Actor Wu Kang-ren (吳慷仁), who was once seen as being pro-Taiwan for having participated in the Sunflower movement in 2014, has reportedly joined an agency in China, seemingly diverting his career westward to Beijing. It has stirred up heated debate in Taiwan as some fans feel betrayed.
Actor Chang Chin-hao (張晉豪) tried to explain Wu’s actions, saying that Taiwan’s entertainment industry is declining, and that Wu is just seeking better opportunities for his career development.
If that is true, why have South Korean artists Lee Da-hye (李多慧) and An Ji-hyun (安芝儇) relocated to Taiwan?
Obviously, the “art” of making a living that South Korean and Taiwanese artists choose differs greatly. In Taiwan, those who settle in the country believe that “where there is ease, there is home,” while those who leave look back at it as a bleak beginning.
The primary focus of the art of K-pop is visual: South Korean artists are photogenic; South Korean music videos are dazzling; South Korean dancers perform synchronous movements.
If we close our eyes and just listen without moving our bodies with the rhythm, K-pop is not as mesmerizing as it might be.
This might be why K-pop has conquered the world. It does not matter if foreign teenagers do not speak Korean. What it takes to be a fan of K-pop is imagining oneself as a shining star who loves dancing.
The art of Taiwanese artists is talking. Variety shows are mostly talk shows and dialogue matters in dramas.
In Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee said: “The famous axiom ‘show, don’t tell’ is the key.”
Taiwanese screenwriters disobey this instruction far more than those of South Korean dramas and Japanese anime. Taiwanese dramas rely too much on expository dialogue to explain what is going on at any time, regardless of how long it takes. Therefore, if Taiwanese actors and actresses wish to increase their income, it is only a matter of time before they seek out opportunities in the entertainment business in China, which is the closest to Taiwan in terms of language.
However, that industry is in the palm of the Chinese Communist Party’s hands. Referring to China as the “mainland” has become a passcode for Taiwanese artists, especially those seen as being pro-Taiwan, to gain access to the Chinese market.
South Korean stars, who are good at dancing and are good-looking, do not have to publicly apologize. Even if they are denied access to the Chinese market, they can simply go to other countries to work.
Experienced readers would know that the way a person talks, how fast they speak and their intonation are more important than what they talk about.
No wonder McKee suggests that screenwriters avoid “telling.”
It would be better if Taiwanese stars were versatile enough to shine all over the world like K-pop artists. If they could, they would not have to worry about their career no matter how things evolve in the Taiwan Strait.
Jimway Chang has a master’s degree in history from National Tsing Hua University and is a high-school history teacher.
Translated by Fion Khan
A recent report concerning a student who is suing his teacher posed the question in its headline: Does failing a student in two subjects constitute bullying? The college student in Chiayi County apparently sought NT$2 million (US$63,603) in state compensation, but a court dismissed the case. The first reaction of many might have been to ask: What has happened to students nowadays? Some say that teachers have lost their authority, while others say students are overindulged. Some even start reminiscing over the days when “whatever the teacher says goes.” However, the real issue might be overlooked if emotional reactions like that are the
When I visited Taiwan last summer, I called on the nation to use its status as a technology superpower to build superweapons. It is obvious to me as I return a year later that Taiwan is now answering that call. By 2030, Taiwan envisions a domestic drone hub, capable of producing large quantities of drones per year. The nation continues to tighten cooperation across the private sector, scientific researchers and the elected government, on creating new and innovative production avenues for defense, while efforts to become central to the “democratic supply chain” are only increasing. Anduril is seeing all of these positive
Singaporean former Prime Minister and current senior minister Lee Hsien- Loong(李顯龍) last month stood on Chinese soil and told Beijing that Singapore cooperates because of “shared interests”, not because of common “ethnic descent,” a significant statement that has upended China’s cognitive warfare tactics of “ethnic nationalism.” Along with using its military buildup and economic growth to expand its international dominance, China has long deployed ethnic politics to promote the idea that all ethnic Chinese around the world, regardless of citizenship, share a tight bond with the Chinese motherland, by which it means the regime of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
President William Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) May 20 second-anniversary address was not just a routine policy review; it was damage control. US President Donald Trump’s remarks — that he did not want to see anyone move toward independence and that the delivery of a major Taiwan arms package could depend on the progress of US-China relations — unsettled Taiwan’s public and created an opening for opposition parties to question whether Taiwan was being treated as a bargaining chip in Washington’s dealings with Beijing. Lai’s speech was designed to close that opening. The address covered the expected ground: sovereignty, cross-strait relations, defense spending,
RSS