Today on Taiwan History, we look at the life of legendary Taiwanese composer, Chiang Wen-yeh. He was born in Taiwan, educated in Japan and lived out his later life in China. Seen by many as a genius, Chiang participated in the 1936 Olympic art competition at the age of 26. He won an honorable mention in a field populated by many great composers.

He settled in Beijing, but his career was derailed after WWII, when he was labeled a traitor for having composed for the Japanese government. When the Communist Party took control of China, Chiang was sent to a forced labor camp. The former university professor spent his 60s cleaning toilets, and his health suffered heavily.

In the 1980s, the once-feted composer began to gain attention, and found honor in the musical world again. For today’s episode, we sought out the surviving works of Chiang Wen-yeh, and photographic gems to illustrate the life of a musical genius across Taiwan, Japan and China.