Holo film and television series are reclaiming their place in Taiwan’s entertainment industry.
In mid-May the film “Man in Love” made a big splash at the box office in Taiwan, advancing to become the sixth highest grossing locally made film of all time. It brought in NT$100 million (US$3.6 million) in Taipei City alone and more than NT$400 million (US$14.3 million) nationwide. An official remake of a 2014 South Korean work of the same name, the blockbuster centers on the romance between a debt collector and a debt-ridden young woman working for a farmers’ association. The story unfolds almost entirely in Holo—also known as Taiwanese, the language of the country’s largest ethnic group. “The narrative is so appealing because it reflects everyday life in Taiwan, with characters you could run into on any street corner,” said Yin Chen-hao (殷振豪), the film’s director. “Integrating a range of artistic styles and bursting with local flavor, the work epitomizes the unique Taiwan perspective gaining prominence in world cinema.”
Director Chang Hsiu-cheng on the set of “2 Million Dollars,” a 2021 TV film that explores women’s role in society (Photo courtesy of Taigi Channel, Public Television Service)
The natural flow of dialogue in “Man in Love” ranks high among reasons for the film’s popularity. Actor RoyChiu (邱澤), who plays the male protagonist and speaks Holo as his mother tongue, was shortlisted for best actor in this year’s Taipei Film Awards on the strength of his performance. He is far from the only Holo-speaking star earning greater recognition in recent years. Last November Chen Shu-fang (陳淑芳) won best actress at the Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Oscars, for her role in the family drama “Little Big Women.” Over the past two decades, half of the 30 most popular domestically produced movies were filmed primarily in the language, highlighting the growing appetite for such media among Taiwan audiences, according to writer and lyricist Tenn Sun-tshong (鄭順聰).
Public Television Service’s Taigi Channel aired its inaugural drama series “Coolie” in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Taigi Channel, PTS)
Tenn is a longtime advocate of reviving the use of Holo in Taiwan’s cultural and entertainment industries. The current dominance of Mandarin is largely the result of the post-World War II era, when for many years other languages were banned in schools and restricted in film, music and TV programming. “Matters relating to language, history and politics are entering the pop culture scene as the topics become less taboo,” Tenn said. “Though some people initially resisted this resurgence, it has now developed into a major trend.”
Genre Renaissance
Tenn attributes the phenomenon in part to young people’s curiosity about the language and its history. “They hear Holo a lot at home, in markets, in taxis, on TV and elsewhere,” Tenn said. “Yet they often can’t speak it themselves, so they seek a better understanding through media.” Overall, the people of Taiwan are quite accepting of diverse cultural influences, and Holo boasts the advantage of being the heritage language for over 65 percent of the population, according to Lu Tong-hi (呂東熹).
Lu heads Taipei-based Public Television Service’s (PTS) Taigi Channel, which was launched in 2019 to offer 24-hour Holo programming. PTS is part of the government-sponsored Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS) along with Hakka TV, set up in 2003 to serve the country’s second largest ethnic group, and Chinese Television System (CTS), established in 1971 and one of Taiwan’s oldest TV stations. “We’re working to bring in more people who have worked in the Mandarin film and TV sector so we can capitalize on their experience to create new, intriguing content in the hope that it will inspire younger generations to feel like it’s cool tospeak Holo,” Lu said.
With funding from TBS, Taigi Channel and CTS produce the bulk of Taiwan’s Holo dramas. The former’sinaugural show “Coolie” tells the story of a group of low-wage earners at northern Taiwan’s Port of Keelung during the 1970s when the country’s economy was taking off. The 10-part program released in July 2019 received critical acclaim, making the shortlist for best director, actor and actress at the 2020 Golden Bell Awards, the local equivalent of the Emmys. Aired on CTS just a week later, “The Making of an Ordinary Woman” was an even greater success. The 10-episode literary adaptation portraying comic family relationships in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City recorded the highest ratings for a CTS show since it joined TBS in 2006, earning a Golden Bell for best television series. The second season is slated to broadcast in August.
Three-episode TV miniseries “Freewill of Formosa” broadcast in 2019 tells the moving story of Taiwan’s political liberalization. (Photo courtesy of Taigi Channel, PTS)
“The Making of an Ordinary Woman” was part of a Ministry of Culture-funded project to develop Holo audiovisual content launched in 2018. The initiative resulted in nine other drama series and TV films that went on to bag a number of domestic and foreign awards. Subsequent endeavors led to works like “I, Myself” and “Recipe of Life,” which premiered on CTS and Taigi Channel in mid-2020. These productions were made in the style of an idol drama—a type of show starring popular young actors in contemporary urban settings. This marked a departure from previous shows in the genre, which had been filmed almost entirely in Mandarin since first gaining popularity in the early 2000s. With the newer style’s greater appeal among younger viewers, Holo shows are attracting a broader audience than ever before.
Universal Draw
Lu sees this as a sign that Holo entertainment is reaching heights not seen since the industry’s golden age from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s. “Appealing to younger generations is critical to the preservation of the Holo language,” Lu said. He also believes the station has a responsibility to represent all aspects of Taiwan. For this reason, Taigi Channel does not skirt political issues, delving into topics like the country’s democratization and transitional justice in TV films “Freewill of Formosa” and “Secret in the Garden,” respectively released in 2019 and 2021. Works like “2 Million Dollars,” aired in April, explore gender-related issues such as women’s role in society.
TV film “Secret in the Garden,” 2021, portrays a same-sex relationship set amid Taiwan’s democratization movement in the late 1970s. (Photo courtesy of Taigi Channel, PTS)
Holo dramas are growing in popularity not only in Taiwan but overseas as well. PTS has sold the broadcasting rights of “Coolie” to Malaysia and Singapore and seeks to further expand its reach in the region. Taipei-based Calendar Studios Co., which debuted with “Man in Love,” targets people at home and abroad through online streaming services, according to founder Jin Pai-lunn (金百倫). “Local productions have already demonstrated great potential to captivate global audiences thanks to their unique aesthetics and focus on extraordinary characters in ordinary settings,” she said.
Tenn agrees that local languages and stylistic elements need not present a barrier to entering international markets. “What’s most important is that a film or show offers compelling storytelling and characters that resonate with viewers,” he said. “People using platforms like Netflix can easily rely on subtitles, so content doesn’t need to be in English or Mandarin. Holo is a rich language capable of conveying universal feelings to the world.”
Write to Pat Gao at cjkao@mofa.gov.tw