Taiwanese ghost story writer Ssu-Ma Chung-yuan dies at 90

Taipei, Jan. 4 (CNA) Taiwanese writer Ssu-Ma Chung-yuan (司馬中原), known as "the master of telling ghost stories," died on Thursday morning at the age of 90, his son confirmed.

Ssu-Ma's son Wu Jung-hao (吳融昊) told CNA that his father had been hospitalized a few days ago following a fall that caused a bone fracture.

Wu said Ssu-Ma was otherwise in a healthy condition, meaning his death had been "very shocking" for the family, but added that old age may have played a role.

Ssu-Ma was born Wu Yen-mei (吳延玫) in 1933 in Nanjing, China, and retreated to Taiwan with the Republic of China (ROC) army in 1949. He taught himself to read and write, and began making a living as a writer after he retired from the army in 1962.

His books include "Gusty Wind" (狂風沙) and the "Countryside Legends" (鄉野傳奇) series, and he also served as the head of several literature organizations.

According to Wu Jung-hao, his father wrote over 100 books during his lifetime. Being a witness of war and turmoil, his father often wrote from the perspective of the man on the street, and said he hoped his work helped people to "cherish" what they have.

Feng Te-ping (封德屏), president of the Wenhsun Magazine, told CNA that Ssu-Ma was a well-known military writer -- they often write about their experiences in the Chinese Civil War and their works usually voice support for Kuomintang authority over the country -- and that he was dubbed one of the "military trio" along with writers Tuan Tsai-hua (段彩華) and Chu Hsi-ning (朱西甯).

According to the National Museum of Taiwan Literature's website, Ssu-Ma's works can be divided into three categories: military literature, including his early work "The Flats" (荒原); short stories; and the "Countryside Legends" series, in which he wrote anecdotal accounts of notable local incidents and tales of the supernatural. Most of his works during his literary career are in the third category.

In an interview with CNA in 2018, Ssu-Ma said he mainly chose to write ghost stories because he had to raise a big family. "I have to write what appeals to people to be able to make money, so I can pay my kids' school fees."

Wu Jung-hao recalled that when he woke up in the middle of the night during his childhood, he would often see Ssu-Ma sitting at the desk working on his stories.

"My dad provided us with everything through his writing," he said, adding that he is very proud of what his dad achieved.

In addition to writing, Ssu-Ma also hosted TV and radio shows about ghost stories. One of his famous lines includes: "Chinese people are scared of ghosts, Western people too, the whole world is scared of them!"

Feng said among writers active in the 1950s, a lot of Ssu-Ma's works never went out of print, showing he "has a lot of readers."

She added that Ssu-Ma had left the world lots of exciting pieces and that she would discuss with his family how best to keep his memory alive, adding that "having a thorough look at his literary creations and his career is what our generation should do."