J apanese actress Chie Tanaka, who shot to fame in Taiwan after starring in the country’s biggest-ever blockbuster, now says she is keen to make her name in Chinese-language cinema.
Tanaka, who came to Taiwan two years ago in a bid to boost her career, said her dreams came true when Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng (魏德勝) picked her as the lead in the romantic drama Cape No. 7 (海角七號).
“I was very lucky to get the role. It’s very challenging for me to act in Mandarin,” said Tanaka, who studied the language for only eight months before shooting began.
Cape No. 7 tells of the romance between a local singer and a spirited Japanese publicist played by Tanaka. It has become Taiwan’s highest-grossing Chinese-language film ever.
The film won top honors at the Golden Horse Film Awards, considered the Chinese-language Oscars, and at international film festivals in Japan and Hawaii.
Tanaka herself was nominated for a Golden Horse for best new performer and although she didn’t win, the film made her a household name here virtually overnight, bringing her lucrative endorsement deals.
The 27-year-old, who is now based in Taiwan, says she would not have made the big break had she stayed in her native country.
“I hope to become a good actress but there are very few opportunities for a breakthrough in Japan’s fiercely competitive entertainment industry,” Tanaka said.
“I wanted to try my luck abroad but it’s still very daunting to have to start anew in a foreign land,” she said in an interview conducted
in Mandarin.
Her leap of faith came after playing a minor role in the 2005 car racing flick Initial D (頭文字D) by acclaimed Hong Kong director Andrew Lau (劉偉強), featuring Jay Chou (周杰倫).
“The Japanese are very serious and nervous about doing their jobs right. The Taiwanese, even stars like Chou, are friendly, easy-going and more relaxed. I thought I’d like to work in such an environment,” Tanaka said.
The decision nevertheless shocked her father — noted Japanese make-up artist Tony Tanaka — who tried to talk her out of the move, citing the language barrier.
“My father was very concerned about how could I work in Taiwan speaking not one word of Chinese. I could have stayed in Japan which would be very safe for me but I didn’t want to go on like that,” Tanaka said.
“My instinct was that there would be more opportunities in Chinese-language cinema and I would have a better chance if I could speak the language.”
Tanaka is among a growing number of foreigners who have studied Mandarin and relocated to Taiwan to pursue showbiz careers as they see the rising clout of the Chinese language and pop culture, industry watchers say.
“There is a global trend to study Chinese as China’s power rises,” said film critic Liang Liang (梁粮), who compared the marketing clout of Chinese-language cinema to Hollywood and India’s Bollywood.
“Taiwan particularly attracts foreign performers as it is internationalized and culturally diverse,” he said.
Tanaka’s agent Rebecca Chen, who also represents eight other Japanese actors, said the Japanese have an advantage here because of historical ties between the two cultures.
Taiwan-born Japanese heartthrob actor Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武), who is much sought-after in Asian cinema, made his debut in Taiwan before broadening his career to Japan and elsewhere.
“The [Taiwan] experience helps Tanaka raise her profile and hone her acting craft. It would be a plus for her when she returns to Japan,” Chen said.
Tanaka is hopeful about exploring the possibilities in China despite the anti-Japanese sentiment there.
“I am not worried about going to work on the mainland [sic]. Chinese fans left messages on my blog telling me they want to see Cape No. 7. I hope to promote the movie there and meet my fans,” she said.
“I think we can look at films and politics separately,” she said. “I am willing to work in Taiwan, China or Japan where there are good scripts.”
Tanaka, whose latest project is to lend her voice to a Mandarin animated film, said she is also confident about playing non-Japanese characters in the future.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
RSS