1.
Chinese name
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Chinese personal names are names used by those from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and the Chinese diaspora overseas. Prior to the 20th century, educated Chinese also utilized a courtesy name or style name called zi by which they were known among those outside of their family and closest friends. From at least the time of the Shang dynasty, the Han Chinese observed a number of naming taboos regulating who may or may not use a given name. In general, using the given name connoted the speakers authority, peers and younger relatives were barred from speaking it. Owing to this, many historical Chinese figures – particularly emperors – used a half-dozen or more different names in different contexts and those possessing names identical to the emperors were frequently forced to change them. Although some terms in the ancient Chinese naming system, such as xìng and míng, are used today, they were used in different. Commoners possessed only a name, and the modern concept of a surname or family name did not yet exist at any level of society.3 billion citizens. In fact, just the top three – Wang, Li, and Zhang – cover more than 20% of the population. This homogeneity results from the majority of Han family names having only one character. Chinese surnames arose from two separate traditions, the xìng and the shì. The original xìng were clans of royalty at the Shang court, the shì did not originate from families, but denoted fiefs, states, and titles granted or recognized by the Shang court. Apart from the Jiang and Yao families, the original xìng have nearly disappeared, xìng is now used to describe the shì surnames which replaced them, while shì is used to refer to maiden names. The enormous modern clans sometimes share ancestral halls with one another, nonetheless, however tenuous these bonds sometimes are, it remains a minor taboo to marry someone with the same family name. In modern mainland China, it is the norm that a woman keeps her name unchanged. A child usually inherits his/her fathers surname, though the law explicitly states that a child may use either parents or the grandparents. It is also possible, though far less common, for a child to both parents surnames. In the older generations, it was common for a married woman to prepend her husbands surname to her own. This practice is now almost extinct in mainland China, though there are a few such as the name change of Gu Kailai, but survives in some Hong Kong, Macau
2.
Chinese surname
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Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames existed, namely xing or lineage names, and shi or clan names, Chinese family names are patrilineal, passed from father to children. Women do not normally change their surnames upon marriage, except in places with more Western influences such as Hong Kong, traditionally Chinese surnames have been exogamous. The colloquial expressions laobaixing and bǎixìng are used in Chinese to mean ordinary folks, prior to the Warring States period, only the ruling families and the aristocratic elite had surnames. Historically there was also a difference between clan names or xing and lineages names or shi, Xing were surnames held by the noble clans. They generally are composed of a nü radical which has taken by some as evidence they originated from matriarchal societies based on maternal lineages. Another hypothesis has been proposed by sinologist Léon Vandermeersch upon observation of the evolution of characters in oracular scripture from the Shang dynasty through the Zhou, the female radical seems to appear at the Zhou period next to Shang sinograms indicating an ethnic group or a tribe. This combination seems to designate specifically a female and could mean lady of such or such clan, prior to the Qin Dynasty China was largely a fengjian society. In this way, a nobleman would hold a shi and a xing, after the states of China were unified by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC, surnames gradually spread to the lower classes and the difference between xing and shi blurred. Many shi surnames survive to the present day, according to Kiang Kang-Hu, there are 18 sources from which Chinese surnames may be derived, while others suggested at least 24. The following are some of the sources, Xing, These were usually reserved for the central lineage of the royal family. Of these xings, only Jiang and Yao have survived in their form to modern days as frequently occurring surnames. Royal decree by the Emperor, such as Kuang, state name, Many nobles and commoners took the name of their state, either to show their continuing allegiance or as a matter of national and ethnic identity. These are some of the most common Chinese surnames, name of a fief or place of origin, Fiefdoms were often granted to collateral branches of the aristocracy and it was natural as part of the process of sub-surnaming for their names to be used. An example is Di, Marquis of Ouyangting, whose descendants took the surname Ouyang, there are some two hundred examples of this identified, often of two-character surnames, but few have survived to the present. Names of an ancestor, Like the previous example, this was also a common origin with close to 500 or 600 examples,200 of which are two-character surnames, often an ancestors courtesy name would be used. For example, Yuan Taotu took the character of his grandfathers courtesy name Boyuan as his surname. Sometimes titles granted to ancestors could also be taken as surnames, seniority within the family, In ancient usage, the characters of meng, zhong, shu and ji were used to denote the first, second, third and fourth eldest sons in a family
3.
Ruan (surname)
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Ruan is a family name originated from China. The Mandarin Chinese version is romanized as Ruǎn in pinyin and Juǎn for the Wade–Giles System formerly standard in Taiwan, the Taiwanese Hokkien version is transcribed Ńg in Pe̍h-ōe-jī. The Cantonese version is romanized Jyun2 in the Jyutping system or Yún in the Yale system, in Hokchew Chinese, it is Nguang. Its Vietnamese equivalent is Nguyễn, and is the most common Vietnamese family name
4.
Taipei International Book Exhibition
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The Taipei International Book Exhibition, abbreviated TIBE) is a book fair organized by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation and supervised by the Government Information Office. It was established on 15 December 1987 at the National Central Library and focused on distribution, the second show was held two years later at the Taipei World Trade Center, which has remained its venue since. In 1998, the fair switched from a bi-annual to an annual schedule, attendance to the event has continued to increase, making the Taipei International Book Exhibition the largest book fair in Asia. The book fair is currently the fourth largest in the world, behind the Frankfurt Book Fair, BookExpo America, prior to the 5th edition of the exhibition, the Country Pavilion was called the International Pavilion as it showcased publications outside of Taiwan. Following editions saw the pavilion being renamed the Country Pavilion, each edition would focus on a certain country, in what has been described as a bid to highlights the book publications of featured countries. Since then, the pavilion has featured a different country in every edition, Frankfurt Book Fair in the Frankfurt Trade Fair Trade fair Taipei International Book Exhibition official site and
5.
Monga (film)
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Monga is a 2010 Taiwanese gangster film set in 1980s Taipei. The film features Ethan Juan, Mark Chao, Ma Ju-lung, Rhydian Vaughan, the film was directed and co-written by Doze Niu, who also appears in the film. Monga is one of Taipeis districts, mosquito and his friends have no illusions about the unwritten laws that prevail in this part of town, if you want to survive here, you’ve got to be stronger than your enemies. Mosquito, Monk, Dragon, Monkey and A-po are all members of the Gang of Princes, mosquito is invited to join the gang after his chicken drumstick was stolen by a rival gang member on his first day at school in Monga. Mosquito and his friends begin to enjoy their gangster lifestyle and are planning to take over as top gangsters on the streets of Monga. But little do they know there are others who are deeply jealous of their success. Geta, one of Monga’s old triad leaders, sees it as his duty to teach these cheeky young upstarts the true laws of gangsterdom. But even Geta has no inkling of the storm that is about to hit Monga – a storm that will destroy the traditional values. A new gang, bristling with an arsenal of handguns, is about to change forever the little world in which Geta, the movie was filmed on location and landmarks such as Bangkas Qingshui Temple, Bangkas Longshan Temple, Snake Alley, Bopiliao and Ximending appear in the film. The majority of the original score was composed by Sandee Chan. The theme song of the film is Making Love Out of Nothing at All by Nicky Lee and it was originally performed by Air Supply. Monga premiered at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival on January 29,2010, in the Panorama section. The film opened in Taiwan on February 5,2010 and grossed NT$8.31 million on its day and NT$59.32 million on its opening week. China Daily placed the film on their list of the best ten Chinese films of 2010
6.
Traditional Chinese characters
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Traditional Chinese characters are Chinese characters in any character set that does not contain newly created characters or character substitutions performed after 1946. They are most commonly the characters in the character sets of Taiwan, of Hong Kong. Currently, a number of overseas Chinese online newspapers allow users to switch between both sets. In contrast, simplified Chinese characters are used in mainland China, Singapore, the debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters has been a long-running issue among Chinese communities. Although simplified characters are taught and endorsed by the government of Mainland China, Traditional characters are used informally in regions in China primarily in handwriting and also used for inscriptions and religious text. They are often retained in logos or graphics to evoke yesteryear, nonetheless, the vast majority of media and communications in China is dominated by simplified characters. Taiwan has never adopted Simplified Chinese characters since it is ruled by the Republic of China, the use of simplified characters in official documents is even prohibited by the government in Taiwan. Simplified characters are not well understood in general, although some stroke simplifications that have incorporated into Simplified Chinese are in common use in handwriting. For example, while the name of Taiwan is written as 臺灣, similarly, in Hong Kong and Macau, Traditional Chinese has been the legal written form since colonial times. In recent years, because of the influx of mainland Chinese tourists, today, even government websites use simplified Chinese, as they answer to the Beijing government. This has led to concerns by residents to protect their local heritage. In Southeast Asia, the Chinese Filipino community continues to be one of the most conservative regarding simplification, while major public universities are teaching simplified characters, many well-established Chinese schools still use traditional characters. Publications like the Chinese Commercial News, World News, and United Daily News still use traditional characters, on the other hand, the Philippine Chinese Daily uses simplified. Aside from local newspapers, magazines from Hong Kong, such as the Yazhou Zhoukan, are found in some bookstores. In case of film or television subtitles on DVD, the Chinese dub that is used in Philippines is the same as the one used in Taiwan and this is because the DVDs belongs to DVD Region Code 3. Hence, most of the subtitles are in Traditional Characters, overseas Chinese in the United States have long used traditional characters. A major influx of Chinese immigrants to the United States occurred during the half of the 19th century. Therefore, the majority of Chinese language signage in the United States, including street signs, Traditional Chinese characters are called several different names within the Chinese-speaking world
7.
Simplified Chinese characters
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Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters prescribed in the Table of General Standard Chinese Characters for use in mainland China. Along with traditional Chinese characters, it is one of the two character sets of the contemporary Chinese written language. The government of the Peoples Republic of China in mainland China has promoted them for use in printing since the 1950s and 1960s in an attempt to increase literacy and they are officially used in the Peoples Republic of China and Singapore. Traditional Chinese characters are used in Hong Kong, Macau. Overseas Chinese communities generally tend to use traditional characters, Simplified Chinese characters may be referred to by their official name above or colloquially. Strictly, the latter refers to simplifications of character structure or body, character forms that have existed for thousands of years alongside regular, Simplified character forms were created by decreasing the number of strokes and simplifying the forms of a sizable proportion of traditional Chinese characters. Some simplifications were based on popular cursive forms embodying graphic or phonetic simplifications of the traditional forms, some characters were simplified by applying regular rules, for example, by replacing all occurrences of a certain component with a simplified version of the component. Variant characters with the pronunciation and identical meaning were reduced to a single standardized character. Finally, many characters were left untouched by simplification, and are identical between the traditional and simplified Chinese orthographies. Some simplified characters are very dissimilar to and unpredictably different from traditional characters and this often leads opponents not well-versed in the method of simplification to conclude that the overall process of character simplification is also arbitrary. In reality, the methods and rules of simplification are few, on the other hand, proponents of simplification often flaunt a few choice simplified characters as ingenious inventions, when in fact these have existed for hundreds of years as ancient variants. However, the Chinese government never officially dropped its goal of further simplification in the future, in August 2009, the PRC began collecting public comments for a modified list of simplified characters. The new Table of General Standard Chinese Characters consisting of 8,105 characters was promulgated by the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China on June 5,2013, cursive written text almost always includes character simplification. Simplified forms used in print have always existed, they date back to as early as the Qin dynasty, One of the earliest proponents of character simplification was Lubi Kui, who proposed in 1909 that simplified characters should be used in education. In the years following the May Fourth Movement in 1919, many anti-imperialist Chinese intellectuals sought ways to modernise China, Traditional culture and values such as Confucianism were challenged. Soon, people in the Movement started to cite the traditional Chinese writing system as an obstacle in modernising China and it was suggested that the Chinese writing system should be either simplified or completely abolished. Fu Sinian, a leader of the May Fourth Movement, called Chinese characters the writing of ox-demons, lu Xun, a renowned Chinese author in the 20th century, stated that, If Chinese characters are not destroyed, then China will die. Recent commentators have claimed that Chinese characters were blamed for the problems in China during that time
8.
Pinyin
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Pinyin, or Hànyǔ Pīnyīn, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese in mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It is often used to teach Standard Chinese, which is written using Chinese characters. The system includes four diacritics denoting tones, Pinyin without tone marks is used to spell Chinese names and words in languages written with the Latin alphabet, and also in certain computer input methods to enter Chinese characters. The pinyin system was developed in the 1950s by many linguists, including Zhou Youguang and it was published by the Chinese government in 1958 and revised several times. The International Organization for Standardization adopted pinyin as a standard in 1982. The system was adopted as the standard in Taiwan in 2009. The word Hànyǔ means the language of the Han people. In 1605, the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci published Xizi Qiji in Beijing and this was the first book to use the Roman alphabet to write the Chinese language. Twenty years later, another Jesuit in China, Nicolas Trigault, neither book had much immediate impact on the way in which Chinese thought about their writing system, and the romanizations they described were intended more for Westerners than for the Chinese. One of the earliest Chinese thinkers to relate Western alphabets to Chinese was late Ming to early Qing Dynasty scholar-official, the first late Qing reformer to propose that China adopt a system of spelling was Song Shu. A student of the great scholars Yu Yue and Zhang Taiyan, Song had been to Japan and observed the effect of the kana syllabaries. This galvanized him into activity on a number of fronts, one of the most important being reform of the script, while Song did not himself actually create a system for spelling Sinitic languages, his discussion proved fertile and led to a proliferation of schemes for phonetic scripts. The Wade–Giles system was produced by Thomas Wade in 1859, and it was popular and used in English-language publications outside China until 1979. This Sin Wenz or New Writing was much more sophisticated than earlier alphabets. In 1940, several members attended a Border Region Sin Wenz Society convention. Mao Zedong and Zhu De, head of the army, both contributed their calligraphy for the masthead of the Sin Wenz Societys new journal. Outside the CCP, other prominent supporters included Sun Yat-sens son, Sun Fo, Cai Yuanpei, the countrys most prestigious educator, Tao Xingzhi, an educational reformer. Over thirty journals soon appeared written in Sin Wenz, plus large numbers of translations, biographies, some contemporary Chinese literature, and a spectrum of textbooks
9.
Standard Chinese
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Its pronunciation is based on the Beijing dialect, its vocabulary on the Mandarin dialects, and its grammar is based on written vernacular Chinese. Like other varieties of Chinese, Standard Chinese is a language with topic-prominent organization. It has more initial consonants but fewer vowels, final consonants, Standard Chinese is an analytic language, though with many compound words. There exist two standardised forms of the language, namely Putonghua in Mainland China and Guoyu in Taiwan, aside from a number of differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, Putonghua is written using simplified Chinese characters, while Guoyu is written using traditional Chinese characters. There are many characters that are identical between the two systems, in English, the governments of China and Hong Kong use Putonghua, Putonghua Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, and Mandarin, while those of Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, use Mandarin. The name Putonghua also has a long, albeit unofficial, history and it was used as early as 1906 in writings by Zhu Wenxiong to differentiate a modern, standard Chinese from classical Chinese and other varieties of Chinese. For some linguists of the early 20th century, the Putonghua, or common tongue/speech, was different from the Guoyu. The former was a prestige variety, while the latter was the legal standard. Based on common understandings of the time, the two were, in fact, different, Guoyu was understood as formal vernacular Chinese, which is close to classical Chinese. By contrast, Putonghua was called the speech of the modern man. The use of the term Putonghua by left-leaning intellectuals such as Qu Qiubai, prior to this, the government used both terms interchangeably. In Taiwan, Guoyu continues to be the term for Standard Chinese. The term Putonghua, on the contrary, implies nothing more than the notion of a lingua franca, Huayu, or language of the Chinese nation, originally simply meant Chinese language, and was used in overseas communities to contrast Chinese with foreign languages. Over time, the desire to standardise the variety of Chinese spoken in these communities led to the adoption of the name Huayu to refer to Mandarin and it also incorporates the notion that Mandarin is usually not the national or common language of the areas in which overseas Chinese live. The term Mandarin is a translation of Guānhuà, which referred to the lingua franca of the late Chinese empire, in English, Mandarin may refer to the standard language, the dialect group as a whole, or to historic forms such as the late Imperial lingua franca. The name Modern Standard Mandarin is sometimes used by linguists who wish to distinguish the current state of the language from other northern. Chinese has long had considerable variation, hence prestige dialects have always existed. Confucius, for example, used yǎyán rather than colloquial regional dialects, rime books, which were written since the Northern and Southern dynasties, may also have reflected one or more systems of standard pronunciation during those times
10.
Hokkien
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Hokkien /hɒˈkiɛn/ is a group of Southern Min dialects spoken throughout Southeastern China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and by other overseas Chinese. Hokkien originated in southern Fujian, the Min-speaking province and it is closely related to Teochew, though there is limited mutual intelligibility, and is somewhat more distantly related to Hainanese and Leizhou dialect. Besides Hokkien, there are also other Min and Hakka dialects in Fujian province, the term Hokkien is etymologically derived from the Southern Min pronunciation for Fujian, the province from which the language hails. The variety is known by other terms such as the more general Min Nan or Southern Min. Fujianese and Fukienese are also used, although they are somewhat imprecise, the term Hokkien is not usually used in Mainland China or Taiwan. Conversely Hokkien is the name in Southeast Asia in both English, Chinese or other languages. Speakers of Hokkien, particularly those in Southeast Asia, typically refer to Hokkien as a dialect, people in Taiwan most often refer to Hokkien as the Taiwanese language, with Minnan and Holo also being used and 福建話 is not as common. Hokkien originated in the area of Fujian province, an important center for trade and migration. The major pole of Hokkien varieties outside of Fujian is Taiwan, the Taiwanese version mostly have origins with the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou variants, but since then, the Amoy dialect is becoming the modern prestige standard for the language. There are many Hokkien speakers among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia as well as in the United States, many ethnic Han Chinese emigrants to the region were Hoklo from southern Fujian, and brought the language to what is now Burma, Indonesia and present day Malaysia and Singapore. Many of the Hokkien dialects of this region are similar to Taiwanese and Amoynese. Hokkien is reportedly the native language of up to 80% of the Chinese people in the Philippines, Hokkien speakers form the largest group of overseas Chinese in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. Southern and part of western Fujian is home to four principal Hokkien dialects, Chinchew, Amoy, Chiangchew and Longyan, originating from the cities of Quanzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Longyan. As Xiamen is the city of southern Fujian, Amoy is considered the most important, or even the prestige dialect. It is a hybrid of the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou dialects, same as Amoy dialect, the varieties of Hokkien spoken in Taiwan are hybrids of the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou dialects, and are collectively known as Taiwanese Hokkien or just Taiwanese. Used by a majority of the population, it bears much importance from a socio-political perspective, the varieties of Hokkien in Southeast Asia originate from these dialects. The Singaporeans, Southern Malaysians and people in Indonesias Riau and surrounding islands variant is from the Quanzhou area and they speak a distinct form of Quanzhou Hokkien called Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien. Among ethnic Chinese inhabitants of Penang, and other states in Northern Malaysia and Medan, with areas in North Sumatra, Indonesia
11.
Taichung
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Taichung, officially known as Taichung City, is a special municipality located in center-western Taiwan. Taichung has a population of over 2.7 million people, making it the third largest city on the island after New Taipei City, on 25 December 2010, Taichung County merged with the original provincial Taichung City to form the special municipality. The citys motto is economic, cultural and international city, the Atayal Taiwanese aborigines as well as several Taiwanese Plains Aboriginal tribes populated the plains that make up modern Taichung. They were originally hunter gatherers who lived by cultivating millet. In the 17th century, the Papora, Babuza, Pazeh, in 1682, the Qing dynasty wrested control of western Taiwan from the Cheng family. In 1684, Zhuluo County was established, encompassing the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of Taiwan, modern-day Taichung traces its beginnings to Toatun in 1705. To strengthen Qing control, a garrison was established in 1721 near the site of present-day Taichung Park by Lan Ting-chen, north of the city, on the Dajia River, an aboriginal revolt broke out in 1731 after Chinese officials had moved in and compelled them to provide labor. The revolt spread as far south as the seat of Changhua County in May 1732 before the rebels were chased into the mountains by Qing forces, in 1786, another rebellion against the Qing authorities had its roots in the district of Dali. The Lin Shuangwen rebellion began as an attempt to overthrow the Manchu government, unfortunately, as the rebels moved northward, they turned to slaughter and looting. They were eventually defeated by a coalition of Qing forces, Hakka, Quanzhou Fujianese descendants, thus the city took the name of Taiwan-fu, meaning capital city of Taiwan, from modern-day Tainan, which had held the title for more than 200 years. Qing official Liu Ming-chuan received permission to oversee development of the area, however, the provincial capital was ultimately moved to Taipei. After China lost the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Japanese sought to develop the city to make it the first “modern” area of Taiwan. The Japanese administration invested in roads, dams and levees, in 1901, Taichū Chō was one of twenty local administrative districts established around the island. In 1904, the town of Taichū had a population of 6,423, Taichū Park was completed in 1903. A tower marking the old gate was moved to the new park where it stands today. The first market in Taichū was built in 1908, along the JiGuang Road between the ZhongZheng and ChengGong Roads and it is still in use today, the Japanese undertook a north-south island railway project. Taichū Station was completed and began operation in 1917, and still operates today, Taichū City was officially declared by Japanese Imperial authorities in 1920, and Taichū City Hall was completed in 1924 after eleven years of construction. Kōkan Airport, now known as Taichung Airport, was constructed during Japanese rule, Taichū Middle School was founded in 1915 by elite members of local gentry, including Lin Hsien-tang and his brother Lin Lieh-tang, two wealthy Taiwanese intellectuals of the era
12.
Taiwan
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Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is a state in East Asia. Neighbours include China to the west, Japan to the northeast, Taiwan is the most populous state that is not a member of the United Nations, and the one with the largest economy. The island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, was inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before the 17th century. After a brief rule by the Kingdom of Tungning, the island was annexed by the Qing dynasty, the Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after the Sino-Japanese War. While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the Republic of China was established on the mainland in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty, following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945, the ROC took control of Taiwan. However, the resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the ROCs loss of the mainland to the Communists, and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949. As a founding member of the United Nations, the ROC continued to represent China at the United Nations until 1971, in the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization, creating a stable industrial economy. In the 1980s and early 1990s, it changed from a one-party military dictatorship dominated by the Kuomintang to a multi-party democracy with universal suffrage, Taiwan is the 22nd-largest economy in the world, and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy. It is ranked highly in terms of freedom of the press, health care, public education, economic freedom, the PRC has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and asserted the ROC is no longer in legitimate existence. Under its One-China Policy the PRC refused diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes the ROC, the PRC has threatened the use of military force in response to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or if PRC leaders decide that peaceful unification is no longer possible. There are various names for the island of Taiwan in use today, the former name Formosa dates from 1542, when Portuguese sailors sighted the main island of Taiwan and named it Ilha Formosa, which means beautiful island. The name Formosa eventually replaced all others in European literature and was in use in English in the early 20th century. This name was adopted into the Chinese vernacular as the name of the sandbar. The modern word Taiwan is derived from this usage, which is seen in forms in Chinese historical records. Use of the current Chinese name was formalized as early as 1684 with the establishment of Taiwan Prefecture, through its rapid development, the entire Formosan mainland eventually became known as Taiwan. The official name of the state is the Republic of China and it was a member of the United Nations representing China until 1971, when it lost its seat to the Peoples Republic of China. Over subsequent decades, the Republic of China has become known as Taiwan. In some contexts, especially ones from the ROC government
13.
Actor
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An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance. Simplistically speaking, the person denominated actor or actress is someone beautiful who plays important characters, the actor performs in the flesh in the traditional medium of the theatre, or in modern mediums such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής, literally one who answers, the actors interpretation of their role pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is playing themselves, as in forms of experimental performance art, or, more commonly, to act, is to create. Formerly, in societies, only men could become actors. When used for the stage, women played the roles of prepubescent boys. The etymology is a derivation from actor with ess added. However, when referring to more than one performer, of both sexes, actor is preferred as a term for male performers. Actor is also used before the name of a performer as a gender-specific term. Within the profession, the re-adoption of the term dates to the 1950–1960s. As Whoopi Goldberg put it in an interview with the paper, Im an actor – I can play anything. The U. K. performers union Equity has no policy on the use of actor or actress, an Equity spokesperson said that the union does not believe that there is a consensus on the matter and stated that the. subject divides the profession. In 2009, the Los Angeles Times stated that Actress remains the term used in major acting awards given to female recipients. However, player remains in use in the theatre, often incorporated into the name of a group or company, such as the American Players. Also, actors in improvisational theatre may be referred to as players, prior to Thespis act, Grecian stories were only expressed in song, dance, and in third person narrative. In honor of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians, the exclusively male actors in the theatre of ancient Greece performed in three types of drama, tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. Western theatre developed and expanded considerably under the Romans, as the Western Roman Empire fell into decay through the 4th and 5th centuries, the seat of Roman power shifted to Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. Records show that mime, pantomime, scenes or recitations from tragedies and comedies, dances, from the 5th century, Western Europe was plunged into a period of general disorder
14.
Model (person)
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A model is a person with a role either to promote, display, or advertise commercial products or to serve as a visual aide for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Modelling is considered to be different from other types of public performance, although the difference between modelling and performing is not always clear, appearing in a film or a play is not generally considered to be modelling. Types of modelling include, fashion, glamour, fitness, bikini, fine art, body-part, Models are featured in a variety of media formats including, books, magazines, films, newspapers, internet and TV. Fashion models are featured in films, reality TV shows. Celebrities, including actors, singers, sports personalities and reality TV stars, modelling as a profession was first established in 1853 by Charles Frederick Worth, the father of haute couture, when he asked his wife, Marie Vernet Worth, to model the clothes he designed. The term house model was coined to describe this type of work, eventually, this became common practice for Parisian fashion houses. There were no standard physical measurement requirements for a model, with the development of fashion photography, the modelling profession expanded to photo modelling. Models remained fairly anonymous, and relatively poorly paid, until the late 1950s, one of the first well-known models was Lisa Fonssagrives, who was very popular in the 1930s. Fonssagrives appeared on over 200 Vogue covers, and her name recognition led to the importance of Vogue in shaping the careers of fashion models. In 1946, Ford Models was established by Eileen and Gerard Ford in New York, one of the most popular models during the 1940s was Jinx Falkenburg who was paid $25 per hour, a large sum at the time. During the 1940s and 1950s, Wilhelmina Cooper, Jean Patchett, Dovima, Dorian Leigh, Suzy Parker, Evelyn Tripp, Carmen DellOrefice, dorothea Church was among the first black models in the industry to gain notoriety in Paris. However, these models were unknown outside the fashion community, compared to todays models, the models of the 1950s were more voluptuous. Wilhelmina Coopers measurements were 38-24-36 whereas Chanel Imans measurements are 32-23-33, in the 1960s, the modelling world began to establish modelling agencies. Throughout Europe, secretarial services acted as models agents charging them weekly rates for their messages, for the most part, models were responsible for their own billing. In Germany, agents were not allowed to work for a percentage of a persons earnings, with the exception of a few models travelling to Paris or New York, travelling was relatively unheard of for a model. Most models only worked in one market due to different labor laws governing modelling in various countries, in the 1960s, Italy had many fashion houses and fashion magazines but was in dire need of models. Italian agencies would often coerce models to return to Italy without work visas by withholding their pay and they would also pay their models in cash, which models would have to hide from customs agents. It was not uncommon for models staying in such as La Louisiana in Paris or the Arena in Milan to have their hotel rooms raided by the police looking for their work visas
15.
Fated to Love You (2008 TV series)
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Fated to Love You, also known as Youre My Destiny, Sticky Note Girl or Destiny Love, is a 2008 Taiwanese drama starring Joe Chen, Ethan Juan, Baron Chen and Bianca Bai. It was produced by Sanlih E-Television and directed by Chen Ming Zhang with location filming in Taiwan, Hong Kong and it was nominated in 2008 for six awards at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan. It was awarded the 2008 Best Television Series and Best Marketing Programme, fated to Love You was also covered by Americas Wall Street Journal. Chen Xin Yi is an office lady in a law firm described as a sticky note girl—a person who is helpful. Her co-workers frequently take advantage of her eager to please nature by dumping unwanted tasks onto her and she plans and pays for a trip on a romantic love cruise, hoping to lose her virginity and thus keep her boyfriend. Xin Yi is devastated when she finds her boyfriend cheating on her during the cruise, on the same cruise is Ji Cun Xi, the wealthy sole heir of a soap and cleaning products company. He had planned to propose to long-time girlfriend Anna during the trip, Anna is a professional ballet dancer and chose a main role in a world tour over Cun Xi. In a huge mix-up involving drugs, a third party blackmail plot, although they vow to forget about the incident and continue on with their lives, Xin Yi soon finds out that she is pregnant and the news soon reaches to Cun Xi. Cun Xis grandmother, Granny Ji, however, is ecstatic over having a great-grandchild and forces the two to get married. Cun Xi, upset that he has been trapped into this situation, forces Xin Yi to agree to divorce after the birth and she, however, refuses to accept any money he offers her for the pregnancy, which makes him question her motive for agreeing to the marriage. Xin Yi had only agreed to the marriage in hopes of giving the baby a happy family and she meets and begins a friendship with Dylan, a kind young man from Shanghai who sympathizes with her in her situation and seems genuinely interested in her. He later becomes her confidant and a source of support in the face of Cun Xis mistreatment. Dylan reveals to her that his goal is to find his long-lost biological sister, Dai Xin Yi. Still in love with Anna and thinking Xin Yi became pregnant to get money from him, Xin Yis simple and selfless nature soon endears her to Cun Xis family and, eventually, Cun Xi. Slowly, Cun Xi begins to realize his love for Xin Yi and the child she is carrying and he desires to protect Xin Yi from those who would mistreat her and tells her that he doesnt want her to leave him after the baby is born. Unfortunately, these epiphanies are interrupted by the return of an injured Anna. Cun Xi conceals his marriage and impending fatherhood and requests Xin Yi return to stay with her mother until he can explain the situation to Anna, a series of unfortunate events lead a devastated Anna to discover the truth from Cun Xis incensed grandmother during an ugly confrontation. Enraged, Cun Xi blames Xin Yi ruining his life and accuses her of telling his grandmother in an effort to him to stay with her
16.
Green Forest, My Home
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Green Forest, My Home is a Taiwanese drama miniseries released in 2005. Consisting of a total of 15 episodes, it was broadcast by the SET TV network and it stars Esther Liu, Leon Jay Williams, Ethan Juan, and Song Zhi Ai. Esther Liu, who is also a singer and a member of the band Sweety, is the singer of the opening theme song. The series is set in the fictional Royal Spencer Academy of Music, Luoshan is the daughter of Sophies parents chauffeur. When Luoshans father dies in an accident while driving drunk, she is adopted by Sophies family, thereon, Susan plans to take whatever Sophie has. Su Fei grows up from a family with musical talent and she is a blessed and happy girl with a positive personality and no scheming thoughts. Luo Shan grows up in Sophies family and her father is the Su familys driver. Her mother ran away from home when Luo Shan was young, Luo Shan is envious of Sophie and hopes that one day she can become the type of person that Sophie is. Luo Shans father died because he was driving under the influence of alcohol, as a result, Sophies parents adopted Luo Shan and changed her name to Su San and became Sophies older sister. Growing up as a daughter and thinking of herself as a low class person has caused Susan to feel inferior. As a result, Susan has always had a wish and she wished that she can become someone like Sophie because she always believed that as long as she can become Sophie, then she would definitely be happy. Under this type of a shadow, Susan fosters the behavior that as long as Sophie has it. From childhood to adult, this is the way that Susan treats Sophie, Sophie knows but she continues to remember the words of her mother to regard Susan as her real sister and not to tell anyone that Susan is an adopted child. Moreover, Sophie believes that Susan must be like this because of her background and as a result, she didnt haggle over the matter with Susan. Susan and Sophie along with Yuan Fang, who grew up together with them, were going to study at Green Light Forest. However, because they had to move homes, they must leave Green Light Elementary School, Sophie, who loves her independence, was very unwilling but she still had to go to a school enclosed with high walls - Spencer Royal School of Music. Within the strict Spencer Music School, there is one rule, one day, the founder of Spencer Royal School of Musics son, William, arrives from Austria to listen in on a class. Sophie, who didnt know of Williams identity, mistakenly thinks that he forgot to bring his textbook, because of this, she was punished for not bringing her textbook
17.
Summer x Summer
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Summer x Summer is a 2007 Taiwanese TV drama starring Joe Cheng, Wu Xiong and Ethan Juan. It was based on the Japanese josei manga, ぴー夏がいっぱい, written by Yachi Emiko and it was produced by Comic Productions and directed by Mingtai Wang. The first episode on CTS achieved a rating of 1.30. Xia Ya chooses a hair salon that is a cheaper than the others. When her handbag is stolen along with all her money, she not even have one dollar to call her parents for help. However, when she feels like all hope is lost, a male dressed like an angel gives her the dollar she needs and she falls in love with him immediately. At school the day, she becomes best friends with a new student. When Xia Ya sees Yu Yan talking to the angel, she discovers that he is actually her brother, Ouyang Lei and he was having a photo shoot when he gave the dollar to Xia Ya. Being the youngest of the family as well as a model, Lei is very spoiled. When Xia Ya yells at him for not looking at any of the letters he has. Because Xia Ya is willing to help others unconditionally, Lei begins to like her more and more and it contains thirteen songs, of which eight are various instrumental versions. The opening theme song is 你要什麼就說 by Xiao Yu, while the theme song is Lei Le or Tired by Shin. The show was a competition with a new year theme, GTV Summer X Summer official homepage CTS Summer X Summer official homepage
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My Queen
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My Queen, also known as Defeated Queen or Queen of No Marriage, is a 2009 Taiwanese romantic-comedy television series. The television drama was produced by Sanlih E-Television starring Ethan Ruan and it was first aired on January 4,2009 on TTV after Invincible Shan Bao Mei and last aired on May 31,2009. The series was awarded the Best Channel Advertising at the 44th Golden Bell Awards, Shan Wu Shuang, a 33-year-old beautiful, hardworking yet single woman, meets Lucas, a 25-year-old romantic and handsome regular worker. There is an 8-year age difference between the two lovers, Ethan Juan as Lucas - Workerman, helper of JJ, sometimes an assistant at iFound magazine and bodyguard of Shan Wu Shuang. He was previously a medical student, but after the death of Han Xiang-Yun, his girlfriend, his grades dropped. Cheryl Yang as Shan Wu Shuang - The main editor in iFound magazines store and she was always top of the class from primary school to university and is hard-working in her jobs. She is single, although she previously had a relationship with Song Yun-Hao and nearly married him, sylvia Yang as Han Jia Jia - A new trainee worker at iFound and the younger sister of Han Xiang-Yun. James Wen as Song Yun Hao - A world-famous cameraman and past-boyfriend of Shan Eu Shuang and he once dated Wu Shuang and wanted to marry her, but because of his job, it didnt come about. He had an accident and did not tell Wu Shuang, which destroyed their love, harry Zhang as JJ - Classmate and best friend of Lucas, and manager of the Hot Spring Hotel. Jessica Song as Lu Guang Lin - Teacher and Ke Menghans wife, Da Bing as Romeo - Senior editor of iFound magazine, single. Xinyi Zhu as Xie Zhiqi - Co-editor of iFound magazine, ying Wei-min as Zhang Ruoji - photographer for iFound magazine. Peixu Li as Weier Gang - Editor of iFound magazine, attracted to Xie Zhiqi Jun Laiting as Madan Na - Reporter for iFound magazine, zhao Zi Qiang as Ceng Dafang - Works for iFound magazine, owns a hotel. He is married to Lin Chunzhi, and they have two children, wai-Man Chan as Ke Menghan - Lu Guanglins husband. Lin Mei-Shiu as Dan Lin Chunzhi - Single mother, in love with the head of Warriors High School, wang Dao as Lu Tiancheng - Lucass father, a doctor. Chen Bo Zheng as Xu Zimo - Boyfriend of Lin Chunzhi Du Shi Mei Xiang Yu Jie as Lin Laoshi - English teacher at Warriors High School. Huang Tai An as a security guard Hei Mian as a Jewellers shop employee Ma Li Ou as a TV host - Host of Cheers, junior as Edison - Han Jia Jias ex-boyfriend. Lene Lai as Lin Mei-Huan - Schoolmate of Lucas in high school, Zhuang Zhuang as the vice-chairman of the Da Wei Hotel. Fu Tian-ying as Da Tou-ting - University classmate of Shan Wu Shuang, zhong Xing-ling as Da Du-yi - University classmate of Shan Wu Shuang
19.
Love (2012 film)
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Love is a 2012 Taiwanese-Chinese romance film directed and co-written by Doze Niu. It stars Zhao Wei, Shu Qi, Mark Chao, Ethan Juan, Eddie Peng, Amber Kuo, Ivy Chen, Love premiered in the Panorama section of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. The film features an ensemble cast, with the stories revealed to be interwoven as the plot progresses. Love showcases the different types of relationships, family, friends, lovers, co-workers, Yi Jia is a simple, ordinary girl that goes along with everybody around her. She is in the Cycling Team of her university, and plays the role called the domestique. Her real life is similar to that of her role on the team, she has no characteristic. When she is with her best friend—Xiao Min—she also assumes a supportive role, Xiao Min is best friends with Yi Jia, and yet is the complete opposite of Yi Jia. Xiao Min is assertive, talented, confident, has a family background. She also has a boyfriend, Ah Kai, Ah Kai is interested in filming and dreams to be a successful director in the future, but his dream is often tossed around as a joke by people he knows, with the exception of Xiao Min. These three best friends complement each other, forming a friendship, but all this comes to a halt when Yi Jia finds herself pregnant. Mark is a young and successful entrepreneur and he is self-indulgent, cool, modern and casual. His motif about woman is, As long as it is worth it to conquer and has an attitude represented with the phrase, If you never have to do it, on a trip to Beijing, Mark meets Xiao Ye. Xiao Ye is a mother with a seven-year-old son, Dou Dou. Their meeting, however, did not go well, as it ended in the office with Xiao Ye suffering a broken leg. Eventually, with the help of Mark, Dou Dou is found, through this experience, and his time with the mother and son, Mark finds himself developing intimate feelings that he never had with people before. Xiao Kuan has a simple, pure, boy-next-door personality, Rou Yi is a materialistic woman, dependent on rich men, and mistress of Chao Ping, which leads to her life in the limelight. Chao Ping is a man, and CEO of a well-known company. After an unhappy night of partying, Rou Yi and Chao Ping argue on the way home, Rou Yi gets out of the car, continuing the argument, which is rapidly growing more heated, and the ensuing fight is witnessed by Xiao Kuan
20.
Doze Niu
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Doze Niu Chen-Zer is a Taiwanese actor, film director, show host, screenwriter and producer. As a film director, he is best known for the Taiwanese film Monga, Doze started his career as an actor at the age of 9 and was nominated for his first Golden Horse Award for the best supporting actor in 1983 when he was 17. The early success that he had did not help him much as he grew older. At the age of 19, Doze could not find any roles in films and he started hanging out with the so-called corner brothers and improved his Taiwanese tremendously. By speaking fluent Hokkien, he was able to get along with the even though the origin of his family is Beijing. Hardship was familiar to Niu as he had endured many difficulties, at the age of 12, his dad was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This disease, the disease that troubled Stephen Hawking, put Dozes dad on the bed for 25 years. His dad died when Niu was 36, during Dozes school years, he was often bullied because of his celebrity status and because of his size. The bullying stopped when Niu became friends with a classmate nicknamed teapot. Similar to the plot of Monga, teapots dad was also the head of one of the gangsters, eventually, Doze went to find his bullies with teapot and was surprised to see the bullies reaction. The bullies stood still in front of them and addressed Doze in a polite manner, Doze is the founder of the production company Red Bean Production Co, which was created in August 2002. Doze participated in all three movies that he directed but vowed to not appear in any more movies so that he can focus entirely on directing the movie, what on Earth Have I Done Wrong is the first dramatic film that Niu directed. This movie has a cinematic style. The main actor in the movie is Doze Niu himself, although the movie is not an autobiography, there are a lot of resemblances between him and the character. The character in the movie is also a director attempting to gather money to produce a mockumentory film. The film was initially about the politics in Taiwan, however, Niu took a different turn with the film. A lot of media commented that this film is a half-biography or a documentary, the film was nominated for the best picture award at the Golden Horse Film Festival and it won the FIPRESCI Prize. Doze once again demonstrated his unique and artsy way of storytelling, Monga is a gangster movie that takes place in the Wanhua District of Taipei and has a cast of mainly young actors like Mark Chao and Ethan Juan
21.
The Guillotines
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The Guillotines is a 2012 Chinese-Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Andrew Lau, starring Huang Xiaoming, Ethan Juan, Shawn Yue, Li Yuchun and Jing Boran. It is a remake of the 1975 Shaw Brothers film Flying Guillotine, during the Manchu-ruled Qing Dynasty, the Yongzheng Emperor established a secret assassination squad known as the Guillotines to eliminate all who posed a threat to him. Once heavily favored by the emperor, the Guillotines are deemed expendable once the Qianlong Emperor ascends to the throne and adopts Western ideas and technology. To consolidate his power under a new regime, the Qianlong Emperor continues to use the Guillotines to persecute the conquered Han Chinese in a reign of terror and oppression. The current guillotine squad is led by master fighter Leng and it consists of six warriors, Musen, Houjia Shisan, Chen Tai, Hutu, Su. Serving the Qing court unquestioningly, they have never failed in 348 missions to eliminate their targets, however, their most recent mission would make it their last. The Hans have been oppressed by their Manchurian-ruled government, causing social unrest, tian-Lang, is the charismatic prophetic Han rebel leader of a group known as the Shepherd Gang. Wolf was captured alive by Leng and Wolf tells him that Leng is destined to kill him, in the chaos of fighting, Wolf takes Musen hostage in hopes to exchange back Bai-Lan. However, the Guillotines were dispatched to recover both Musen and finish off Wolf, with reports that Wolf has fled to the outer frontiers, the squad tracks the Shepherds to a remote village outpost, heavily occupied by Han and smallpox-diseased inhabitants. Added to the mission, the Qianlong Emperor has sent his most trusted agent, unknown to the Guillotines, the emperor wants to absolve his legacy and the Guillotines is a living taint to his rule, they must be erased. Although Leng knew of the intentions and also wanted to help end the Guillotines. Therefore, Haidu was also sent there to finish a job Leng didnt have the heart to do, confused as to what has happened, it was then Leng revealed his real identity to the Guillotines. The team was furious and wanted to know is Leng here to finish them off, however, he told his team to scatter, unfortunately, the Guillotines wouldnt live long. The government had officially decreed the Guillotines as wanted criminals in league with the Shepherds, publicly forsaken by their own emperor and given a huge bounty upon their heads, the Guillotines were cruelly killed off one by one. Saddened and enraged, Leng confronted Haidu and called Haidu a lap dog, infuriating him to shoot Leng down a cliff, confused as to why he was saved, Wolf did it out of mercy, to Lengs surprise, he found Musen as part of the village. Musen no longer wanted to be a Guillotine and only lived there as a villager, after talking with Wolf, Leng finally admits hes secretly Han Chinese. Leng tells Wolf that it was the emperor that chose him to be the right-hand man for Qianlong. Although Leng is now on Wolfs side, Wolf prophesied that Leng will kill him very soon, the final battle is near ready
22.
Asian Film Awards
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The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to recognize the excellence of the film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema. On January 29,2007, Wilfred Wong, the Chairman of Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, the 1st Asian Film Awards occurred on March 20,2007, on the opening night of the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It honoured the best film achievements of the Asian cinema in the year 2006 and it was attended by about 4000 guests from around the world. The AFA Presentation Ceremony takes place as part of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong Opening Gala, throughout its history and since its inauguration in 2007, Chinese-language films from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and South Korean films have dominated the top awards. Films from Japan, Iran and Thailand have also won on occasion and this lack of diversity has been criticized. At the same event the AFA trophy, designed by award-winning production designer, according to William Chang, his inspiration behind the artwork was his admiration to a combination of architectural drawings and his own collection of antique statues. Measuring 36 cm, the trophy symbolises the joy and the accomplishment of all the award winners, the current trophy is gold as a whole but had changed significantly before. The first trophies that were handed in 2007 has its trophy in black with a white base, in the 2nd AFA, the current gold colour was used as whole but in 2009 for its 3rd AFA instead of a gold base, it has a black base. Then in 2010, the gold trophy had returned and now used nowadays. To be eligible, films must be feature length, be in 35mm or 70mm film format or digital format suitable for exhibition in cinemas and this encompasses all the cinemas of Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia. Additionally, the films must have English subtitles, each Official Submission Organisation can submit up to three films to represent their territory. The Asian Film Awards Jury is composed of professionals from around the world. Each Jury Member can recommend up to two nominations in each Category. The Society chooses the special awards to be given for a certain year and their first and original names are used in this list. Hong Kong International Film Festival Official website Asian Film Awards at IMDB 6th Asian Film Awards Rules and Regulations
23.
New Taipei City
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New Taipei, also known as Xinbei, is a special municipality and the most populous city in Taiwan. New Taipei City is bordered by Keelung to the northeast, Yilan County to the southeast, Banqiao District is its municipal seat and biggest commercial area. New Taipei City was known as Taipei County before its upgrade in 2010, after the countys population overtook that of Taipei City, it was decided that the county should be upgraded to city status but could not be renamed Taipei City. The name of the new entity was at first rendered in English as Xinbei via pinyin romanization, consequently, citing public opinion, the inaugural mayor, Eric Chu, requested and received approval from the Ministry of the Interior to render the name in English as New Taipei City. This rendering became official on 31 December 2010, archaeological records had shown that New Taipei City had been inhabited since the Neolithic period, with artifacts dug in Bali District having shown remains as early as 7000 to 4700 BC. The region around New Taipei City area was inhabited by Ketagalan plains aborigines. The earliest recorded migration by people from mainland China dated back as early as 1620, over the years, many of the aborigines have assimilated into the general population. After decades of development and prosperity, Tamsui had become a commercial port by 1850. British consulate and stores were established in the region, which helped promote the tea business. In 1875, Shen Baozhen called for the establishment of Taipeh Prefecture, fujian-Taiwan-Province was declared in 1887 and the present-day New Taipei City area fell under the jurisdiction of Taipeh Prefecture. In 1895, Taiwan was ceded by Qing dynasty to Empire of Japan, during Japanese rule, New Taipei City area was administered under Taihoku Prefecture together with modern-day Taipei, Keelung and Yilan County. Discovery of gold and other mining minerals were unveiled at Keelung Mountain, both districts are now parts of Ruifang District. They also issued regulations prohibiting local Taiwanese mining companies from doing mining activities, in July 1968, the size of Taipei County was reduced by 205.16 km2 when Beitou, Jingmei, Muzha, Nangang, Neihu and Shilin townships were merged into Taipei City. The county afterward had ten county-controlled cities, four urban townships and it was further divided into 1,017 villages and 21,683 neighborhoods. In August 1992, due to the adjustment of the line between Taipei City and Taiwan Province in Neigou and Daking Stream, the area of Taipei County was decreased by 0.03 km2. On 25 December 2010, Taipei County was upgraded to a municipality as New Taipei City consisting of 29 districts with Banqiao District as the municipal seat. New Taipei City is located at the tip of Taiwan Island. It covers a vast territory with a topology, including mountains, hills
24.
Cameo appearance
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A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance or voice part of a known person in a work of the performing arts, typically unnamed or appearing as themselves. Short appearances by celebrities, film directors, politicians, athletes or musicians are common, a crew member of the show or movie playing a minor role can be referred to as a cameo as well, such as Alfred Hitchcocks frequently performed cameos. Originally cameo role meant a character part that stands out from the other minor parts. The Oxford English Dictionary connects this with the meaning a short literary sketch or portrait, which is based on the meaning of cameo. More recently, cameo has come to refer to any short appearances, whether as a character or as oneself, such as the examples below. Cameos are generally not credited because of their brevity, or a mismatch between the celebritys stature and the film or TV show in which he or she is appearing. Others are acknowledgments of a contribution to an earlier work, as in the case of many film adaptations of TV series. Others honour artists or celebrities known for work in a particular field, possibly the best-known series of cameos was by the director Alfred Hitchcock, who made very brief appearances in most of his films. Cameos also occur in novels and other literary works, “Literary cameos” usually involve an established character from another work who makes a brief appearance to establish a shared universe setting, to make a point, or to offer homage. Balzac often employed this practice, as in his Comédie humaine, a cameo appearance can be made by the author of a work to put a sort of personal signature on a story. Vladimir Nabokov often put himself in his novels, for instance, quentin Tarantino provides cameos or small roles in at least 10 of his movies. Likewise, Peter Jackson has made cameos in all of his movies, except for his first feature-length movie Bad Taste in which he plays a main character. For example, he plays a peasant eating a carrot in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Desolation of Smaug, a Rohan warrior in The Two Towers, director Martin Scorsese appears in the background of his films as a bystander or an unseen character. In Whos That Knocking at My Door, he appears as one of the gangsters, he is a crew man in After Hours. He opens up his 1986 film The Color of Money with a monologue on the art of playing pool. In addition, he appears with his wife and daughter as wealthy New Yorkers in Gangs of New York, in a same way, Roman Polanski appears as a hired hoodlum in his film Chinatown, slitting Jack Nicholsons nose with the blade of his clasp knife. Directors sometimes cast well-known lead actors with whom they have worked in the past in other films, mike Todds film Around the World in 80 Days was filled with cameo roles, and others. The stars in cameo roles were pictured in oval insets in posters for the film, among the many cameos featured in the film Maverick, actor Danny Glover appears as the lead bank robber
25.
The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan
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The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan, also known as Shanghai Noir, is a 2015 comedy action romance suspense film directed by Clara Law. The film is a Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, the film was lensed by noted director of photography, Sion Michel. It was released on January 16,2015, the Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan at the Internet Movie Database
26.
The Assassin (2015 film)
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The Assassin is a 2015 martial arts film directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. A Taiwan/China/Hong Kong co-production, it was a selection in the main competition section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Hou won the award for Best Director and it was released in China and Hong Kong on 27 August, and a day later in Taiwan on 28 August 2015. It was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, the Assassin is loosely based on the late 9th century martial arts story Nie Yinniang by Pei Xing, a core text in Chinese swordsmanship and wuxia fiction. The film is set in 8th century China during last years of the Tang Dynasty, the film centers on Nie Yinniang, an assassin who is directed to slay corrupt government officials by her master, Jiaxin, a nun who raised her from the age of ten. Shu Qi as Nie Yinniang, the eponymous assassin Chang Chen as Tian Jian, cousin to Nie Yinniang, formerly betrothed to her, zhou Yun as Lady Tian, Tian Jians wife. However, over the production, Hou encountered various problems, thus more than half of the films final budget came from China. As of September 2012, its budget was CN¥90 million, the film was filmed in several places in China, mainly in Hubei province, Inner Mongolia and north-eastern China. Hou recalled that he was away when he saw those silver birch forests and lakes. The film premiered in Beijing on August 23,2015, ahead of its release on August 27,2015. For its American release, the distribution rights were acquired by independent distribution company Well Go USA Entertainment on May 11,2015. The Assassin was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Hong Kong on December 20,2015, the North American release was January 26,2016 and included four behind-the-scenes featurettes regarding the film. The film earned CN¥61.385 million at the Chinese box office, the Assassin opened to critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 80% Certified Fresh rating, based on 102 reviews, the sites consensus states, The Assassins thrilling visuals mark a fresh highlight for director Hsiao-hsien Hou, even if its glacial pace may keep some viewers at arms length. Metacritic reports an 80 out of 100 rating, based on 28 critics, on Film Business Asia, Derek Elley gave it a 9 out of 10, saying that Hou Hsiao-hsiens first wuxia masterfully blends the genres essence and his own style. Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter said, Hou Hsiao-Hsien brings a pure, varietys chief film critic Justin Chang highly praises the film, saying The sheer depth of its formal artistry places “The Assassin” in a rather more rarefied realm. Hou implicitly grasps the power of stillness and reserve, the ways in which silence can build tension. Above all, he never loses sight of the fact that the bodies he moves so fluidly and intuitively through space are human, Hou Hsiao-hsien proves himself to be not just the creator of this assassin but an unmistakably kindred spirit
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Tsui Hark
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Tsui Hark, born Tsui Man-kong, is a Vietnam-born Chinese film director, producer and screenwriter. He is viewed as a figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema and has been regarded by critics as one of the masters of Asian cinematography. Tsui was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam, to a large Chinese family with sixteen siblings. Tsui showed an early interest in business and films, when he was 10, he. He also drew comic books, an interest that would influence his cinematic style, by the age of 13, he and his family immigrated to Hong Kong. Tsui started his education in Hong Kong in 1966. He proceeded to film in Texas, first at Southern Methodist University and then at the University of Texas at Austin. He claims to have told his parents he wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps as a pharmacist, and that it was here he changed his given name to Hark. After graduation, Tsui moved to New York City, where he worked on From Spikes to Spindles and he also worked as an editor for a Chinese newspaper, developed a community theatre group and worked in a Chinese cable TV station. He returned to Hong Kong in 1977, upon turning to feature filmmaking, Tsui was quickly typed as a member of the New Wave of young, iconoclastic directors. His debut film, The Butterfly Murders, was an eccentric and technically challenging blend of wuxia, murder mystery and his second film, Were Going to Eat You, was an eccentric blend of cannibal horror, black comedy and martial arts. Tsuis third film, Dangerous Encounter of the First Kind, put him beyond the pale, the thriller about delinquent youths on a bombing spree was nihilistic, grisly and pregnant with angry political subtext. Heavily censored by the British colonial government, it was released in 1981 in an altered version titled Dangerous Encounter – 1st Kind. Unsurprisingly, it was not a financial success, Tsui played his part in the process with pictures like the 1981 crime farce All the Wrong Clues, his first hit, and Aces Go Places 3, part of the studios long-running spy spoof series. In 1983, Tsui directed the fantasy film Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain for the studio Golden Harvest. Here, he developed a reputation as a hands-on and even intrusive producer of other directors work, fueled by public breaks with major filmmakers like John Woo. His most longstanding and fruitful collaboration has probably been with Ching Siu-tung, as action choreographer and/or director on many Film Workshop productions, Ching made a major contribution to the well-known Tsui style. Tsui has the knack of trend-setting in film genres which earned him the name Steven Spielberg of Asia
28.
Hanazakarino Kimitachihe
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Hanazakarino Kimitachihe, is a 2006 Taiwanese drama starring Ella Chen of S. H. E, Wu Chun and Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit and Danson Tang. It was based on Japanese shōjo manga series Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, more known as Hana Kimi. Hanazakarino Kimitachihe was nominated for Best Marketing Programme of the Year at the 42nd Golden Bell Awards in 2007 and this drama was produced by Comic Productions and directed by Mingtai Wang. It was filmed on location at National Chi Nan University in Puli, although the original mangas title is For You In Full Blossom, the Chinese title means The Tricks of Boys and Girls, referring to student life within the drama. The official English name is a romanization of the original mangas title. When VIZ media translated the manga from Japanese to English, Kimitachi e became Kimitachihe, the Chinese title is also the name used in the Chinese translation of the Hana-Kimi manga by Tong Li Publishing. In America, Lu Rui Xi watches a documentary on Taiwanese high jumper Zuo Yi Quan, inspired by his jumps, Rui Xi decides that she wants to meet her idol and therefore transfers to Ying Kai University which he attends in Taiwan. However, the school is a school and thus Rui Xi cuts all her hair off. There she befriends Jin Xiu Yi, during a friendly soccer match between the two, Rui Xi gets knocks unconscious and so Quan aids by taking her to the schools doctor, Mei Tian. Mei Tian, being gay, detects that Rui Xi is a girl, as Quan grabs Rui Xi to carry her to the sick bay, he also discovers that she is in fact a girl. He keeps her identity a secret from everyone, including Rui Xi, unbeknown to Rui Xi, before her arrival Quan had given up high jumping after a road accident whilst trying to save his high school friend from being run over. Their relationship begins to blossom when Rui Xi convinces Quan to return to high jumping, meanwhile, Rui Xis manliness cannot pass Xiu Yis girl radar and so Xiu Yi begins to develop feelings for Rui Xi. However, since Xiu Yi is unaware that Rui Xi is a girl and he even announced to the whole school that he is, in fact, gay. In the end, Rui Xi was talking to herself inside her, eventually, she thought about leaving Ying Kai secretly, but unbeknownst to Rui Xi, Quan was quietly listening to every word she was saying. Thus, Quan gathered up their group to stop Rui Xi from leaving, reasoning that Rui Xi has gone back to America to have a double eyelid surgery to stop his comrades from asking her secret. Episode 1, Lu Rui Xi from America decided to go to Taiwan, Lu Rui Xi chops all her hair off and wears boy clothes to look like a boy to be admitted to an all boys school to be with Zuo Yi Quan, a high jumper she admires. After being admitted to the school, Rui Xi makes friends with Jin Xiu Yi, Xiu Yi is a soccer prodigy and wanted to play a game with Rui Xi and Xiu Ti accidentally hit Rui Xi it the head leading her to faint. When Xiu Yi went to get gelp, Quan decided to take Rui Xi to the office but while picking her up he finds out something unusual for a guy to have
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Invincible Shan Bao Mei
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Invincible Shan Bao Mei, also known as 我愛珊寶妹 / Woody Sambo is a romantic comedy Taiwanese Drama starring Nicholas Teo and Amber Kuo. It premiered on August 24,2008, right after the conclusion of Fated to Love You. The peak point of 10.57 occurred during the transition from Fated to Love You to Invincible Shan Bao Mei. Its first episode had a rating of 7.25. Sun Wu Di and his father were kidnapped when Wu Di was still a child, as an adult, it is very hard for him to trust the people around him, despite the fact that he has a girlfriend, Zu An. He thinks of very highly and very lowly of those around him. Leading a life with no worries and with himself as the person he can trust. Source, Chinatimes Showbiz Fated to Love You TTV Official Website SetTV Official Website
