enya FASHION QUEEN

EDITOR Annie Chien｜TRANSLATOR Aurora Lin｜ART DESIGN Kaz Chang｜PHOTOGRAPHER Sean Huang｜MAKE UP Jenny Lin｜HAIR Lounes｜OUTFIT  ALLSAINTS, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, SANDRO, SHIATZY, LOUIS VUITTON, LOEWE, LACOSTE

站在鏡頭前超過三十六年，Vivian 徐若瑄早就習慣了被定義。「鋼鐵 V」是她扛起家計、打拼演藝圈而來的稱號，某種程度上，象徵著太多人對她的敬意，也承載了她一路走來的努力。但今年，邁入 51 歲的她，決定透過此次封面訪談正式宣告：人生下半場，不想再當鋼鐵 V！

「我希望大家叫我『阿 V』，」她說，「這是在提醒我，要保持這份得來不易的鬆弛感。」14 歲開始扛家計，小學讀了 5 所學校，21 歲買下第一間房子，至今搬過超過 60 次家——那些年她幾乎沒有機會喊累，老天給了她好多考驗，如今，她站穩了。

「人生上半場，我拼了命地努力，不放棄每一個喜歡或不喜歡的工作機會，希望有一天能成為一個從『沒能選擇』到『能選擇』的人。」50 歲以前，她的人生是一份待辦清單；50 歲以後，清單還在，但心態變了——多了一種以前從未有過的從容。此刻，才是人生最精彩的「中場休息後再出發」。這次封面故事最想帶讀者看見的，不單是一位耀眼的女明星，而是一位真實的女人，正在學著好好愛自己。

Having stood before the camera for more than thirty-six years, Vivian Hsu has long grown accustomed to being defined by others. “Iron V” became the title attached to her relentless resilience—the woman who carried her family, fought her way through the entertainment industry, and endured far more than most people ever saw. In many ways, the name reflected the admiration people held for her, while quietly bearing the weight of everything she had survived.
But this year, at 51, she has decided to officially say something different.

“I want people to call me ‘Ah V,’” she says with a smile. “It reminds me to hold on to this hard-earned sense of ease.” She began supporting her family at fourteen. Attended five different elementary schools. Bought her first apartment at twenty-one. Moved homes more than sixty times throughout her life. For years, exhaustion was never really an option. Life handed her one challenge after another, and somehow, she kept going. Now, at last, she stands on steadier ground.

“In the first half of my life, I worked desperately hard. I never turned down opportunities—whether I liked them or not—because I wanted one day to become someone who could choose, instead of someone who had no choice.”
Before fifty, life felt like an endless checklist. After fifty, the list still exists, but something inside her has changed. There is a calmness now. A softness she never allowed herself before. And perhaps that is why this moment feels less like a continuation, and more like life beginning again after intermission.
This cover story is not simply about a dazzling celebrity. It is about a woman learning, finally, how to love herself.

如果要用一件事概括阿 V 人生的上半場，大概是「從來沒有退路」這六個字。出道早，所有的磨練也就來得早。隻身赴日發展時，語言不通、人生地不熟，那種孤獨幾乎是一種物理感受。後來，臥床安胎、甲狀腺手術、家庭的轉折……每一件事單獨拿出來，都是一般人喊苦叫累的理由，但她沒有，或者說，她沒有時間。

「環境不會為了妳改變，所以妳必須讓自己有適應環境的能力。」這是生活教給她的第一課，也是她後來面對所有困難的邏輯。鋼鐵，曾經更像是一套她主動穿上的盔甲，但阿 V 現在想說清楚的是，鋼鐵 V 從來不是不會痛，「只是即便滿身傷痕，睡一覺、吃頓好吃的，明天起床依然會穿好盔甲去戰鬥。」在磨練中找到屬於自己的小確幸，這一種生存韌性，久而久之就變成了她的 DNA。

讓她覺得真正進入「另一個人生」的瞬間，是某種情緒上的轉變——她發現自己愈來愈能平靜地面對失去，懂得放手，不再驚慌失措、強求完美。「我會深呼吸對自己說：阿 V，沒關係的，就這樣吧。」那種對自己情緒的掌控，是歲月最珍貴的饋贈。人生高低起伏磨出來的能力與心志，是誰也拿不走的，「歸零的心態」、「大不了就重來一次」的勇氣，成為她現在最紮實的底氣。

If there is one sentence that defines the first half of Ah V’s life, it is this: there was never a way back. She entered the industry young, and with that came every hardship early. When she moved to Japan alone, unable to speak the language and surrounded by unfamiliarity, loneliness became almost physical. Later came bed rest during pregnancy, thyroid surgery, family upheavals—each one, on its own, enough to make most people collapse beneath the weight of it.
But she kept going. Or perhaps more accurately, she never had the luxury of stopping.

“The world doesn’t change for you,” she says. “So you learn to adapt yourself to the world.” That became her survival instinct. The first lesson life taught her.
For years, being “Iron V” felt like armor she willingly chose to wear. But what she wants people to understand now is that strength never meant the absence of pain. “It’s not that Iron V doesn’t hurt,” she says quietly. “It’s just that even covered in scars, after one night’s sleep and a good meal, she’ll wake up the next morning, put the armor back on, and keep fighting.” Somewhere along the way, she learned how to find tiny moments of happiness inside hardship. Over time, that resilience stopped being survival. It became part of her DNA.

The moment she realized she had stepped into another chapter of life came not through achievement, but through emotion. She found herself becoming calmer in the face of loss. More capable of letting go. Less desperate to hold everything perfectly together. “I’ll take a deep breath and tell myself, ‘Ah V, it’s okay. Let it be.’” That quiet ability to regulate her own emotions, she says, may be the greatest gift age has given her. Everything life has worn into her—the highs, the failures, the rebuilding—has become something nobody can take away. The courage to start over. The ability to reset. The willingness to return to zero if necessary. That is her foundation now.

今年情人節，她意識到在兒子面前盔甲可以卸下，因為她的小戰士長大了。兒子用零用錢買了一枚戒指送給她，說想守護媽媽，「那一秒鐘心都融化了。他還這麼小，卻讓我有種被守護的感覺，比收到任何名貴禮物都震撼。」

阿 V 是個坐飛機上下班的媽媽，在台北和新加坡兩地之間奔波，時間表永遠排得很緊。懷孕臥床那段日子，她把能看的兒童心理學書都看了，因為她知道孩子成長過程裡的每個節點，錯過了就是錯過了。所以她的原則很清楚：只要工作時間衝突到兒子的重要時刻，一定選擇放下工作。「對孩子的陪伴，質勝過量。」工作時認真工作，回到家就全心全意陪伴——孩子能從媽媽身上看見，生活裡擁有的一切，都是努力換來的；而她看著兒子，心裡想的是：「謝謝你來當我的孩子，是你讓我知道，愛可以這麼純粹、這麼有力量。」

媽媽滿 70 歲這件事，也讓她對家庭的理解又深了一層。「以前當女兒，覺得媽媽照顧我們是理所當然。現在自己當了媽，才真的懂得當年她付出了多少。」家，在她眼裡，早就超過了避風港的定義——是「彼此支撐、互相理解的生命共同體」。這份對家人的心意，和她後來替自己圓了一個遲到的夢，其實都源自珍愛，愛惜家人，同時更懂得珍視自己。

「小時候很羨慕可以去英語系國家讀書的同學，那曾經也是我的夢想之一。」高中時期為了生活扛起家計，不得不把書包放下，那一雙「懂事」眼睛背後，藏著無數次對校園生活的渴望。後來她終於能選擇回去念書，「不只是拿一個學位，而是拿回自己人生的主控權。」在教室裡，她不再是藝人 Vivian，只是一個渴望知識的學生。那段歷程讓她的視野變得更寬廣，也補齊了心裡那個小女孩的遺憾——只要想開始，學習永遠沒有太晚的時候。

This past Valentine’s Day, Ah V experienced something unexpectedly emotional. For the first time, she realized she could finally set her armor down in front of her son—because her little warrior had grown up. Using his allowance money, he bought her a ring and told her he wanted to protect her. “My heart completely melted in that moment,” she says. “He’s still so young, yet somehow he made me feel protected. It moved me more than any expensive gift ever could.”

Ah V is the kind of mother who flies between cities for work, constantly moving between Taipei and Singapore, her schedule perpetually full. During the period when she was confined to bed while pregnant, she read every child psychology book she could find, because she understood something deeply: once certain moments in a child’s growth are missed, they are gone forever.
So her priorities became clear. Whenever work conflicted with an important moment in her son’s life, work came second. “Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to being with your child.” When she works, she gives everything to work. But once she returns home, her attention belongs entirely to her son. She wants him to understand that everything in life is earned through effort. Yet when she looks at him, the thought that quietly fills her heart is simpler: “Thank you for becoming my child. You taught me that love can be this pure. This powerful.”

Her mother turning seventy also reshaped her understanding of family. “When I was younger, I thought being cared for by my mother was natural,” she says. “Only after becoming a mother myself did I truly understand how much she sacrificed for us.” To her now, home is no longer merely a shelter from the world. It is a place where people sustain one another. A shared emotional existence built on understanding. That same sense of love eventually led her back toward another unfinished dream—one she had postponed for decades.

“When I was younger, I envied classmates who could study abroad in English-speaking countries. That used to be one of my dreams too.” Life forced her to set school aside early in order to support her family. Behind that “mature” expression was a girl who quietly longed for classrooms she never had the chance to stay in. Years later, she finally returned to studying.
“It wasn’t just about earning a degree,” she says. “It was about reclaiming ownership of my life.” Inside the classroom, she was no longer Vivian Hsu the celebrity. Just a student hungry to learn. The experience widened her world, but perhaps more importantly, healed something within the younger version of herself who once believed she had missed her chance. “You’re never too late to begin learning again.”

螢光幕後，阿 V 這幾年悄悄做了另一件事：她與弟弟齊心合力運營新公司「群泰文創」。以文化內容與娛樂產業為核心，橫跨音樂製作、演藝經紀、IP 引進、文創展演等，同時持續在音樂、戲劇各條線上前進。站在監製或策略者的角度，票房當然重要，但她更在意的是，作品能不能像一盞小燈，照亮某些人內心的角落。

音樂與文字，依然是她與粉絲之間最直接的陪伴，新專輯正在努力籌備中，而今年下半年有兩部電影接連上映——九月的《怎麼可能我家的祖先是你家的鬼》，造型和角色都是從未有過的嘗試；預計年底的《辛亥隧道》，她詮釋的是一名法醫，同樣是阿 V 的全新挑戰。當單純回到演員這個身分，她說現在更想挑戰極致的平凡，或者反差極大、帶點陰暗的人物，「我不介意扮醜，我更渴望挖掘人性裡最真實的角落。」

從演員到製作人，最大的轉變是從「點」變成「面」。「當演員時，只需要把自己的角色做好。但當監製和製作人，就必須變成全方位的管家——找資金、借場地、斟酌預算、協調不同部門的溝通，每一件事都要顧到。」以前是被照顧的人，現在學習怎麼把大家庭照顧好。壓力大了很多，但看著一個想法從無到有、最終站在觀眾面前，是另一種讓人上癮的成就感。三十六年只是一個數字，這份職業，她相信一輩子都有新的寶藏等待發掘。

Away from the spotlight, Ah V has quietly stepped into another role in recent years. Together with her younger brother, she co-founded Qun Tai Creative, a new company centered around cultural and entertainment content, spanning music production, artist management, IP development, and creative exhibitions.
Even while continuing her work across music and film, she now finds herself viewing projects from the perspective of a producer and strategist. Of course box office numbers matter. But what matters more, she says, is whether a story can become a small light for someone living through darkness.

Music and writing remain the most direct connection between her and her audience. A new album is currently in preparation, while two films are scheduled for release later this year. In September comes How Could My Ancestor Be Your Ghost?, featuring one of the most unexpected roles and visual transformations of her career. Later in the year, Xinhai Tunnel will see her portray a forensic pathologist—another entirely new challenge. As an actress now, she finds herself increasingly drawn toward ordinary characters pushed to emotional extremes, or darker, deeply conflicted personalities. “I don’t mind looking unattractive on screen,” she says. “I’m more interested in uncovering the rawest parts of human nature.”

The transition from actress to producer has changed her perspective entirely.
“As an actor, you only need to focus on your own role,” she explains. “But as a producer, you become responsible for everything—funding, locations, budgets, communication between departments. You have to take care of the entire ecosystem.” Once, she was the person being looked after. Now she is learning how to hold an entire creative family together. The pressure is far greater than before. Yet watching an idea evolve from nothing into something real—something eventually shared with audiences—brings a completely different kind of fulfillment. Thirty-six years, she says, is only a number. This profession still holds endless treasures waiting to be discovered.

「我從小在一個不富裕但充滿愛的環境下長大，一路上遇到不少貴人幫助。」如果今天她有一點點影響力，她希望把這份影響力當作「放大器」，把那些被忽略的聲音傳出去。阿 V 說，藝人像一座橋樑，有發聲的平台，就能帶動重要的事。從二手衣義賣到支持罕見疾病基金會，從號召朋友一起參與到關注偏鄉孩童，她相信「愛是需要流動的」——捐款有意義，但親自參與會產生一種溫度。一個人的善行，跟一群人的能量共振，感受完全不一樣，那份「聚沙成塔」的感動，讓參與的每個人都看見自己有能力改變世界。

看著罕病家庭的堅韌、偏鄉孩子純真的笑容，她說，那些回饋到她心裡的勇氣，遠比她付出的還要多。對於永續與社會議題，她的觀點很實際，號召公益行動、分享環保的生活方式，或在影視製作裡推動減塑，都是方式。對下一代，她更傾向身教，讓年輕人看見「環保和關心社會，是一件很酷、很時尚的事」，這個想法，放在她選擇怎麼生活、怎麼工作、怎麼陪伴孩子成長上，也一樣成立。

從鋼鐵到鬆弛感，她走了很長的路才走到這裡——人生下半場依然忙碌，但能好好地陪家人吃頓飯、能為兒子當空中超人、推動一項有意義的慈善計畫、寫出一首有共鳴的好歌、拍到一部感動的劇本，這種「剛剛好」的內心富足，精彩無比。

“I grew up in a family that wasn’t wealthy, but there was always love,” Ah V says. “And throughout my life, I’ve met so many people who helped me.” So if she now possesses even a small amount of influence, she hopes to use it as an amplifier—for voices that are often overlooked. To her, celebrities are bridges. With visibility comes responsibility. From charity sales of secondhand clothing to supporting rare disease foundations, from rallying friends to participate in charitable projects to advocating for children in rural communities, Ah V believes deeply that love must continue moving. “Donating matters,” she says. “But physically showing up creates another kind of warmth.” The difference between one person doing good and an entire group sharing the same intention is immense. That collective energy—the feeling of many small acts becoming something larger—allows people to realize they are capable of changing the world.

Watching families facing rare illnesses endure unimaginable hardship, or seeing the pure smiles of children in remote areas, she says the courage she receives in return is often greater than anything she gives. Her perspective on sustainability and social responsibility is practical rather than performative. Whether through environmental advocacy, charity initiatives, or reducing plastic usage in film productions, she believes meaningful change happens through action. And for the next generation, she believes example matters most. “She wants young people to see that caring about the environment and society is actually something cool. Something stylish.” The same philosophy extends into every part of her life—how she works, how she raises her son, how she chooses to live.

It took her a very long time to journey from iron-clad survival toward softness.
Life in its second half remains busy. But now, fulfillment looks different: sharing a meal with family, flying across cities for her son, helping build a meaningful charity initiative, writing a song that resonates, discovering a script capable of moving people. That quiet sense of “just enough” abundance, she says, may be the most beautiful chapter of all.

「透過不間斷的努力，很慶幸我還在這裡，也很感恩跌跌撞撞的路上，有些好運氣和貴人。」這一年來，我們與封面人物們聊「女人最美的力量」，阿 V 告訴我們，以前總以為「女力」是變強和拼命，現在覺得更像水——可以很溫柔，包容一切，需要的時候也能穿透最硬的石頭。

「我們不再需要被世俗的框架定義，我們就是我們自己。只要清楚自己要的是什麼，並且愛著那樣的自己，那種由內而外的韌性，就是最無敵的女力。」這句話，說的是她走過人生上半場之後的體悟，也是她想給每一個正在人生中場喘口氣、準備再出發的女人，最真誠的陪伴。

“Through constant effort, I’m grateful that I’m still here,” she says. “And I’m even more grateful for the luck and kindness I encountered along the way.” Over the past year, our cover stories have explored the many forms of feminine strength. Ah V offered perhaps the most beautiful interpretation of all. “I used to think female empowerment meant becoming stronger and tougher,” she says. “Now I think it’s more like water. It can be gentle enough to embrace everything, yet powerful enough to wear through stone.”

“We no longer need to be defined by society’s expectations. We are simply ourselves. As long as you know what you truly want, and you love that version of yourself, the resilience that grows from within becomes the most unstoppable kind of strength.” It is a realization born from everything she has lived through. But it is also the message she hopes to leave for every woman standing somewhere in the middle of life—pausing for breath, gathering herself quietly, preparing to begin again.