71-Yr-Old Taiwanese Actor Dating Woman 24 Yrs Younger; She Says Their Connection Goes Back "7 Lifetimes"

If you don't believe in destiny, maybe this love story will change your mind.

Veteran Taiwanese actor Chiang Hou Jen, 71, has found love with researcher Tong Xin, 47, almost four decades after she first wrote to him as an eight-year-old fan.

Yes, she is 24 years his junior — or “two zodiac cycles”, as Hou Jen puts it.

But age isn't the most intriguing thing about their relationship.

Tong Xin claims the pair share a connection spanning seven lifetimes. And apparently, she already knew they were destined to meet when she was just eight.

Hou Jen, who was a popular leading man in Taiwan in the 1970s, recently shared on Facebook that decades ago, a little girl had sent three letters addressed to him to the TV station where he worked.

The letters contained surprisingly detailed comments about his dramas and his chemistry with his female co-stars.

The girl also reportedly wrote that she and Hou Jen had known each other in previous lives and predicted that they would meet one day.

That little girl was Tong Xin.

The pair finally crossed paths in 2025 and have now been dating for about six months.

According to reports, Tong Xin, who first saw Hou Jen on TV at age 3, has been a fan of the actor since she was in Primary 1 and had even kept copies of the letters she sent him.

She only showed him the childhood mementos after they started dating.

Hou Jen was understandably stunned, calling them incredibly meaningful keepsakes.

When some netizens later questioned whether the letters were genuine — while others suggested the actor might have been duped by a younger woman — Hou Jen had a pretty good response.

He joked that if she had really gone to such lengths to fool him since Primary 1, then he would gladly accept being fooled.

During a recent interview with Taiwanese media, Hou Jen revealed that Tong Xin's real name is Chen Yi Li and that “Tong Xin” is actually a name he gave her, though they call each other “husband” and “little darling.”

During the interview, Tong Xin said this isn't the first time she and Hou Jen have met.

She claimed they shared a bond over six previous lifetimes, making this their seventh.

In those past lives, she said, they had saved people and practised spiritual cultivation together, but somehow always missed their chance at love.

They never married.

As for how she knows about these supposed past lives, Tong Xin admitted she can't fully explain it.

She also stressed that she isn't talking about them to show off any supernatural abilities she may possess.

According to her, such abilities aren't what matters. Instead, she said she has believed since childhood that whatever talents she has should ultimately be used to contribute to the world.

Is marriage on the cards this lifetime?

Tong Xin, who has been married before, said she's leaving that up to Hou Jen.

She's not opposed to marriage, but doesn't see the point of getting married simply for the sake of it.

To her, the couple's intellectual and spiritual connection matters much more.

And despite their 24-year age gap, both insist their relationship isn't driven by conventional romantic attraction.

Hou Jen said they are both highly rational people and dismissed suggestions that he's an older man trying to deceive a younger woman.

He even quipped that back when he was a famous young actor, it would have been easy for him to charm women if that was what he wanted — but it never was.

Tong Xin, meanwhile, said physical attraction isn't what draws her to Hou Jen.

What impresses her is his wisdom, emotional intelligence and ability to remain calm and logical when problems arise.

For someone as logic-driven as her, looks alone simply wouldn't cut it.

“No matter how handsome you are,” she said, if someone reacts without logic and relies purely on emotions, “I wouldn't even want to bother with you.”

And when Tong Xin says she values smarts, she probably knows what she's talking about.

She reportedly has an IQ of 146 and holds three master’s and doctoral degrees from National Taiwan University.

She also spent 18 years conducting research in the US and works in the high-tech industry, with a number of inventions and patents to her name.