THE CLI-FI REPORT

http://www.kingstone.com.tw/book/book_page.asp?kmcode=2018870017910&actid=vertical

INTRO

LINK TO TV ADVERTISMENT on YOUTUBE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTLsdCDRtBM

In an interview with reporter IRMA YU at the Liberty Times in 2012,
Tchernegovski told the Chiayi reporter: "Through this journey, I have
met some true Taiwanese friends, including my Aboriginal friends from
Fongshan and Laiji Villages, local foreign affairs officers who
accompanied me, Jody Chiang as well as so many others who have lent me
a helping hand. They are heroes."

The recently published book is Tchernegovski’s way to saying thank you
to Taiwan, he said. Available only in a Chinese-language edition, an
English-language edition might be published later on, according to
sources.


THE STORY BACKGROUND with reporting from Liberty Times in 2012 and 2015 update:

Philip Tchernegovski's son Reuben went missing in 1998 while hiking in
the mountains near Alishan Township (阿里山), and while his body was
never found after
many fruitless searches, the New Zealander found a love for Taiwan
that he describes in his new book titled "Mountain of the Beautiful
Moon" (眠月之山). Publisihed in a Chinese-language edition on New Year's
Day this year, the book is Tchernegovski's love letter to Taiwan, the
people of Alishan who helped me search for Rueben and the music of
Jody Chiang (江蕙), whose songs he discovered on severl trips to Chiayi over
the past 15 years.


When he heard the news that Chiang had announced she would retire from
the music business after her farewell concert tour later this year,
Tchernegovski said he was sad to hear the news.

"I was gutted to hear that," he said in a recent email from New Zealand..
"My book 'Mountain of the Sleeping Moon' [written first in English and
translated later into Chinese] shares my feelings about Taiwan and its
wonderful people and how, in meeting such a beautiful person as Jody,
I discovered a wonderful human being and a friend. She transcends all
music, all language and all cultures."

Tchernegovski was invited to attend one of Chiang's concerts in 2012
as a guest of the singer, and was introduced to the audience by the
singer from the stage, and news of his friendship with the Taiwanese
diva was broacast on local television stations the following day.

His new book is a way to express his gratitude to the Taiwanese people
during the time he was searching for his missing son, and to explain
how Chiang's plaintive melodies touched his heart both before and
after they met.

A popular TV commercial a few yaers ago for a famous alcohol brand
showed the New Zealand sculptor meeting Chiang at his home in New
Zealand, although it was later revealed that the advertisment was shot
in different locatrions, including Taipei, and later magically edited
to make it appear as if the singer was visiting his home studio.

"Jody is the sweetest, kindest person on
the
planet, and I feel I am truly blessed to call her my friend,"
Tchernegovski said in an email. "Her voice inspires
me
on, as it did in the search for my boy, Reuben."

Tchernegovski has often visited Taiwanese friends and mountain search
and rescue officials in Fongshan Village (豐山) in Alishan
Tchernegovski, coming to Taiwan more than six times over the years to
look for his son who went missing in 1998.

Reuben Tchernegovski was on a backpacking trip to Taiwan in 1998 and
tragically disappeared while traveling from the Alishan National
Forest Recreation Area to Alishan Forest Railway’s Mianyue Line.
Tsou Aborigines from Fongshan and Laiji Village (來吉) helped him search
the entire mountain area, but to no avail.

The searches uncovered a skeleton which was suspected to be Reuben’s,
but the results of a DNA analysis proved otherwise, according to
police officials.

While Tchernegovski was mourning the loss of his son, a taxi driver
sent him a CD by Chiang featuring the song ''Half Awake, Half Drunk''
(半醉半清醒), which his book explains as having helped soothe the pain of
losing his son.

Tchernegovski’s sadness over never being able to find closure over how
or why his son went missing in 1998 came the attention of Chiang after
Taiwanese writer Liu Ka-shiang (劉克襄) reported the story.

Chiang was so touched by Tchernegovski’s affection for his son that
she tracked him down through the Internet and invited him to a concert
in Taiwan in 2010. During the show, she dedicated her ''Half Awake,
Half Drunk'' song to the father and he stood up in the audience to
express his gratitude to her.

In an interview with IRMA YU at the Liberty Times in 2012,
Tchernegovski told a Chiayi reporter: "Through this journey, I have
met some true Taiwanese friends, including my Aboriginal friends from
Fongshan and Laiji Villages, local foreign affairs officers who
accompanied me, Jody Chiang as well as so many others who have lent me
a helping hand. They are heroes."

The recently published book is Tchernegovski’s way to saying thank you
to Taiwan, he said. Available only in a Chinese-language edition, an
English-language edition might be published later on, according to
sources.

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