Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Local actor and hip-hop star Hsueh Shih-ling took home two individual honors at the television industry's 56th Golden Bell Awards Saturday.
The 38-year-old -- who first rose to fame as a member of local hip-hop quartet Da Mouth , under the name "MC40" -- was the night's biggest individual winner.
Hsueh transitioned into acting after his group disbanded, and marked another milestone in his new career with wins for best supporting actor in a miniseries/TV movie for the HBO Asia miniseries "Workers " and best leading actor in a television series for "Born Into Loving Hands (生生世世)."
While accepting his award for best leading actor, Hsueh said he was both surprised and honored at the recognition.
"I am grateful to the judges and the crew," he said during his speech. "We now live in a different time, with entertainment available on various platforms. Working in the industry, I witnessed firsthand the hard work from everyone across all mediums, so I would like to dedicate this award to all those who have worked so hard."
Aside from his own win for "Workers," Hsueh also accepted the show's win for best leading actor in a miniseries/TV movie on behalf of Malaysian-born Singaporean actor Christopher Lee. Due to COVID-19 restriction and other commitments, Lee appeared via video-link from Singapore.
Aside from accolades for Hsueh and Lee, the show also won best television miniseries, and best directing for a miniseries/TV movie. This meant the show ended the night with four of the nine awards it was nominated for.
"Workers" is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by writer and construction engineer Lin Li-ching , and tells the story of the turmoil faced by two brothers working in construction. In line with critics' predictions, the show was also the second biggest winner of the night in terms of total awards.
Beating it to top spot was "The Magician on the Skywalk ." The fantasy comedy-drama, a literary adaptation of the novel of the same name by Taiwanese writer Wu Ming-yi , tells the diverse stories and life experiences of nine children in the summer of 1985, set against the backdrop of the Chunghwa Mall shopping mall in Taipei.
The show had headed the pack with 14 nominations, and took home six awards including best newcomer in a television program, best directing for a television series and the night's top prize: best television series.
The show's director, Yang Ya-che , had only minutes between giving his acceptance speech for his personal win and being dragged back on stage for the final award.
"I love drama," Yang said. "Infatuated love, which school did not teach was told to us there, while the idea of death was also conveyed to us when other sources were seldom available. I love drama."
The night's host, Chen Tzu-chien , also known as "Retina" , had a less successful evening.
The YouTuber and TV personality had previously promised to consume the liquid form of his kryptonite, coriander, should the ceremony run late. Chen fell short in his bid to keep things on time, with the event concluding approximately 20 minutes behind schedule.
Whether Retina would be drinking only a glass of the mixture, or one for every minute the ceremony went over, remains uncertain.
Below is a full list of the winners at the 56th Golden Bell Awards:
★ Best television series: "The Magician on the Skywalk"
★ Best directing for a television series: Yang Ya-che for "The Magician on the Skywalk"
★ Best leading actress in a television series: Chung Hsin-ling for "U Motherbaker"
★ Best leading actor in a television series: Hsueh Shih-ling for "Born Into Loving Hands"
★ Best writing for a television series: Chang Yi-ning , Wu Tai-yun , Wu Tsung-jui and Chen Nan-hung for "Girls Win"
★ Best supporting actress in a television series: Jian Man-shu for "The Arc of Life"
★ Best supporting actor in a television series: Darren Chiu for "U Motherbaker"
★ Best television miniseries: "Workers"
★ Best directing for a miniseries/TV movie: Cheng Fen-fen for "Workers"
★ Best host in a variety show: Jesse Tang , Aaron Yan and Sandy Wu for "36 Questions"
★ Best variety show: "Dancing Diamond 52"
★ Best host in a reality or game show: Sam Tseng for "A Wonderful Word"
★ Best reality or game show: "All Star Sports Day"
★ Best directing for a non-drama program: Ally Lee for "The 16th KKBOX Music Awards"
★ Innovative programming: "All Star Sports Day"
★ Best leading actor in a miniseries/TV movie: Christopher Lee for "Workers"
★ Best leading actress in a miniseries/TV movie: Hsu Yen-ling for "The Child of Light"
★ Best television movie: "See You, Sir"
★ Best newcomer in a television series: Lee Yi-chao for "The Magician on the Skywalk"
★ Best production design: Wang Chih-cheng , Wang Chia-hui, Yeh Chih-hsiung , Yang Yu-hsien and Kuo Chia-yu for "The Magician on the Skywalk"
★ Best sound effects: Lin Keng-nung for "Free Spirits in Time"
★ Best writing for a miniseries/TV movie: Herb Hsu for "The Child of Light"
★ Special contribution: Jen Li-yu
★ Best directing for a non-drama program: Lee Li-shao for "Solo Dance"
★ Best host in a science/ educational and cultural program: Claire Shufor "Guardians of Formosa
★ Best educational and cultural program: "Free Spirits in Time"
★ Best science program: "Guardians of Formosa"
★ Best host in a children's program: Lan Pao for "Kakudan Time Machine"
★ Best children's program: "Kakudan Time Machine"
★ Best animation program: "Pigsy Express"
★ Best supporting actress in a miniseries/TV movie: Albee Huang for "Who Killed the Good Man"
★ Best supporting actor in a miniseries/TV movie: Hsueh Shih-ling for "Workers"
★ Best newcomer in a miniseries/TV movie: Yu Chia-hsuan for "No Flowers or Seasons"
★ Best cinematography for a non-drama program: Chen Yi-sung , Chen Hsiang-yu and Chen Yu-hsiang for "Guardians of Formosa"
★ Best film editing for a non-drama program: Hung Rue-yi and Hsu Tsung-jen for "Free Spirits in Time"
★ Best host in a lifestyle program: Patty Lee for "Jiang Play"
★ Best lifestyle program: "GuessWho" Season 12
★ Best film editing for a television series: Chiang Shu-pei for "The Cleaner"
★ Best cinematography for a television series: Chen Ko-chin and Kao Tzu-hao for "The Magician on the Skywalk"
★ Best lighting design: Yeh Ming-kuang for "The Magician on the Skywalk"
