On the surface, Love of May (五月之戀) is a movie about a Taiwanese boy encountering a mainland Chinese girl in Taipei.
Like many Taipei 20-somethings, they hang out in Eslite Bookstore listening to Mayday's (五月天) Taiwanese rock `n' roll music and have lunch at NY Bagels.
The movie is another attempt, following the success of Formula 17 (十七歲的天空), by Taiwanese filmmakers to aim for a piece of the younger market. Gone are the dreary commentaries about political change or social critiques. Instead, in this teen love story, the director tries to introduce a youthful spirit and refreshing romance.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MATA ENTERTAINMENT
More ambitious is the story's attempt to highlight the ways young people across the Taiwan Strait can connect with the help of cellphones and Internet chat. It also tries to present the stark differences of these connections compared with those of older-generation mainlanders nostalgic for lost hometowns in China.
In the film, Ah-lei (played by Chen Bo-ling,(陳柏霖) is the younger brother of Shi-tou (石頭), guitarist of Mayday. He and two college classmates work as webmasters for Mayday's official Web site and one of their jobs is to reply to fan mail. One day, a fan sends a message, saying: "Who can tell me what May snow is?"
"I've never heard of May snow," replies Ah-lei. "I only know there is Mayday."
The reply makes the female fan, named Xuan Xuan (played by Liu Yi-fei, 劉亦菲), suspicious that the respondent is not really Ah-hsin (阿信), lead singer of Mayday. "You're not Ah-hsin! He's not so low in culture."
"Yes I am him!" Ah-lei replies.
To keep up his lie, Ah-lei tells Xuan Xuan details about Mayday concerts. Xuan Xuan believes him and begins a daily correspondence.
The film is, in a way, similar to what happens in You've Got Mail. The two finally meet up in Taipei and Ah-lei accompanies Xuan Xuan on a trip to see the "May snow." May snow is, in fact, the term given to the fallen blossoms of the Tung Flower, which are found famously in Sanyi, Miaoli County
Ah-lei finds out that Xuan Xuan is actually from Harbin, in northern China, and is a Peking Opera school student who visited Taipei as a Teenage Cultural Exchange Ambassador. Her dream is to come to Taipei to attend a concert by her favorite band Mayday and get photos of the band members autographed.
After meeting in Taipei, Ah-lei thinks he will never see Xuan Xuan again after she returns to Harbin.
But the romance is thickened during their separation, when Ah-lei finds out why Xuan Xuan has been longing for the so-called May snow. It traces back to her remote connection with Taiwan, and brings in a sentimental journey of Xuan Xuan's grandfather who came to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese Civil War.
Unfolding the May-snow secret, the movie's scenery shifts from the snowy white flowers of Sanyi to the snowy world of Harbin.
Chen, who debuted in Blue Gate Crossing (藍色大門), is probably the fastest-rising star in Taiwan, with roles in First Love, Last Love (最初的愛, 最後的愛), 20, 30, 40 and Twins Effect 2 (千機變2). He makes an impressive performance in Love of May, too, playing an aimless young man with a goofy smile, whose pet phrase is "duo-a," a mangled, lazy version of "dui-a" (對啊), meaning "yes" in Mandarin.
Playing opposite Chen, 18-year-old Liu, who bears a striking resemblance to Hong Kong's Cecilia Cheung (張柏芝), shows the potential to become a genuine star, while senior actor Tien Feng (田豐) and the band Mayday are strong presences in the movie.
Enter the Dragon 13 will bring Taiwan’s first taste of Dirty Boxing Sunday at Taipei Gymnasium, one highlight of a mixed-rules card blending new formats with traditional MMA. The undercard starts at 10:30am, with the main card beginning at 4pm. Tickets are NT$1,200. Dirty Boxing is a US-born ruleset popularized by fighters Mike Perry and Jon Jones as an alternative to boxing. The format has gained traction overseas, with its inaugural championship streamed free to millions on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Taiwan’s version allows punches and elbows with clinch striking, but bans kicks, knees and takedowns. The rules are stricter than the
Next week, candidates will officially register to run for chair of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). By the end of Friday, we will know who has registered for the Oct. 18 election. The number of declared candidates has been fluctuating daily. Some candidates registering may be disqualified, so the final list may be in flux for weeks. The list of likely candidates ranges from deep blue to deeper blue to deepest blue, bordering on red (pro-Chinese Communist Party, CCP). Unless current Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) can be convinced to run for re-election, the party looks likely to shift towards more hardline
“Far from being a rock or island … it turns out that the best metaphor to describe the human body is ‘sponge.’ We’re permeable,” write Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie in their book Slow Death By Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things. While the permeability of our cells is key to being alive, it also means we absorb more potentially harmful substances than we realize. Studies have found a number of chemical residues in human breast milk, urine and water systems. Many of them are endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with the body’s natural hormones. “They can mimic, block
Nearly three decades of archaeological finds in Gaza were hurriedly evacuated Thursday from a Gaza City building threatened by an Israeli strike, said an official in charge of the antiquities. “This was a high-risk operation, carried out in an extremely dangerous context for everyone involved — a real last-minute rescue,” said Olivier Poquillon, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF), whose storehouse housed the relics. On Wednesday morning, Israeli authorities ordered EBAF — one of the oldest academic institutions in the region — to evacuate its archaeological storehouse located on the ground floor of a residential tower in
RSS