Liao Ching-sung (; born March 5, 1950), also known as "Liao-san" (), is a Taiwanese film editor, known for his work with Taiwanese New Wave directors such as Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang and Wan Jen. He has received numerous accolades including two Golden Horse Awards for Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year, as well as the Special Contribution Award of Golden Horse Awards in 2018.

In addition to his work as an editor, Liao has also co-written screenplays with Wan Jen for Super Citizen (超級市民) and Super Citizen Ko. He has directed several movies, including Be My Lovely Child Again (期待你長大), and When the Ocean Is Blue (海水正藍). Since Flowers of Shanghai, he has also been the producer for many of Hou Hsiao-hsien's films.

Early life After graduating from Taipei Municipal Chenggong High School, Liao Ching-sung failed his college entrance exams. Instead of devoting another year to entering college, he applied for the technical training program of Central Motion Picture Corporation. Of roughly 200 applicants, only 50 were selected and Liao was among them. He was enrolled in October 1973 and joined the Central Pictures Editing Room (中影剪接室) in early 1974. The training program was divided into different groups for sound recording, editing, lighting, printing, and photography, among which Liao chose to study editing. He excelled in his studies and ranked first in his class upon graduation.

Career Liao started working as an assistant editor for Eternal Glory (英烈千秋) at Central Pictures in 1974. Later that year, he met Hou Hsiao-hsien while working at the Department of short film production at Central Pictures.

In 1978, Liao was nominated for his first Golden Horse Award for editing Li Hsing's movie, He Never Gives Up (汪洋中的一條船).

In 1980, Liao embarked on his first attempt at a new editing style with the film Love on The Wave (我踏浪而來) directed by Chen Kun-hou, in which he allowed a take to go longer than the customary style of studio films of the 1970s. The turning point of his career as a film editor did not occur until 1983, when he began editing The Boys from Fengkuei directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. This film allowed him to break free from traditional editing rules and experiment with a new approach that shifted from "narrative logic" to "emotional logic".

Liao Ching-sung's editing expertise has been sought after not only by Taiwanese directors like Yee Chih-yen, Chen Hsin-yi (陳芯宜), and Yang Ya-che, but also by Mainland Chinese directors such as Wang Xiaoshuai and Liu Jie (劉杰). His editing work on Beijing Bicycle earned it the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 2001, while Courthouse on the Horseback was nominated in the Horizon section at the Venice Film Festival in 2006.

In recent years, Liao has continued to work on Mainland Chinese films that have garnered recognition at various film festivals, including Tharlo, which received four Golden Horse Awards nominations, Knife in the Clear Water (清水裡的刀子), which won the New Currents Award at the Busan Film Festival, Suburban Birds (郊區的鳥), which was nominated for the competition at the Locarno Film Festival, and The Summer Is Gone, which won the Best Picture award at the Golden Horse Awards. All of these films were edited by Liao Ching-sung.

Filmography +DirectorYearChinese titleEnglish title1987期待你長大Be My Lovely Child Again1988海水正藍When The Ocean Is Blue2004大選民Sacrificial Victims +Screenplay WriterYearChinese titleEnglish title1985超級市民Super Citizen1994超級大國民Super Citizen Ko +EditorYearChinese titleEnglish titleNote1974英烈千秋Everlasting Gloryassistant editor1976八百壯士Eight Hundred Heroesco-editor1978汪洋中的一條船He Never Gives Up1979錦標A Title Rewon1980西風的故鄉The Blind Love1980血濺冷鷹堡Mission over the Eagle Castle1980天涼好個秋Spring in Autumn1980原鄉人My Native Land1980風雨中的燕子A Swallow in the Storm1980我踏浪而來Love on The Wave1981Z字特攻隊Attack Force Z1981上尉與我The Captain and I1981就是溜溜的她Cute Girls1981龍的傳人The Land of the Brave1981熱血The Call Of Duty1981男生女生實驗班Male and Female Experimental Class1981跟我說愛我1981風兒踢踏踩Cheerful Wind1982俏如彩蝶飛飛飛Six Is Company1982動員令Happy Days in the Army1982在那河畔青草青The Green, Green Grass of Home1982光陰的故事In Our Time1982癡情奇女子1983最長的一夜The Night Ever So Long1983竹劍少年Kendo Kinds1983代課老師Now Taiwan Young Men1983油麻菜籽Ah-Fei1983小畢的故事Growing Up1983兒子的大玩偶The Sandwich Man1983海灘的一天That Day, on the Beach1984阿福的禮物The Gift of A Fu1984單車與我The Bike and I1984小爸爸的天空Out of The Blue1984我愛瑪麗I Love Mary1984霧裡的笛聲Nature is Quiet Beautiful1984風櫃來的人The Boys from Fengkuei1984冬冬的假期A Summer at Grandpa's1985超級市民Super Citizen1985結婚His Matrimony1985童年往事A Time to Live, A Time to Die1986流浪少年路Drifters1986恐怖份子Terrorizers1986戀戀風塵Dust in The Wind1986福德正神Fu De Zheng Shen1987桂花巷Osmanthus Alley1987惜別海岸The Farewell Coast1987期待你長大Be My Lovely Child Again1987尼羅河女兒Daughter of the Nile1988春秋茶室Spring and Autumn Tea House1989悲情城市A City of Sadness1989立體奇兵The 3-D Army1990阿嬰Ming Ghost1990兄弟珍重Fraternity1991上海假期My American Grandson1991胭脂The Story of Taipei Women1992少年吔，安啦！Dust of Angels1993戲夢人生The Puppetmaster1994多桑A Borrowed Life1994超級大國民Super Citizen Ko1995好男好女Good Men, Good Women2001千禧曼波Millennium Mambo2001愛你愛我Betelnut Beauty2002美麗時光The Best of Times20027-11之戀Love at 7-112002十七歲的單車Beijing Bicycle2002夢幻部落Somewhere Over The Dreamland2002藍色大門Blue Gate Crossing2004五月之戀Love of May200420 30 4020 30 402005愛麗絲的鏡子Reflections2006血戰到底Karmic Mahjong2006太陽雨Rain Dogs2006馬背上的法院Courthouse on the Horseback2006姨媽的後現代生活The Postmodern Life of My Aunt2006吳清源The Go Master2006練習曲Island Etude2007尋找蔣經國─有！我是蔣經國Chiang Ching-kuo2007紅氣球Flight of the Red Balloon2007流浪神狗人God Man Dog2022石門Stonewalling2025五花肉The Taste of Pork Belly Republished as: +ProducerYearChinese titleEnglish titleNote1994超級大國民Super Citizen Ko1998海上花Flowers of Shanghai2001千禧曼波Millennium Mambo2002夢幻部落Somewhere Over The Dreamland2004風中緋櫻─霧社事件Dana SakuraTV series2005最好的時光Three Times2005愛麗絲的鏡子Reflections2007紅氣球Flight of the Red Balloon

Awards and honors +YearAwardCategoryWorkOutcomeRef.1978The Golden Horse AwardsBest Editing AwardHe Never Gives Up1984Best Editing AwardThe Boys from Fengkuei1985Best Editing AwardHis Matrimony1989Best Editing AwardA City of Sadness1995Best Editing AwardGood Men, Good WomenBest Original ScreenplaySuper Citizen Ko2001Best Editing AwardBeijing Bicycle2002Best Editing AwardThe Best Of TimesOutstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year2005Best Editing AwardThree Times2013Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year2015Best Editing AwardThe Assassin2017Best Editing AwardThe Foolish Bird2018Best Editing AwardUs And ThemSpecial Contribution Award

References