Taiwanese host Chang Hsiao-yen helped young actor Daniel Chen pay over $87k in debts

Taiwanese host Chang Hsiao-yen not only has an eye for talent but also a heart of gold.

In a recent interview with Dee Hsu on her talk show Dee Girls Talk, Taiwanese actor Daniel Chen revealed that showbiz veteran Hsiao-yen helped cover approximately half of the debts he owed.

"My household was encountering some problems back then and we had accumulated debts," Daniel, 34, said, not specifying to whom the debts were owed. "After these problems came to light, the boss (Hsiao-yen) immediately helped to pay half of my debts."

Stunned, host Dee, 44, asked him for a ballpark estimate of how much the now-74-year-old Hsiao-yen had covered.

Daniel responded: "Over NT$2 million (S$87,700)."

Dee expressed her surprise again at Hsiao-yen's decision, which even Daniel himself didn't comprehend at first.

Confused, Daniel approached her for an explanation.

"[Hsiao-yen] only said one sentence to me, 'I think you'll be able to return the money to me in the future.' She really believed in me, my skills and my ability to repay my debts."

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Hsiao-yen's skill in picking out a diamond in the rough clearly paid off, as that was exactly what Daniel managed to achieve.

He said: "About five to six years later, I repaid my entire debt including the half owed to Hsiao-yen… I even managed to buy a house for myself."

But Daniel has never thought of himself as someone special or amazing.

When he was younger, he admitted that he did think highly of his own acting and imitation skills, but once he entered the entertainment industry he realised that there were countless others who were also very skilled. 

Daniel also shared his gratitude towards Hsiao-yen: "She's someone really important to me in my life now — she's not just someone who can recognise talent, she really did take care of me. She's a very thorough person.

"I feel like I must have prayed in my previous life. Her existence in my life now has made everything I've achieved possible."

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khooyihang@asiaone.com

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