Cindy Lien on Nature, Antiques and Being a Writer

published on enya Fashion Queen issue 190, find the original interview here; cover photo © 2022 enya Fashion Queen, all rights reserved

As the free-spirited music plays in the background, her beautifully toned arms dance along with the flowing rhythm, almost making us forget that she is an actress. “By putting yourself aside and focusing completely on the role, everything—from the muscles you grow, the look in your eyes, to your posture—becomes more believable.” Stepping out of her roles, Cindy Lien has many interests in her private life, with a special love for pottery. She laughs and says perhaps that is where she got her muscles from. As Lien reflects upon her inner-self, her demeanor radiates with an aura that is refreshingly peaceful and unmistakably content.

Life is but a Drama

The essence of acting lies within the ability to integrate with your character seamlessly. It is something that actors and actresses indulge in, as it imbues fragments of life with a vitality that they’ve never experienced. To Lien, the crew of Untold Herstory is one of a kind. Despite having a large number of actors and extras, the set still radiates with a great cohesive ambience. “Every single person attributed to this special atmosphere. It was an environment in which everyone is working together as a whole. The moment you start performing, it feels like you’ve entered a place of creativity.” Having spent half a month on Green Island, Lien says she spent most of her time waiting. As she waited for her scenes to start shooting, she stumbled upon the beautiful, natural scenery of the island. “Regardless of the stories humans created or the things they experienced here, the waves will always be crashing against the reefs. Every day, we shot our movie until there was almost no natural light, that’s when the magical hour appeared. I never realized Green Island was so beautiful.” When the scenic views of nature met the diligent effort of the production design team, the deserted land transformed into a historical scene of the 1950s, a romantic journey that somehow echoes the ritual of getting into character.

From A Touch of Green’s Ching Chu, Gold Leaf’s Yi-Xin Zhang, to Untold Herstory’s Ping Chen, these characters witnessed the traces of wounds in history. When asked of the similarities she shares with her roles, Lien smiles and says her characters are much bigger than her. “I don’t think they gained something from me, it’s the other way around.” Calm and mature, Ping Chen understands the rules of survival even in the face of turmoil, while Yi-Xin Zhang takes charge of her life and turns pressure into motivation, her business mind is something Lien admires greatly. Lastly, speaking of Ching Chu, her immediate response is never to be overly obsessed with love. Chuckling, Lien explains that she had already experienced the fixation while portraying the character. In reality, it’s better to pursue a more understated, natural kind of love.

Following the Steps of Nature

Having grown up amid mountains and forests, Lien’s upbringing is the key to her open-minded personality. “One thing I’ve learned from nature is its versatility.” Wildfires never end, spring breeze will always blow again, decay and flourish are just norms of the seasons. As a minute part of this world, what expectations should we have for this universe? “It’s always good to have desires and ideas, but don’t be too stubborn. What’s yours is yours, learn to let go of what’s not.” The sweetest fruits are often the ones that arrive with no force. If the multiverse does exist, Lien wishes all the other versions of her are planting trees. “Nature really needs to be restored. So I hope she can go beyond the role of being an actress and try her best to achieve something meaningful for the earth. If she is not too smart, like me, she can at least plant trees.” With the same open-hearted attitude, Lien offers her view towards self-exploration within a limited lifetime. “If your intellectual side is having a hard time keeping up with time, then try no to disturb the lives and natural beings of this world. Just live your life, plain and simple. I think being a nobody is actually a good thing,” she says, as her eyes beam with an unwavering purity and sincerity.

Learning from Antiques

To prepare for her role in Gold Leaf, Lien specially searched for antique watches of the era and wore them according to the corresponding time period—it was her own way of getting into character. For her daily accessories, she tends to go for designs that are smaller in size. “I have a rather petite body so I usually select chokers, wire rings and tiny earrings.” Fascinated by the exquisite craft of customized clothing and antique watches, Lien also likes to visit vintage stores. “Sometimes I buy watches that are new in stock, but I find the idea of meeting them fifty years later really romantic.” Speaking of her favorite piece from recent collections, she smiles and says it is a tea cup from the Qing Dynasty she found at an antique market. Its tiny cup design turns tea tasting into a slow-placed enjoyment. Thanks to her work, she got the chance to meet tea farmers and tea specialists and understand the hard work behind making a nice cup of tea. “It takes so much time to make a cup of tea, so why don’t we have the time to finish it?” Besides handicrafts like pottery, metalworking, tailoring and knitting, Lien also learned how to knead tea. As she is immersed in the aroma of tea leaves and the mountains, her mind is cleared completely, the perfect cleansing process necessary to withdraw from her roles and return to her authentic self.

Casual Daily Writings

Besides acting, Lien is also a published author. Updated every Wednesday, “Muntjac Reading Room Podcast” is the time for her to share her book list. Always writing when she was a kid, she followed her elementary school teacher’s advice and kept a journal ever since. Later on, she was approached by publishing companies, which accidentally opened the doors to her creative writing journey. “Everyone is capable of writing a book. Your work experience and life journey are one of a kind. As long as you know how to write, write it all down. No one is looking for beautiful words or flowery diction. The focus will be on the story you want to tell.” From all the books she’s read, Lien offers three recommendations that she renders as must-reads. First, The Man Who Planted Trees talks about the power of one’s own strength. There is no need for us to pursue validation from others, instead, existence itself is what matters. Do what you think is important because your life is unique—perhaps many will find this too naive, but Lien sees it as her motivation. Her second recommendation is Too Loud a Solitude, it is about an old man who works as a compactor of wastepaper and books. While the world is filled with all kinds of temptation and excitement, in some ways, you are always alone and no one truly understands you but yourself. A love letter to the literary, the short novel showcases how the abandoned books are the old man’s best confidant. And lastly, The Stranger in the Woods, a true story about a man who suddenly decides to live in solitude in the woods. While Lien sometimes doesn’t understand why people do what they do, she finds this autobiography to be interesting because it offers a brand new mindset. The smile on her face comes to full bloom as she shares her favorite books with great enthusiasm.