Taiwan Today

The local entertainment industry is winning a greater audience by emphasizing defining characteristics of 's society.

As recently as last summer, few people in Taiwan could have predicted that a locally produced movie would enjoy greater box office success than a Hollywood classic like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which earned about NT$400 million (US$12.5 million) in local theaters in 2003 and 2004 and is ranked fifth-highest on the list of Taiwan's top-grossing films. For many years, domestic audiences turned away from local films in favor of imported heroes such as Frodo the hobbit, Harry Potter and Spiderman. The smash success of the locally produced Cape No.7, which was released late last August, however, fundamentally altered that trend, with the movie outselling The Return of the King by about NT$100 million (US$3.1 million) as of the end of October 2008.

may be the most obvious example, but locally produced television shows, music and literature are also taking larger shares of their respective parts of 's entertainment market from foreign competitors. There are many factors behind this surge, but a striking thread linking the successful offerings of the entertainment industry is the emphasis on, and examination of, defining characteristics of 's society. Popular entertainment takes the common elements of a culture and magnifies them, playing them out in distinct and provocative ways that connect with audiences. In the recent run of local films, television series, songs and books that have resonated with the public, the two most discernable common elements are an emphasis on shared history and the inclusive, pluralistic nature of 's society.

Somewhat controversially, Cape No.7 ventures to extend Taiwan's shared memory of the past to acknowledge the influence of the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945), as the movie's backdrop includes the 1940s relationship between a Japanese teacher and his Taiwanese student, while in the film's present, a Japanese woman serves as manager of a local band. For many years, the history and cultural influence of this era have been largely ignored, and 's Japanese elements have elicited some severe criticism in . However, there is a spectrum of feelings about the Japanese colonial era in today, and it is this ambivalence that examines.

"My grandparents have a nostalgic memory of the Japanese time and our young people are also passionate about Japanese things," says Matthew Yen, who wrote lyrics for three of the songs in . "There're many kinds of local stories in which the Japanese play a large role."

Wei Te-sheng, the director of , said in an interview that the movie goes back to an original historical moment when the Japanese era came to an uncertain end, intertwined as it was with both love and hatred. The Japanese occupation was brutal, with some 14,000 Taiwanese dying at Japanese hands, but the Japanese helped to construct 's rail and telecommunications infrastructure, and also developed a strong education system. Instead of rejecting Japanese influence out of hand, the movie's look at the lingering collective memory of the era marks an attempt to come to terms with an indelible part of 's history.

The pluralistic nature of 's society can be seen in 's characters, which include a Hakka salesperson and an aboriginal policeman, as well as in the diversity of languages used, as characters speak in Holo, Mandarin and Japanese. The character of Uncle Boo, a charming septuagenarian, speaks Holo and sings Japanese songs. Boo grew up under the Japanese education system, Holo was spoken by his family, and he is able to speak a little Mandarin. Boo is able to combine these diverse influences and languages, showing the manner in which aspects of different cultures can be synthesized into a whole.

Wei's approach of looking for and telling stories that examine the defining characteristics of local culture finds precursors in a surge of documentaries that began about four years ago. In 2004, the NT$20 million (US$625,000) brought in by Life, a documentary about survivors of the disastrous earthquake that struck central Taiwan in 1999, was more than all other local movies released in the previous year. This film represents another examination of the painful past, as more than 2,400 people died in the devastating quake. Through films like Life and , directors make the case that examining the memory of horrifying past events can be a better way of coming to terms with them than attempting to ignore them.

The Last Rice Farmers, a 2005 film about a fading agricultural community in southern , continued the successful run of local documentaries examining--and challenging--'s collective memory. At the opening of a series of documentaries and discussions held toward the end of , Cres Juang, co-director of The Last Rice Farmers, said that his film was aimed at examining the lingering stereotype that those living in southern are somehow less intelligent than those living in the north. Juang challenges this view through the character of Uncle Khun-pin, the movie's hero and one of 2005's most unlikely stars. For example, Khun-pin keeps careful notes about his farm work, which help him to analyze the efficacy of using certain types of pesticides. His intelligence also shines through when he talks about the effects of government agriculture policies on farmers--although, in some of the film's more humorous moments, his wife often cuts him off and tells him to get back to work.

Drama Diversity

Dramas spoken in Holo and idol dramas, which feature young actors in contemporary settings, dominate 's television prime-time entertainment offerings. Taken together, these series speak to the shared memories of different generations. A more traditional, conservative aspect of Taiwanese society is reflected in Holo dramas, and it is no coincidence that the genre's viewers tend to be older. Most Holo dramas are set in small towns or rural communities, which are largely more conservative than urban areas. The rural settings also evoke memories of 's agrarian past, when more people lived in small towns and agriculture dominated the economy. Interfamily relationships also constitute a large part of the subject matter of Holo dramas, a reflection of the traditional Taiwanese emphasis on the family. Sons and daughters are typically obedient, and when they do rebel, the issues they raise are usually resolved through reaching a consensus with their parents. Characters tend to work at lower and middle class jobs such as farming or shop keeping, and gender roles are also more traditional in Holo dramas, with many female characters working in the home, although roles of female office workers are increasing.

With their younger stars, idol dramas represent a newer shared history--that of 's younger generations. Social mores and lifestyles are much less conservative in the shows-one-night stands between characters, for example, are not unknown. The characters inhabit urban settings, with their fast-paced lifestyle and fashionable consumer society. The stars also exist in a wider economic spectrum than is found in Holo dramas, with roles extending from struggling workers to wealthy young heirs. Women in idol dramas participate in the urban workforce, benefiting from its opportunities for advancement and suffering from its exploitation.

Although Holo dramas tend to attract older viewers and idol dramas mostly connect with a younger demographic, the two genres also share common elements. In fact, Chien Yu-yen, a councilwoman and former journalist and prize-winning radio host, says that the idol drama genre shares many elements with Holo dramas, which became popular in the 1990s, while the local production of idol dramas began in 2001. Both genres are melodramatic, feature spicy language and have comical subplots and enchanting supporting roles. Both genres have also won recognition at the Golden Bell Awards, which are sponsored by the Government Information Office (GIO). In 2008, for example, Lei Hong received a Golden Bell Award for best actor for his role in the Holo series Mom's House, while Ariel Lin won the best actress award for her work in the idol drama They Kiss Again.

In the end, it is not a question of whether Holo dramas or idol dramas best reflect 's reality. Both genres attract substantial numbers of devoted viewers, and taken together, they give a good overview of 's shared history, including a look at how it is changing.

In contrast to the domestic movie industry, 's music lovers have consistently demonstrated a strong affection for the offerings of the local pop industry. For example, a look at the pop charts for the beginning of November 2008 shows that of the 10 bestselling albums, a greatest hits collection by Celine Dion and an album by Singaporean Lin Jun-jie were the only ones by non-local singers.

Language Pluralism

A strong example of the pluralistic, inclusive nature of 's society in general and the music industry in particular is the diversity of languages found in pop. Mandarin pop, or Mandopop, emerged as a creative force in the mid-1970s. Pop again extended beyond 's Mandarin-speaking society in the early 1980s when local languages, especially Holo, were again extensively used in lyrics. The songwriters' creative efforts eventually brought a high tide of Holo songs during the early 1990s in the so-called New Taiwanese Songs movement. Singer Chen Sheng, who was a central figure in that movement, is still quite active in the current pop music scene and shows particular diversity when it comes to language, performing in Holo, Hakka and Mandarin. Wu Bai, a force in the music scene for more than a decade, rocks in both Mandarin and Holo.

The pluralistic nature of 's society can also be seen in the example of A-mei, or Chang Hui-mei, a Pinuyumayan aborigine. Chang grew up listening to tribal music in eastern , far from the island's bustling urban centers, and has even utilized tribal rhythms in some of her pop songs such as Sisters, which extols the benefits of matriarchal aboriginal society. Although A-mei is an aborigine, she sings in Mandarin, her songs are very much in the Mandopop tradition, and her music has found widespread acceptance throughout 's society, which is 98 percent Han Chinese in paternal origin. Her first two albums topped 's music charts for nine weeks each, and she was named the Female Vocalist of the Year at the Golden Melody Awards in 2002. Sponsored by the GIO, the Golden Melody Awards honor 's top singers and musicians.

The music industry also draws from 's shared history, including its essential Chinese characteristics, as the vast majority of those living in are descended in part from mainland Chinese ancestors. These Chinese roots are most notably celebrated in the songs by the tandem of singer Jay Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang. Their hit Blue and White Porcelain, a song on the hit album Cowboy on the Run, was one of the bestselling tunes of 2008 and won the top prizes for best composition and best lyrics at the 2008 Golden Melody Awards. With lyrics centering on one of the best-known forms of traditional Chinese ceramic art, Blue and White Porcelain reflects Fang's "China Wind" concept, which he defines as songs that feature language drawn from classical Chinese poetry; discuss Chinese historical or cultural themes such as herbal medicine, tea, and kung fu; and occasionally include traditional Chinese instruments and melodies.

Fang's "China Wind" concept has been picked up by other major pop singers such as 's Lin Jun-jie and Taiwanese-American Wang Lee-hom. For former radio host Chien Yu-yen, the playful "China Wind" style represents the assimilative nature of 's pop culture. "Merging classical Chinese literature and modern tempos, it is actually a Taiwanese version of Chinese style," she says.

While older listeners appreciate the Chinese elements found in Blue and White Porcelain, lyricist Matthew Yen believes that the song's appeal to the visual imagination accounts for a good part of its popularity with young fans. The song's lyrics include painted flowers, fish, calligraphy and images of beautiful women painted on ceramics. "One after another images pop out as if from a action film," Yen says. "That's exactly the way to speak to young people nowadays."

On the other hand, Yen recognizes the movement's effort to put a contemporary face on the ancient Chinese literary tradition, but thinks it also shows a tendency toward fanciful vocabulary and can result in fixed, superficial impressions of Chinese culture. "Classical Chinese themes or melodies are not new things in pop music," he says. "What's new is the employment of Chinese style for Chinese style's sake."

Yen also points out the somewhat paradoxical fact that this style has not always been well received in mainland . In 2007, when he wrote a song for a new TV series based on the mid-18th century novel Dream of the Red Chamber, a masterpiece of classical Chinese literature, censors in the mainland forced him to modify the parts that they saw as too negative or gloomy.

Nevertheless, Yen believes that 's entertainment industry, a product of the freest and most democratic society in the Mandarin-speaking world, can provide a positive example for the industry in mainland , despite the fast economic development and magnificent cityscapes there. "The information that Chinese people can receive from entertainment, the media or the Internet is already screened or altered," Yen says. "Our freedom is something beyond their imagination and comprehension."

Finding Success

In the past, with few exceptions, only nonfiction works by Taiwanese authors appeared on local bestseller lists alongside Mandarin translations of foreign books. Recently, however, local authors such as Giddens, the penname of Ke Jing-teng, and Wanwan, the penname of Hu Jia-wei, have frequented bestseller charts such as those released by the Kingstone chain of bookstores and by online seller Books.com.tw. Giddens and Wanwan's works are also finding success in foreign markets after being licensed for publication in simplified characters in mainland and in translation in and .

Wanwan writes amusing online diaries with simple line drawings on her comic blog, which claims the highest number of visits to any blog in . As with the audience for idol dramas, Wanwan's somewhat unruly, humorous depiction of everyday life and work has found a resonance in the shared experience of 's younger generations. Her work especially attracts younger readers, whose attitudes about employment are generally less serious than those held by older generations. Her first book, entitled I Hate My Work But Enjoy My Life, evidently connected with many younger people in 2005, as it went on to top the bestseller lists.

Giddens does much of his writing with an eye toward potential adaptation for television shows, movies or comic strips. Love, Full Count, an idol drama released in 2007, for example, is based on his novel of the same title.

In his literary works, however, Giddens is known for his contemporary witticisms and dialogues, reflecting the experience of younger Taiwanese in a more inclusive age of literature. Today, for writers who maintain blogs, as do Giddens and Wanwan, the communication goes both ways, as readers are free to criticize and make suggestions. Production and circulation of works that originate online have eroded the traditional gatekeeper roles of editors at publishing houses and newspaper literary pages. The resulting literature can be less polished, but can sometimes correspond more directly to the experience and interest of readers. By moving away from the traditional, more elitist purview of publishing, literature by local authors can expand its scope to include the views of a larger segment of society.

Lyricist Matthew Yen is also a writer, penning novels largely intended for adaptation into movies, as well as publishing a book of short stories based on his lyrics last year. In 2004, he expanded the breadth of his work to include 's aboriginal heritage by writing Seediq Bale, the tale of a real-life aboriginal hero who led a major uprising against Japanese colonial rule in . The genre-hopping nature of 's entertainment industry is evident in the genesis of Yen's novel, as it is based on a screenplay by Wei Te-sheng, the director of . After experiencing commercial and critical success with , Wei is now working on the film version of Seediq Bale.

"Living in a place that is yet to determine whether to call itself a region or a country," Yen says, "many Taiwanese people lack an easy, natural self-confidence." However, judging from the success of locally produced movies, television dramas, music and literature that reflect 's shared history and pluralistic society, it is clear that such confidence is emerging in the popular entertainment industry.

Write to Pat Gao at kotsijin@gmail.com