臺灣文學虛擬博物館

Lin Haiyin (1918-2001) was Hakka from Miaoli County of northern Taiwan. She moved to Beijing with her family when she was young. The experiences of living in Beijing became the major source of the background for her novel My Memories of Old Beijing. Lin moved to Taiwan with her family in 1948. Between 1953 and 1963, she worked as the editor of the literary section of the United Daily News and was engaged in creating prose, novel, and children’s literature. In 1967, she established the literary periodical Belles-Lettres Monthly and, in the next year, founded the Belles-Lettres Publishing House. Lin devoted her life to editing, writing, and publishing. She supported a number of authors and played a significant role in promoting Taiwan’s modern literature. Memories of Peking: South Side Stories, Stories of Marriage, Green Seaweed and Salted Eggs, Common Holly are her popular and representative works. Her works explore the problems of love and marriage for women in a fast changing Chinese society, paying particular attention to psychological and physical restraints imposed upon women by patriarchy. Her prose after the 80s is of great value with its depiction of the transformation of Taiwan’s literary world. -- introduction by Fan Min-ju, translated by Fran Lee.

Born in Osaka, Japan.
Born Lin Han-yin.
Father lin Huan-wen (also Known as Bin-nan，1888-1931), a native of Toufen, Miaoli. Mather Lin-Huang Ai-zhen.

Lin went back to Taiwan with her parents.

Lin moved with her parents to Beijing.

Lin began classes at First affiliated Elementary School of Chan-dian Normal University.

The poem “To the Lady of Camellias” published on The World Illustrated [shijie huakan].

Father passed away.

Enrolled in Beiping World College of Journalism.

Lin became acquainted with Xia Cheng-ying.

Lin began working at World Daily as a full time journalist.

Lin married Xia Cheng-ying.

Lin moved back to Taiwan with her family.

In May, Lin began working at Mandarin Daily News as an editor; in December, she presided over Mandarin Daily News' Weekend Edition and remained in the position (until October 1994).

Lin started publishing articles on newspapers.

Employed as Chief Editor for the Literary Supplement of the United Daily News.
During the period between November 1, 1953, and April 23, 1963, when she had been the chief editor of the Literary Supplement of the United Daily News, Lin H...

Lin published her first book, Common Holly.

Taught at World College of Journalism.

Short stories Green Seaweed and Saled Eggs published.

The first and second volume of "Memories of Peking: South Side Stories" published on Free China Volume 17, Issue 11 and 12.

Lin published her first full-length novel, Xiao-yun.

Story collection Memories of Peking: South Side Stories published.

On August 12, “ Zhong Lihe Obituary” was published on the Literary Supplement of the United Daily News.

In October, in collaboration with Zhong Zhaozheng and others, she established a publishing committee for Zhong Lihe’s posthumous works and later published Rain, a collection of Zhong Lihe’s novels.

Lin resigned as the chief editor of the United Daily News due to the publication of a poem named “A Story” by Feng Chih (Wang Feng-chih) on the newspapers on April 23, 1963. The poem was suspected by the government of insinuating that the ca...

The English translation of Green Seaweed and Saled Eggs was published.

Short stories Stories of Marriage published.

Started working on ?children’s literature.

Short story collection Candle Wick and the first children's book Golden Bridge published.

Children's literature Little Happy Comes Home, Old House of the Cai's, and prose collection Visiting America, The story of Two Place published.

January 1, Lin founded the Belles-Lettres Monthly and acted as the general ?manager and Chief Editor.

Full-length novel Spring Breeze and Beautiful Sun, Meng-zhu's Journey, and children's literature We Have All Grown Up, The Bird that Doesn't Have a Fear for Cold Weather:Penguin published.

Belles-Lettres Publishing House was established in December.

Radio show script Wei-wei's Weekly Diary published.

Lin became a member of the Editing and Reviewing Committee for elementary school, Chinese-language textbooks under the National Institute for Compilation and Translation, and presided over the drafting of Chinese-language textbooks for first and second g...

The children's literature The Sly Old Cat, and prose collection Chieness Tofu published.

Prose collection Window published.

Lin Hai-yin's Collection published.

Attended the 9^th Annual Conference of the Hong Kong Chinese Practitioner Association.

Children's literature Aesop's Fables published.

Children's literature Welcome to My Hometown published.

Memories of Peking: South Side Stories was adapted to film, directed by Wu Yi-gong.

Prose collection Nighttime Reading by the Window published.

Mother passed away.

In July, Memories of Peking: South Side Stories won the Golden Eagle Prize from the 2^nd Manila International Film Festival.

Profiles of Literary Figures published.

Prose collection Living by a Bookstore－My beijing-flavord Memoir published.Prose collection Living by a Bookstore－My beijing-flavord Memoir published.

Lin Hai-yin's Prose publish.The comic essayHead of the House published.

Translated Miss Porter's Fairy Tales.

The English translation of Memories of Peking: South Side Stories was published.

Prose Seeing Her Across the Bamboo Curtaions published.

Sort story collection Gold Carp's Pleated Skirt published.

Prose Written in the Wind published.

Children's book Allegoric Words published, Prose Granny's Fool-proof Camera and The One Who Lives published.

Memories of Peking: South Side Stories named best children’s book by China Times’ Open Book section.

The Japanese translation of Memories of Peking: South Side Stories was published.

Lin closed down Belles-Lettres Publishing House.

Ying-zi's Heart（compiled by Fu Guang-ming）and The story of Two Cities （co-authored by He Fan）published.

The German translation of Memories of Peking: South Side Stories was published.

A long Time Passing （compiled by Fu Guang-ming）and Lin Hai-yin's Works in five installments.

In November 12, the National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature in Beijing held a seminar on Hai-yin’s works.

Lin was presented with the Lifelong Achievement Award at the third World Chinese Writers Conference.

The German translation of Memories of Peking: South Side Stories won Switzerland's Blue Cobra Award.

Lin was presented with the second May Fourth Award for Literary Contribution.

Lin received an Honorary Literary Medal from the Chinese Writers' and Artists' Association.

Lin Hai-yin's Works in twelve installments and The Sea Sounds that Pass Through the Woods—Lin Hai-yin's Visual Memoir was published.

Memories of Peking: South Side Stories ranked as one of the 100 Best Chinese Fictional Works in the 20^th Century by Hong Kong’s Asia Weekly.

Lin passed away.

Ying-zi's Homesickness published.

The donation ceremony of Lin Hai-yin and He Fan's Precious Cultural Relics at Council for Cultural Affairs, Executive Yuan, organized by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature.

“Listening to the Sea beyond the Woods: an Exhibition of the Lin Hai-yin Archives,” an exhibition on Lin by National Museum of Taiwan Literature.