Bill Porter travels back to Taiwan to find his zen roots

比爾·波特回到臺灣尋找他的禪宗根源

Porter's fascinating career in literature as grad school dropout, monk, translator, radio personality


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — At the age of 80, Bill Porter, also known as "Red Pine," has achieved an illustrious career as a travelogue writer and translator of Chinese classics such as "Lao-Tzu’s Tao Te Ching" and "Songs of Cold Mountain."

"I do not expect to live too long, I have already had too much good luck in my life," Porter said. He has earned awards ranging from the U.S. Academy of Arts & Letters, PEN American Center Literary Awards, and even a Guggenheim Fellowship.

In his travelogues, Porter visits overlooked historical sights, reminding the public of China’s 5,000-year-long history. His travelogues originally appeared in English, though Chinese translations achieved widespread acclaim, outselling his original work 12 to 1.

In June 2023, he won the "2023 Special Book Award of China," presented by China’s State Press and Publication Administration to foreign translators, writers, and publishers.


From another century

Porter is buoyant, with bright eyes and an inquisitive nature. He likes to greet acquaintances with carefully pondered Confucian quotes.

Porter’s path into China began with an awakening from religious scholar Allen Watts's "The Way of Zen." He dropped out of a four-year graduate fellowship at Columbia University and moved to Taiwan to study Chinese characters.

He first went down the monastery route but was persuaded by a monk that his Chinese language ability would not improve because "monks don’t talk," as Porter put it. Instead, he studied at the Chinese Culture University and pursued an unexpected career in radio broadcasting, airing English travelogues for Taiwan and Hong Kong audiences.

Porter said Chair of the Formosa Plastics Group Winston Wong (王文洋) gave him US$9,000 to travel up the Yellow River and produce a series of radio travelogues. "The program was a big success, and Metro News in Hong Kong also commissioned me to produce 1,000 such programs," said Porter.

He would travel for six weeks at a time, and then return to Hong Kong, where he would write three programs in the morning and three in the evening.

Porter’s travelogues are filled with witty observations about the intersection of modern and ancient life in China. The travelogues also gave rise to his first book, "Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits" (1993).

The translator

"I was addicted to the experience of translation," Porter said. Others have translated works such as Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching," but Porter strives to add additional commentaries.

Porter even tackled "Cold Mountain Poems," which was originally translated by Columbia University’s Burton Watson. Such translations were revered by the Beatniks, even occupying the pages of Jack Kerouac’s "Dharma Bums."

Porter’s first published translation was "P'u Ming's Oxherding Pictures & Verses," largely sold in Port Townsend, Washington, where an acquaintance from Taipei helped distribute the book.

The expat

"I liked the monastery, because I was attracted to the solitude, but every now and then I also liked to socialize," Porter said. In the early 1980s, Taipei had a community of about 30 to 40 expats, which socialized on a monthly basis and were keen to help each other out financially, or through job referrals, according to Porter.

"There was always someone asking you to do some English teaching at their company, and eventually this would lead to a more important role, such as quality control, and then assisting with foreign buyers," he said. Porter enjoyed these interactions, but traveling to and from the monastery could be difficult.

Furthermore, Taiwan’s Buddhist community was only beginning to form. "I spent about a year with Hsing Yun (釋星雲). He was the first person to introduce non-monastic practice to Taiwan. He was the person who really developed the sangha," Porter said.

Porter said that Hsing Yun was an infinite source of energy, ideas, and charisma. "He would convince many lay people to join his organization with the promise of something better 5-6 years later," he said.

Prior to Fo Guang Shan, many temples and monasteries were off-limits to lay people. "Hsing Yun was different. He encouraged an open community. They were stunned by his adoption of what is now known as Humanistic Buddhism," Porter said.

Humanistic Buddhism encourages individuals to do practical, compassionate actions in their everyday life, such as donating money, helping others, and cleaning their environment.

As for Porter's mission, it is translating Chinese spiritual and poetic works, which generally takes around two years each. When he finds the will or resources to travel, he gladly makes his way down the road.