Chi Pang-yuan

Chi Pang-yuan (19 February 1924 – 28 March 2024) was a Manchurian-born Taiwanese writer, academic, and Chinese–English translator. She was instrumental in introducing Taiwanese literature to the Western World through translations. She is also known for her autobiography The Great Flowing River (2009).

Chi studied English literature at Wuhan University under the tutelage of Zhu Guangqian and Wu Mi. In 1947, she became a teacher of English at National Taiwan University. In 1956, she went to the United States on the Fulbright Exchange Teachers' Program and in 1967, she went to St. Mary-of-the-Woods College as a Fulbright scholar again. She enrolled at Indiana University Bloomington in 1968, but returned to Taiwan six credits away from completing a Master of Arts degree due to family matters.

In 1969, Chi founded and served as head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Chung Hsing University. In the 70s, while working at the National Institute for Compilation and Translation, she pushed for the de-politicization of the mandatory Chinese textbooks in Taiwan and started translating Taiwanese literature into English. From 1977 to 1988, she was professor of English literature at NTU and was granted emeritus status after retiring. Chi subsequently became editor-in-chief of The Taipei Chinese PEN.

Chi's autobiography, The Great Flowing River, is a bestseller in the Sinophone world. It has been translated into English, German, and Japanese.

President Chen Shui-bian awarded Chi the Order of Propitious Clouds in 2004. In 2015, Chen's successor Ma Ying-jeou awarded Chi the Order of Brilliant Star.

Chi turned 100 in early 2024 and died on 28 March of the same year.