Left: "July 2, 2018 Make chopped bamboos a little rain 5898 rain sell uncle Liao wax gourds T$500 10:08 ZZZ". Right: Chen holds a wax gourd.
The 26-year-old has lost the ability to make and retain short-term memories. Instead, he painstakingly records his days in lined notebooks, crammed with entries in blue ink.
Left: "November 7 10:28 ZZZ help mother buy stuff 1998 morning go sister Jhang's home help uncle Shao". Right: Chen carries persimmons collected from his neighbour Uncle Shao's garden.
"I use the notebook to remember who I helped today, how much farm work I did, whether there was rain ... the notebook is my memory," said Chen, who lives with his stepmother, Wang Miao-cyong, 65, in a remote village in Hsinchu County, northwestern Taiwan.
"I once lost one of my notebooks. I was so sad that I was crying and asked my dad to help me find it."
. Hsinchu, Taiwan. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Chen and his stepmother work on their farmland.
Since his father died four years ago, Chen and his stepmother have lived on a government disability allowance and a small income they get from farming fruits and vegetables, which they barter with neighbours, some of whom call Chen "notebook boy".
Left: "July 31 go to hospital alone Shao's home YA 100 3898 10:08". Right: Dr Lin shows X-ray images explaining the difference between a normal brain (left) and Chen Hong-zhi's brain.
Dr Lin Ming-teng, head of the psychiatry department at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said Chen has made remarkable progress despite his extensive brain damage.
"From the X-ray, we can see a large part of his brain in black - these are the sections that were operated on after the traffic accident," Lin said.
Left: "August 17 overcast go to Beipu alone 5898 Shao's house go ground tea go sister Jhang give bread 1 packet x6". Right: Chen reacts as he walks in Beipu Old Street area.
"After losing such a substantial portion of his brain, it is quite amazing for him to achieve what he is doing now," Lin said, adding that Chen could only remember things he had done in the last five to 10 minutes.
Lin said the damage had also affected Chen's ability to receive and process information.
. Hsinchu, Taiwan. Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Chen quarrels with his stepmother.
"This has an effect on his relationship with his mother, too, as sometimes his mother cannot get over the fact that he forgets things," Lin said.
Wang longs to go back to her hometown in Indonesia, but she feels she cannot leave Chen alone.
Left: "YA sell sister Jhang third prize 6600 September 26 Shao's dog OK 888 go to Beipu alone visit sister Jhang 9:28". Right: Chen talks to his friend, Sister Jhang.
"If I leave, who will take care of my son? I can't imagine his future after I die."
For now, Chen's notebooks allow him to preserve some semblance of order in his life.
Left: A note details Chen's day on October 26. Right: Chen looks for the mobile phone he lost.
"October 26 go to Beipu alone, Chen clan organisation, go find phone, go Catholic church, Citian Temple, 10:38 ZZZ", reads one poignant note about a day he spent searching for, and praying to find, his lost mobile phone.