Edward Yang
© AFP/File Gerard JulienTAIPEI (AFP) - Yang died of complications from colon cancer at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday, Taiwanese officials said.
Born in Shanghai on 6 November 1947 to a Confucian father and a Christian mother who had emigrated to Taiwan, Dechang Yang, better known as Edward Yang, had a part traditional, part Western education.
He began making his own comics at just 10 years old after developing a liking for Japanese manga strips.
Yang undertook engineering studies before leaving to study computer science in the US, where he spent nine years. He took a course in cinema while there, although he remained uncertain about his future career.
But after watching "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," the chief work of director Werner Herzog, he decided to become a filmmaker on his return to Taiwan in 1981.
The following year, he directed "Zhiwang," the first part of the series "In Our Time," which is often considered the starting point of Taiwanese cinema's New Wave.
He went on to make films that won awards at a number of festivals.
Yang achieved international recognition with the film "Yi Yi," a critically acclaimed and rich depiction of a middle class family undergoing changes, which won him the best director prize at Cannes.
Yang's films continue to be viewed as providing a poignant, critical appraisal of modern Taiwan.
"Mr. Yang has made great contributions to Taiwan's film industry. His death is a great loss to Taiwan," said Peggy Chou, an official from the country's film industry affairs department.
©AFP