Taiyupian - an Introduction to Taiwanese-language cinema

[@justkallmekai]

So glad to see this topic discussed. Felt like the various sources I've read that mention taiyupian are a way to contextualize healthy realism and eventually new cinema. Wish the films were available in the U.S :C

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Same here. For a long time these films were treated more like footnotes than anything else. Which is a shame. I think there should be some screenings in the US soon. I know there was the Taiwan Film Festival Boston.

[@NicGil]

Glad I came upon your channel! I’m currently studying East Asian Studies at Uni, majoring in Chinese and I really wanna get more into East Asian art and cinema! I feel like I will be binge watching your videos after this one, as this video is already so interesting and well put together! Thank you for this :))

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Thankyou for those kind words 🙂 so glad the video was helpful. Your course sounds great, what uni is it at?

[@NicGil]

@@EastAsianCinemaHistory It's in Belgium, Ghent University 🙃

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Awesome. Is it post or undergrad?

[@NicGil]

@@EastAsianCinemaHistory There's both, but I'm only in my first year undergrad rn :)

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Your knowledge of East Asian cinema is great for a first Year undergrad.

[@eddychou1933]

I LOVE Crazed Fruit so I need to see Dangerous Youth. Do I have to book a pass for the festival or can I book the films individually?

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Me too. You can book them individually.

[@eddychou1933]

@@EastAsianCinemaHistory All booked. Can’t wait to watch. I’m in the UK for a few weeks. Lucky me.

[@daialandai]

So sad I can't participate in the festival, as I'm not a UK resident 😭 They're showing Hill of No Return too, which is one of my favorite movies ever.

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

I’m so sorry, I completely forgot to add the UK limitation initially 🙈

[@lukderk]

when ⚠?

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Any film in particular?

[@lukderk]

@@EastAsianCinemaHistory Where are films from Golden ⚠️?!

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

@@lukderk which films from the ⚠️ would you like?

[@lukderk]

@@EastAsianCinemaHistory you said you've been working on this for a long time ?!

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

@@lukderk I’ve got a few films I’ve been working on. Just wondered what you had in mind specifically.

[@daviddimitri1964]

Wery good ⚡

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@sammieg-wing8336]

Best Secret Agent? I think I’ve found my next girl crush!

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

totally get it haha. Do you remember her playing the mother is The Prodigal Boxer?

[@4ofdubs]

When are you going to finally cover South Korean cinema?

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

I’m working on one right now actually. But do you have any suggestions?

[@4ofdubs]

@@EastAsianCinemaHistory South Korean horror cinema and teen films, I guess?

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Horror is where I was thinking.

[@modelworkeronyourbak]

While I appreciate the issues and history here. I’m getting a lot of CIA influenced pro-US imperialism vibes.

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

Really? I’m usually accused of being too critical of the West.

[@feelin_fine]

Historically, the US government backed the exiled right-wing Chinese Nationalist (KMT) dictatorship, which, upon arrival, brutally suppressed Taiwan's Indigenous tongues, continued use of (colonial-era) Japanese, and older local languages (including Taiwanese/Hokkien, Hakka, etc.) in favor of Mandarin. Reclaiming this linguistic heritage is both a grassroots and government-supported effort in today's democratic Taiwan, so it's a bit weird to imply that the US, which propped up the regime that suppressed Taiwanese Hokkien in the first place, is now covertly supporting its revival. Taiwan's sense of cultural identity is borne of its complex history and struggles, not magically implanted by the CIA (as if 24 million people were dupes with no minds or memories of their own...).

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

@@feelin_fine So true. I’m glad you said this and not me though - it’s not popular to bring up the US government’s support of the KMT and their oppression 😅

[@feelin_fine]

@@EastAsianCinemaHistory Well, it's hardly unknown here. Then again, the USSR also trained and shaped the KMT; Mao, Zhou Enlai, etc., were all KMT members at one point too before their differences came to a head, its rightward lurch, and the civil war. Today, of course, the US is more comfortable with the DPP than it once was. History is full of contradictions, and cries of "CIA!" at every turn are usually indicative of overconfidence in an agency with a decidedly mixed record of "success" even on its own terms, to say nothing of incuriosity toward local dynamics and realities outside America.

[@EastAsianCinemaHistory]

@@feelin_fine Exactly. Despite the fact the CIA still interferes, reducing everything to them is US-centric and erases local/trans-local issues. My main concern though, is how it contributes to hindering international solidarity movements - especially on the grassroots level.