Three lawmakers yesterday promoted Yeh Shih-tao, A Taiwan Man (台灣男子葉石濤), a documentary telling the story of Taiwanese writer Yeh Shih-tao (葉石濤), directed by Hsu Huei-lin (許卉林).
Key Taiwan Forward members, including Democratic Progressive Party legislators Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) and Michelle Lin (林楚茵), at a news conference called on the public to join the special screenings of the film across Taiwan.
There are to be eight to 10 screenings of the documentary.
Photo: CNA
Executive producer Lin Ching-chieh (林靖傑) said that many of his friends warned him against being too close to politicians, but the documentary tells the story of a great literary academic and Taiwanese culture and values, which he said “surpass politics.”
Lin Ching-chieh said he disagreed with the idea that cultural workers should not become acquainted with politicians and that he welcomes political parties supporting Taiwanese indigenous culture.
He hopes that legislators who are willing to support local Taiwanese culture can inspire other politicians to pay more attention to cultural values.
Wang said that art and literature allow people to communicate with the place they grow up in, which in Yeh’s case is Tainan, where he had been brought up, educated, and arrested and persecuted by the Taiwan Garrison Command.
“Tainan is a good place for people to dream, work, fall in love, get married and enjoy a carefree life,” Yeh has said.
Chao said that when the movie Elena (愛琳娜), which was directed by Lin Ching-chieh, was released in 2015, the two of them strove to have it stay in theaters longer, as the Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic World was also in theaters at the time.
Coincidentally, Yeh’s documentary was released when the new Jurassic World: Dominion arrived in theaters, he said.
He called on people to support the film by viewing in theaters, as it not only commemorates Yeh’s life, but the era he lived in.
Michelle Lin said that Yeh is not known to many Taiwanese as English playwright William Shakespeare or Japanese author Ryotaro Shiba.
Literature is the biggest driving force of Taiwan’s audiovisual and music industry, as good scripts come from good literature, she said, adding: “We can only tell others our own story by understanding it first.”
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or