Taiwanese should be proud of the TV show The Teenage Psychic (通靈少女), which has won a Golden Bell award for best miniseries and has been broadcast in 23 nations through HBO Asia.
However, now that the season finale has aired, what is next? How does the nation capitalize on the show’s momentum to showcase more Taiwanese entertainment to the world?
On the horizon is another promising series, tentatively titled A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities to be directed by Nelson Yeh (葉天倫), who has produced several blockbuster films.
The series’ plot revolves around a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Taipei and a Taiwanese-American programmer in San Francisco who swap homes.
These are the kind of stories and elements that will garner domestic and international attention — and they also break the mold of sappy, run-of-the-mill Taiwanese love stories or family dramas to pave the way for unique and creative material that showcases the local culture while also appealing to foreign audiences.
However, in general, Taiwan’s television and film scene still largely lacks creativity and international appeal, and while the overall quality seems to be improving, top-notch productions like The Teenage Psychic are still rare.
There has not been a series that has garnered such attention in the past five months, and A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities has yet to begin filming.
Instead, large amounts of money is poured into cheesy films with storylines full of plot holes that even Taiwanese do not watch.
Ask any young person on the street — they will likely tell you that they prefer watching US, South Korean, Japanese or even Chinese dramas.
It is important to note that The Teenage Psychic was an HBO Asia collaboration with the Public Television Service, while A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities is to be a Netflix coproduction.
Taiwanese cannot keep waiting for a foreign production giant that knows what it is doing to step in and produce a high-quality TV series.
The two companies are not only known for their production values, but apparently they also have their target markets set beyond Taiwan and they know that the typical sappy Asian drama model is tired and obsolete, so they are choosing original stories that feature local flavor and elements — a concept that is frequently ignored by Taiwanese producers.
From a positive angle, these foreign collaborations provide a glimpse into what Taiwanese entertainment could be. Producers and crew involved in these productions will likely use the experience they obtained working with these foreign firms in other projects, and hopefully the success of these dramas could inspire other local production companies to broaden their horizons.
Public Television Service international department director Jessie Shih (施悅文) recently told the Central News Agency that US producers “constantly keep the audience in mind.”
She also said that HBO has separate teams for story development, fundraising and marketing, while in Taiwan everything is often taken care of by one group.
She said that when the director is worried about marketing or raising funds, they are not able to exercise their creativity to the fullest.
There is still a long way to go for Taiwanese TV series and movies to regularly reach international audiences, but when steered in the right direction, the nation might have the capability and the talent to approach the popularity of South Korean dramas.
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) has long wielded influence through the power of words. Her articles once served as a moral compass for a society in transition. However, as her April 1 guest article in the New York Times, “The Clock Is Ticking for Taiwan,” makes all too clear, even celebrated prose can mislead when romanticism clouds political judgement. Lung crafts a narrative that is less an analysis of Taiwan’s geopolitical reality than an exercise in wistful nostalgia. As political scientists and international relations academics, we believe it is crucial to correct the misconceptions embedded in her article,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
RSS