Former Taiwanese actress Chen Chen recovering from second brain surgery

Taipei — It has been reported that former Taiwanese actress Chen Chen appears to be in good spirits after recovering from a second brain operation in March.

On Thursday (Oct 7), the Taiwanese screen goddess of the 1970s appeared in photos posted by veteran Hong Kong journalist Wong Man Ling. Chen Chen and Wong were attending the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of renowned photographer Leung Hoi Ping and his wife Man Ying.

Other screen veterans such as John Chiang, Bowie Wu and Helena Law Lan also attended the gathering. In July, Wong posted photos of the 74-year-old Chen Chen and she had looked thinner back then. Those photos were taken during the 88th birthday of former screen idol Grace Chang, better known as Ge Lan, with retired actresses Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia and Kelly Yao Wei.

Back in May, Chen (real name Chang Chia-chen) told Taiwan’s Apple Daily that she had felt giddy while using her mobile phone at home in February and fallen, hitting her face on the sofa. She had some bruises on her face and thought nothing more of it. Chen’s cardiologist suspected something amiss and helped her take an MRI scan. It was found that she had injured her head, resulting in fluid retention and bleeding in the brain, according to Straits Times.

Chen was referred quickly to the neurosurgery department, where the doctor deemed her condition serious and admitted her to the hospital that day for an operation.

She stayed in the hospital for 10 days and was accompanied throughout by actor Jeremiah Chang, her son with her ex-husband, musician Liu Chia-chang.

The former star was also previously married to veteran actor Patrick Tse.

This was her second brain surgery. She went for minor brain surgery in February 2017 to remove an accumulation of fluid in her brain after falling down the stairs.

Chen, who in the 1970s starred in several movies adapted from Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao’s books, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards in 2013./TISG