Taking a German perspective on Taiwan

Hsieh Yue-hsia, the 62 year-old Taiwanese opera actress and the winner of the 2002 Golden Bell Awards (Taiwan's answer to Emmy Awards), represents the senior generation of Taiwanese women going through economic hardships in the 1960s. The film crew traces Hsieh to her childhood as an adopted daughter forced to learn opera to make a living from the age of five. From the age of 16, Hsieh started to play male parts on stage and became popular among women fans. She is also the mother of four children.

Li Ang, one of Taiwan's leading authors about women in the 1980s, also deals with the themes of sexuality and the conflict between modern Western values and Confucian ethics. The film crew follows Li to her hometown Lukang (鹿港) and has Li talk about her controversial books including the famous Butcher's Wife (殺夫). Also, the always outspoken Li talks about her close relationship with the DPP and changes to Taiwan's political environment.

Lastly the film focuses on DJ Chen, the first-time filmmaker of recent hit Formula 17 (十七歲的天空). From Treut's point of view, Chen is the woman who has benefited most from the freer role of women in Taiwan's society today. "She [Chen] faces less gender problems than her predecessors and has less pressure in having to be a mother or wife."

Having spent six weeks in Taiwan and having finished two films, Treut is now back in Hamburg to do post-production for the films. Asked what she missed most about working in Taiwan and with a Taiwanese team, she said it was the working style and ethics of Taiwan.

"The working ethic is very similar to that of old Germany. People here are devoted to work and very efficient. Of course, younger Germans are not like this anymore," she said.