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Hsin Chi

Directing

Biography

Chi Hsin has directed more than 50 Taiwanese Hokkien-language films including romance, realistic, wuxia, comedy, crime, thriller, Taiwanese opera and even softcore pornography – but only eight of them survived. In the late 60s when the production of Hokkien-language films started to decline, Xin tried to make Mandarin-speaking films. He even went to Hong Kong and there he made some wuxia films for the Shaw Brothers in King Hu’s style but the collaboration terminated prematurely. In 1971, he moved to the television industry by writing and directing for companies owned by the state. Until his retirement in 1990, he made numerous dramas and education programmes. After the 1990s, he worked on the preservation of Hokkien-language films by assisting the Chinese Taipei Film Archive (now renamed to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute) and creating an association for actors once working in the Hokkien-language films. His numerous interviews are the significant historical resources, helping us understand the development of Hokkien-language cinema in Taiwan.

Known For

The Rice Dumpling Vendors

Tsi-Bing is living a wealthy and successful life. However, he is manipulated by his mistress into believing that his wife is having an affair and he throws her out. After his mistress vanishes with his money, Tsi-Bing is forced to relocate to a makeshift home with his three children, who take on various jobs, such as selling rice dumplings, to make ends meet. The story centers on a man who loses his social and economic status but manages to regain his place in his family through sacrifices – much like the experience of female protagonists in melodramas. This male-centric narrative was recognized as part of a subgenre of Taiwanese-language melodrama. The depictions of a powerful male figure losing his power before finally turning the tide, and a woman able to support herself after leaving home, both suggest the changing attitudes of the late 60s as people were less convinced of the perfect family, but could still find beauty in its cause.

The Rice Dumpling Vendors

1969Movie
Dangerous Youth

Kueiyuan is a deliveryman for a cosmetics company. He is a womaniser and dreams of making a quick buck. He meets a romantic 20-year-old girl, Qingmei, who feels trapped by her mother’s small restaurant and is eager to escape. Kueiyuan earns a commission fee by introducing Qingmei to a cabaret, run by Yuchan. Qingmei falls in love with Kueiyuan and sleeps with him. However, under pressure from Kueiyuan and Yuchan, Qingmei agrees to become a mistress to an old millionaire. Meanwhile, Yuchan seduces Kueiyuan and controls him with money and sex. When Qingmei discovers that she is pregnant by Kueiyuan, the latter demands an abortion. Qingmei runs away and hides. When Kueiyuan proposes marriage to Yuchan and is rejected by her, he finally realises that he is in love with Qingmei and goes out to look for her.

Dangerous Youth

1969Movie