Born in Taiwan in 1915 when the island was occupied by the Japanese, Chung became captivated by Chinese classical literature during his high school years.
原鄉，是台灣客家人稱他們的故鄉，亦即是中國大陸的中原；原鄉人，是導演李行為已逝的本省籍作家鍾理和拍攝的一部傳記電影。自幼酷愛文學鍾理和，民國四年生於日據時代的台灣，原來家住屏東縣高樹鄉；十八歲時，隨父親遷至美濃尖山下。