Gui Ji Huai, she read Tang classics in primary school and set the base for future writing. In her youth she precipitated in the reading of Chinese and Western classical literature, increasing the influence on her personality and enhanced her literary taste and spirit. At the age of 15, she published her first work; at 20, published her first book of prose. In the 40 years from then to now, she published over 30 kinds of adult and children's literature. Wen-ya is not only an important representative of the cross-strait children's literature, but is also the helmsman that promoted children's literature. For 20 years she promoted all types of children’s literature, including reading, teaching, seminars, and teacher training camps in Taiwan. In addition, she is committed to the cross-strait children's literature publishing exchange. She had crucial influence in the development process of the cross-strait children's literature. Since retiring in 2009, she is now in charge of the “Thinking Cat" Children's Literature Research Office. She is also a Taiwan Normal University guest professor, and an honorary director of children's books data center.

Wen-ya's father was a frugal man, but very sweet on the children. Wen-ya’s father bought a lot of books the sisters, and taught them poetry, and cultivate their interest in literature. Their mother loved the family dog, and treated the dog as family. Wen-ya thought that when she was young, her mother must have loved them and took care of them like that. Her father opposed her choice in education and her forging ahead, and thought of her choice in journalism as a child’s game. She was not in favor of her writing. Her father said: a scrubby scholar, bitter for life, and her mother said: stupid ideas all day, your brain are all busted. Even grandmother said: Do not write anymore! You are so skinny, it is best to eat and sleep.

When Wen-ya was 15 years old, her “test luck” was not good. When she graduated middle school, she did not get into high school, and even repeated test to Shi Xin also failed! Fortunately, Mr. Liang Hancao came forward, and she got a sit in student place, but the treatment is poor. But she passed her second year of retest.
In the four years of college, she read books while joining clubs and making friend. She also diligent contributed to the school publication and served as a campus lecture recorder for the "Small World" publishing.
Each time a famous person from different walks of life were invited to Li Xiao for a speech, the principal sent her in front of the piano (piano cover is the desktop) to concentrate on taking notes. With no recording equipment and long time spent listening, dictating, and organizing notes she laid down the necessary basic skills she needed for future editorial work. This also benefited her future work at United Daily News greatly.

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Wen-ya Kuei’s most impressionable teacher was her Chinese teacher. The teacher wrote on Wen-ya’s review: "read more, write more, think more. This is the best way to learn. If you keep working hard you will achieve the dream to become a news journalist!” At the end of the semester, her report card showed 100 points, which was the teacher’s encouragement and his expectation!

Our research subject is possible effects in the work place caused by gender. From our interview results we know that Ms. Kuei engaged in the work of writing and would not be treated differently due to gender. The difficulties she encountered were an unsupportive family. Maybe normal people would of given up because of this, but she did not shrink because of this. As an outstanding female, the biggest reason Ms. Kuei was successful was because she had very strict requirements for herself (doing something meaningful daily), knows how to do time planning, and also actively cultivate interests. So from Ms. Kuei, we see an adherence to self-ideal and a continue enriching spirit oneself!