TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After the nominees for the 57th Golden Bell Awards were revealed on Wednesday (Sept. 7), Taiwanese opera actress Chen Ya-lan’s (陳亞蘭) inclusion in the Best Actor category quickly became a hot topic.

Chen, a veteran Taiwanese opera actress, portrayed a young Jiaqing Emperor traveling Taiwan disguised as a commoner in search of his birth mother in “Lord Jiaqing and The Journey to Taiwan.” Also nominated for Best Actor are the late Camake Valaule (查馬克法拉屋樂) for his role in “Seqalu: Formosa 1867”; Tony Yang (楊祐寧) for his role in “Light the Night”; Kuo Tzu-chien (郭子乾) and James Wen (溫昇豪) for their roles in “Gold Leaf”; and Berant Zhu (朱軒洋) for his role in “Danger Zone.”

CNA cited the awards’ judging committee as saying though Chen’s depiction of the Jiaqing Emperor encompassed a large age range, her performance was truly convincing. Chen conveyed her joy at being nominated through her agent, saying she did not think there was a chance for her to receive the nomination as she was portraying a male character as a woman.

Chen added that she immediately shared the news with her teacher Yang Li-hua (楊麗花), who is known as a "living national treasure" for her achievements in Taiwanese opera. “She is overjoyed and hopes that I win,” Chen was quoted as saying.

According to the Liberty Times, this was not Chen’s first submission in the Best Actor category. In 2020, she and Yang both submitted their performances in "The Timeless Virtues” for the award, though neither were nominated. However, the Ministry of Culture confirmed that actresses are eligible for the Best Actor award as it considers characters’ gender rather than actors’.