Chang Hsiao Yen honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award at Golden Bell Awards

Veteran host Chang Hsiao Yen has been a mainstay of Taiwanese variety programmes since the 1980s, when she hosted the popular variety programme, Variety 100.

The 71-year-old is no stranger to showbiz, having gotten her start in the entertainment industry as a child actress at the tender age of five. At the age of 10, she won her very first award, Best Child Actress, at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.

Last Saturday (Oct 5), Hsiao Yen was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Bell Awards. She received a standing ovation from the audience as she walked on stage to collect her trophy, and a number of celebrities were also featured in a video montage that was played, with many recounting their impressions of the host and describing her.

In her acceptance speech, she made mention of the clip, joking, “I hope that this video will be saved, [so that] when I [pass away] in the future, they wouldn’t need to trouble everyone to speak again - they can just reuse this video!”

​The host also looked back at her long journey in showbiz. Despite the various setbacks and slumps that she had encountered, Hsiao Yen expressed that she feels lucky to have been able to turn the tide each time, so that she could continue on with her career.

“Without me, television would still be as interesting; but without television, I’d feel a little lonely, truthfully,” she mused.

After the show, a hashtag started by host Mickey Huang, who is one of Hsiao Yen’s disciples, trended amongst celebrities. The hashtag, which translates to “one person, one photo [with] Hsiao Yen jie”, saw numerous celebrities upload pictures of themselves with the 71-year-old, expressing their gratitude to her.