The final session of the 2023 Pai Hsien-yung Literary Lecture at NTHU took place on December 27th in the afternoon at the Macronix Hall. The event featured Pai Hsien-yung himself discussing the creative background of his novel "Crystal Boys" and its adaptation into a stage play, including behind-the-scenes details. Pai Hsien-yung and the choreographer, Professor Wu Su-jun, shared the secrets behind adapting the play. Due to the complex plot, Pai decided to transform much of the dialogue into dance performances, with Wu Su-jun, a professor at Taipei National University of the Arts, bringing in 15 talented students to perform. "Literature expresses humanity and emotions," Pai remarked about his original motivation for writing "Crystal Boys" at a time when LGBTQ+ issues were taboo in the 1970s and 1980s. He believed that homosexuality has always existed across cultures and has always been a minority, facing even more difficult circumstances, which led him to address this taboo subject. "Crystal Boys" pioneered gay literature and has had a profound impact on the Chinese-speaking world. The dedication on the title page reads, "To those children who wander the streets alone in the deepest night, with nowhere to belong," reflecting Pai's initial inspiration and compassionate sentiment.

With the advent of the AI era, Pai also encouraged students, regardless of their field of study, to have a solid foundation in humanities and history to face an uncertain future and not be led by robots, which would be beneficial for life. Professor Tsai Ying-chun from the Chinese Department, who facilitated the "Pai Hsien-yung Literary Lecture" at Tsinghua, expressed special thanks to Pai Hsien-yung and TSMC Education and Culture Foundation Chairman Tseng Fan-cheng for their strong support over the past four years, enabling NTHU students to admire the master's grace. Today, nearly 200 students enrolled in the course were also sponsored to receive a copy of "Crystal Boys."

(Extracted from official website of NTHU)