For 72 years, “The Crown” magazine, which has been a companion to readers in Taiwan, will publish its final issue in December of this year. Since the 1960s, “The Crown” has been known for its “One Book a Month” column, through which works like Qiong Yao’s “Beyond the Window” and Eileen Chang’s “The Ungrateful Woman” were introduced to readers.
The decision to cease publication of “The Crown” was announced by publisher Ping Heng at a press conference titled “Completeness within Completeness: The Story Unfinished, Reading Still Happening” held on September 29th. She admitted that making the decision to stop publication was not an easy one. However, there are currently no plans to transition the magazine into digital format. Instead, efforts are being made to launch a “Collectors’ Edition,” aiming to lead readers in reminiscing the publishing history of “The Crown” together.
Throughout its 72-year history, “The Crown” has always been dedicated to connecting great literary works with readers and providing a platform for countless authors to debut their talent. Over the years, “The Crown” has published a total of 874 issues, featuring around 28,000 articles contributed by approximately 6,800 authors, weaving together a river of literature totaling around 70 million words. If all the pages published over the 72 years were laid end to end, the total length would amount to about 55 kilometers – even exceeding the distance of a marathon – serving as a tangible record of “The Crown’s” multi-generational journey in publishing.
Recalling the past, Ping Heng mentioned that during the magazine’s 60th anniversary in 2014, a commemorative special issue was released with the theme of “Completeness,” thinking it marked a significant milestone. Little did they know that the magazine would continue for another 12 years. Now, as the Crown Cultural Group expands into different fields, the decision has been made to conclude this 72-year publishing journey of “The Crown” with its final chapter.
The decision to halt the magazine’s publication was finalized just two months ago, according to Ping Heng. The day before the announcement, she deliberately informed her late father, Ping Xin Tao, the founder of “The Crown,” about the decision. Reflecting on her emotions during this period, she expressed a mix of reluctance and gratitude. While she has been able to uphold the foundation established by her predecessors, making new breakthroughs on the existing achievements is no easy task.
Founded by Ping Xin Tao in 1954, “The Crown” allowed literary works to first meet readers through the magazine before later being published as books and in other mediums. In 1963, Qiong Yao’s first full-length novel, “Beyond the Window,” was serialized in “The Crown” before being released as a standalone edition two months later. In 1966, Eileen Chang’s “The Ungrateful Woman” was also published in “The Crown.”
In the 1970s, “The Crown” diversified, evolving into various genres such as overseas student literature, wandering literature, reportage literature, female writing, and parent-child creativity. These included works by authors like Zhao Ning in overseas student literature, San Mao in wandering literature, Ma Yigong and Xin Dai in reportage literature, Liao Huiying in female consciousness writing, and Xiao Ye in parent-child creations.