As the first animated work to adapt the classic Chinese love story of the same name, Butterfly Lovers: Leon and Jo (
It is an acceptable film. As a tragedy, it makes you cry. And as a story about Chinese culture and sentiment, it has also got the right feel. There are even two Mando-pop divas singing love songs in the movie, adding more touching sentiment.
However, it is not hard to find some obvious problems.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CMP
The story of Liang Shan-po (
In order to pursue her studies, Jo dresses as a boy when she meets Leon on the way to school. They quickly become best friends, carrying on a flirtation that hints at Jo's sex. When Jo is revealed as a woman, Leon immediately falls in love with her, only to find out she is about to married, forced by her father to couple with the son from a rich family.
Those familiar with Disney animations will find the animation work in this movie a little raw and the movement of the characters a bit stiff.
Those seeking a Pixar-standard of 3D animation may be a little disappointed. Fortunately, the music and the dubbing has added some class to the movie.
Both Rene Liu (
The music for the movie adapts the world-famous Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, by Chinese composers Chen Gang (
The flowing Chinese-style violins represent the "falling in love" segment; and the high and rapid tones represent the
"refusing to marry part."
At the end, the powerful sounds of gongs represents the climax of the tragedy -- as the protagonists metamorphose into butterflies.
The picture also improves when the pair are ready to sacrifice their love. The colors are glowing and their use is wilder, making for a more imaginative section of the movie.
As mega K-pop group BTS returns to the stage after a hiatus of more than three years, one major market is conspicuously missing from its 12-month world tour: China. The omission of one of the group’s biggest fan bases comes as no surprise. In fact, just the opposite would have been huge news. China has blocked most South Korean entertainment since 2016 under an unofficial ban that also restricts movies and the country’s popular TV dramas. For some Chinese, that means flying to Seoul to see their favorite groups perform — as many were expected to do for three shows opening
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry consumes electricity at rates that would strain most national grids. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) alone accounted for more than 9 percent, or 2,590 megawatts (MW), of the nation’s power demand last year. The factories that produce chips for the world’s phones and servers run around the clock. They cannot tolerate blackouts. Yet Taiwan imports 97 percent of its energy, with liquefied natural gas reserves measured in days. Underground, Taiwan has options. Studies from National Taiwan University estimate recoverable geothermal resources at more than 33,000 MW. Current installed capacity stands below 10 MW. OBSTACLES Despite Taiwan’s significant geothermal potential, the
The entire Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀) saga has been an ugly, complicated mess. Born in China’s Hunan Province, she moved to work in Shenzhen, where she met her future Taiwanese husband. Most accounts have her arriving in Taiwan and marrying somewhere between 1993 and 1999. She built a successful career in Taiwan in the tech industry before founding her own company. She also served in high-ranking positions on various environmentally-focused tech associations. She says she was inspired by the founding of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in 2019 by Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), and began volunteering for the party soon after. Ko
In our discussions of tourism in Taiwan we often criticize the government’s addiction to promoting food and shopping, while ignoring Taiwan’s underdeveloped trekking and adventure travel opportunities. This discussion, however, is decidedly land-focused. When was the last time a port entered into it? Last week I encountered journalist and travel writer Cameron Dueck, who had sailed to Taiwan in 2023-24, and was full of tales. Like everyone who visits, he and his partner Fiona Ching loved our island nation and had nothing but wonderful experiences on land. But he had little positive to say about the way Taiwan has organized its
RSS