Resources on Taiwan: DVD

Little Eiko from the south side of Peking came to the south side of Taipei, growing into the irreplaceable “Ms. Lin Hai-yin" in the Chinese literary world. Home in Two Cities tells the story from the perspective of Lin Hai-yinʼs special background of having “two homelands”. With the heartfelt narration from her daughter Julie Chang, we enter her life and see her desk, the editorʼs office, and how she fearlessly handled the challenges in that era of censorship and suppression; we set our feet in her garden of literature. Due to the inclusiveness and amiability of her personality and works, Lin Hai-yin's novels stand the test of time, becoming a common memory for cross-strait readers. She is not only a friend to writers, but also a selfless and audacious mother, safeguarding the post-war Taiwanese literature from infancy to adulthood.

The Ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou turned into a butterfly in his dream, reality and fantasy were blurred. The poet dreams to live free of secularity and capture eternity in a fragment of time. The coming of Tulku cites the anecdotes of Buddhist classics, referring to a whole life time by the allusion of one day in te life of Chou Meng-tieh. His thoughts, meditations, and writings are reflected in his everyday life. By reproducing the atmosphere of the old WuChang Street, and the loneliness he faced at his bookstand, he can ponder over the changes and inspirations brought by the suffering of various ailments. Several migrations and contemplations in life eventually lead to the realization of enlightenment and affection that he should be both loyal to Buddha and his loved ones.

He is back. The one who used to explore Sirius and travel around the world like the ancient Chinese traveler Hsu Xia-ke; the crane cremator with flaming eyes is back. He said that Xizi Bay would be his final resting place. The Untrammeled Traveler follows the footsteps of Mr. and Mrs. Yu, exploring the poetʼs nostalgia, literary inspiration, writing style and interaction with the literary circle. How he lived through those days when Western and Chinese thoughts were drastically exchanged and found his own voice is also seen in the film. His life consists of influential thoughts and vigorous sentences, and Yu Guang-zhong chose to settle in Xizi Bay, on the south of the island, with his wife, accompanying each other in peace.

What is immortal like loneliness? From Chi Lai Mountain to Berkeley, what is rising in the confusing mind - poems. Towards the Completion of a Poem rides along with the recitation of Yang Mu, unfolding the exploration towards a vast literary career. From the hesitant young man at National Hualien Senior High School, the college student debating and learning by the Dadu Mountain in Taichung, the researcher dedicated to the studies of ancient English out of persistence and curiosity at the University of Iowa, the writer comfortably absorbing western, Chinese and Taiwanese cultural resources trying to create his literary works, to the poet who is determined to work on rhyme and imagination meticulously; these moments amaze us more deeply when we read Yang Mu's works once again.

Who passed down the profession of poet? Listen to the traveler of the universe reciting to you on the dreamland - Port of Mists starts the journey with Zheng Chou-yu’s self-titled poem, looking into his life from the first collection of poems that has been lost in time. Thanks to his experience of working at the port, he could not be more familiar with sailors and goodbyes. From the ambitious era of meeting with comrades to talk about their life experiences, the impulsiveness and spontaneity of his time in Iowa, to the steadiness and wide-angled thinking he experienced after teaching at Yale University, he has never forgotten the beautiful profession of poet, holding the lamp up high and reflecting light and shadow over the face of the world.

Every night the novelist is fighting with himself in a confined space, taking out soil from his heart like he is excavating a ditch. By keeping track of a young novelist, The Man behind the Book is connecting the various pieces of Wang Wen-xinʼs literary career. From the dense rows of book shelves in the library to the unevenly lined-up trees and forked roads, his sharp sensitiveness to art and personal opinions, just like sculpting the core of spirituality, translates thoughts into signals precisely, and eventually turns them into words. Wang Wen-xin is a figure in the literary circle who worships words like religion, treats writing valuably, and exchanges deepness with slowness.

What can be retained with photography? Where the cinema is leading us to? Is there meaning to life after all? He's always on the road. Running at 24 frames per second, that's the pace of Mark Lee. Instead of wings, he travels with his eyes and his heart, chasing the fleeting lights and colors, transforming them into visions of film directors, or voices within every audience. We followed the flickering of his footprints, gathering the fragments lost between frames, discovering the passion he gave to the Taiwanese cinema. In the end, it's not just his light or shadow that touches us. It's also the wind and the people. And more, the way back home after walking out the movie theatre, that resonate from within.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan transforms ancient aesthetics into a thrilling modern celebration of motion. Immersed in everything from meditation to martial arts to modern dance, Cloud Gate returns to Memorial Hall for its third visit in a stunning production of Songs of the Wanderers. Inspired by the quest for enlightenment and wealth of sacred traditions throughout Asia, choreographer Lin Hwai-min transforms ancient rites into resonant dance theatre.

A visually stunning poem to spiritual pilgrimage, Songs of the Wanderers creates a world of intense reverence. Evocative movements set to soulful Georgian folk songs are brought to life on an astonishing set with over three tons of shimmering golden grains of rice. A monk stands still at a downstage corner for the entire performance, a stream of rice grains flowing from above and onto his shaved head, transforming from a river to hills to a desert, showering like a summer storm and waterfalls.