The Popularity of the Taiwanese-Made Film "1895 in Formosa" by93540313 Tina Chang

The Popularity of the Taiwanese-Made Film "1895 in Formosa"

The year, 1895, was full of sadness, indignation and helplessness to Taiwan people. The Ching Government ceded Taiwan to Japanese Empire because the Ching lost a battle in 1894. However, people living in Taiwan fought as volunteers against Japanese force who was ready to take over Taiwan.

Because of Taiwan people’s love to their homeland, family, and nationality, they rose against Japanese force. At first, they got help from the Ching Government, but Government gave up very soon. Although losing Government’s support, volunteers still kept fighting for their own.

The most important part is the identification of our own nationality and homeland. People chose to fight instead of doing nothing but becoming Japanese people with Japanese name, speaking Japanese, and learning Japanese culture. In this film, audience can see that the Taiwan spirit is the great fortitude, loyalty, industriousness, and dauntlessness. Volunteers even faced death without fear in order to protect their home, their family, and remain their nation. Japanese force took over Taiwan over their dead bodies.

Although born and grown up in Taiwan, most people in our generation or in the last generation didn’t know the history which really had happened in our homeland, Taiwan. We had been taught the history and told stories about China, but there was a little about Taiwan, the land we live in and love for so long. The spirit and dignity left from battles in 1895 should be remembered in our mind. By seeing the Taiwanese-made films and hearing the Taiwan local stories, we, Taiwan people, must learn, know and awake to our nationality and spirit.

Introduction of Twilight Series by Gladys

Every year, there are many popular movies come out, but do you know which one’s box office is the best forward Harry Potter? In 2008, when Twilight broadcasted, it was the winner of the best seller ahead Harry Potter 7. According to this, people can know that it was really amazing work. Twilight is a vampire-romance novel by the author, Stephanie Meyer. From her introduction of the story behind Twilight, the author mentioned that she woke up from a vivid dream and started to write this novel on June 2nd, 2003. However, when she finished Twilight, she didn’t want to lose these characters in the novel that she loved very much. So, Twilight became a series of novels and there were other three sequels which were New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. At the beginning, Stephanie was naive about publishing. She thought it was easy to publish a book. However, to her surprise, Twilight was initially rejected by 14 agents, but becoming an instant bestseller when published in 2005. The same year, it was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books. Also, the novel was the biggest selling book of 2008 and has sold 17 million copies around the world. It was on the New York Times Best Seller list and translated into 37 different languages.

In Taiwan, the Twilight saga, Twilight and New Moon already released. I only saw Twilight movie, and I plan to see New Moon movie and buy the series books in winter vacation. After seeing Twilight, I am like to fall in love with Edward Cullen. He is so handsome that I believe that every girl must be crazy about him including me. Moreover, I even want to be Bella in that such romantic story to get together with Edward.

Following, I would like to summary the story. It is a story about the love between a vampire and a human. Isabella Swan is the main character who moves to Forks in order to live with her father, because her mother and her new husband go to take a trip together. Bella and Edward Cullen know each other because they study at the same school. The Cullens are vampires but they are different from others. It is because they just hunt animals not kill people. They are like vegetarians. However, Bella is the girl whom Edward is waiting for a long time. It means that Edward cannot stop desiring the scent of Bella’s blood. He even says that Bella is his own heroin. Although Edward has tried to avoid getting together with Bella, they fall in love with each other finally. Unfortunately, the situation is ruined by another tracker vampire, James, who wants to hunt Bella. James bites Bella but Edward saves her by sucking the venom. It is lucky that James is killed by the Cullens. At the end of the movie, Edward and Bella attend a prom together. It’s unexpected that Victoria who is James’ mate shows up at the last scene. I think the whole movie mix not only love and romance but also excitement and horror. I really love this series movie.

Coco Chanel’s fashion world by Kezhan 96540350

Observation about Coco Chanel's fashion world 

We all care about fashion because we live in the fashion world. One of those great people whom are always staying in our mind and make history for new design and fashion world is Coco Chanel. We all have heard about the great fashion designer Coco Chanel’s. She is very successful, innovative, ingenious, and independent thinker.

She doesn’t need to follow the trends because she was stetting the trends by herself. Her style never changed and all products are still considers as popular and classy items. There were many unpleasant things happened in her life but she faced through over them and use them as encouraging herself to become stronger in her life. She never quite and never accepts failure in her life. She could successes in her life because she was always following her own idea with big confidence of herself all the way. I think that sadness inspired her to create new designs during the depression; she did what ever she could do, and designed some of her most significant pieces.

I am personally very inspired by Coco Chanel. As she said in her quote "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance." she tried to make women look good, fabulous and simple. We all are looking to save money now a day– so being innovative, being ingenious like her; you don’t need to spend a lot of money to look good. Coco Chanel was all about wearability, comfort, and ultimate style. She wanted women to feel free and liberated for what they wear and feel comfortable by wearing it.

Coco Chanel said in of her quotes “A girl should be two things classy and fabulous” which I definitely agree with her because girl should be classy and fabulous. I think all of those quotes she makes are all so true and timeless.

I love Coco Chanel’s quotes because I think it is show philosophy side of Chanel. Her quotes are always inspired me. I will explain some of her quotes and what I think about those quotes. What are those quotes really mean by Coco Chanel?

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” by Coco Chanel. When we read this quote of her we might thing does she means that influence of fashion is every where?

I think what she means is that we live for fashion and fashion lives in us. Everything around us is surrounded by fashion. In other words she means that fashion is every where that is why it is necessary .when we built one house it doesn’t mean we just built a house but we built it in the way that we like. And also she might say that her fashion is influenced by the mood she is in. fashion is influenced by every thing, even if it is very simple idea.

Another of her quotes that I like a lot is” Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” by Coco Chanel
I think in this quote, she mean everything Changes nothing remains the same.

And here are some other great quotes by Coco Chanel

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." by Coco Chanel

"Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury."

"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself Aloud."

"There are people who have money and people who are rich."

I think Coco is the most influential fashionable designer of 20th century. The great thing about Chanel was whenever knew a thing or two wasn’t afraid to share her thoughts about her styles with world.

Chanel is always like a great icon of fashions remains is reminds me as the most successful in the world and highly respected fashion empires.

And as we know she is have big influence of French culture. There is a plenty of literature available of the life about that amazing woman. The most recent film, Coco Avant Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou, is unmissable for any style-conscious girl. Coco might be gone, but her legacy, like her design is timeless and never can get old.

Coco Chanel made flapper during 1920s and it shaped the face of style forever.

Ten Love Stories in Cape No.7 by Alan

Ten Love Stories in Cape No.7

In 2008, Cape No.7 fever was all around Taiwan. It suddenly attracted people’s attention. People are wondering why this movie can win not only Taiwanese’s hearts, but also those of people from some other Asian countries. One major element is the completeness of the story. The story of Cape No.7 is very complete.

In this movie, is there only one story, which is about the Japanese teacher and Tomoko? Actually, in my observation, there are 10 love stories in total.

The first story, of course, is the love story between the Japanese teacher and Tomoko. From the beginning of the movie, it describes these two characters’ love story from a flashing back scene. The teacher just went back to Japan and left Tomoko in Taiwan. After so many years, those letters are sent back by the teacher’s daughter. Then Aga, the leading actor in this movie, is the person who is going to finish this story. In the end, he sent the letters to Tomoko. By doing this, the first story is finished.

The second story is about Aga and Tomoko, another girl who has the same name as the student before. At first, they don’t like each other. After their accidental one-night stand, they turned out to be in love with each other. When Tomoko reads about the letters from Japan, she asks Aga to make sure he sends these letters to another Tomoko. Finally, Aga realizes what he really wants. He sends those letters back and get together with Tomoko.

Aga and his family have another story, which is the third one. Aga’s father is Aga’s step father. He expresses his concerns to Aga, but Aga doesn’t accept that. Aga’s mother loves Aga very much. She takes care of the whole family, being a bridge connected Aga and Aga’s father. In the end, because of the success of warm-up for the concert, Aga’s father realizes his son is capable of doing something meaningful. Their family relationship becomes complete in the end.

The fourth story is about Dada’s mom, which is that Tomoko is her grandmother. Without her, Tomoko will not find out who is another Tomoko. Without this information, Aga will never find where Cape No.7 is. She says she did something very bad to her grandmother. I think this doubt in her mind probably is solved by Tomoko. Tomoko tells her about those letters. Maybe the old Tomoko still believes the Japanese teacher will come back. But Dada’s mom tells her that it is impossible. The old Tomoko’s daughter is a perfect example. She fights with the old Tomoko and finally runs out of the house.

Actually, she has two stories. Another story of hers is the reason why she hates Japanese. Her mother was abandoned by a Japanese man. In the end, she realizes that not every Japanese man is irresponsible. The Japanese teacher has tried to send letters to her grandmother. Her story ends here.

The fifth one is about Rauma and his wife. His wife left him because she thinks that Rauma’s job is too dangerous. He was once in a special force of police. In order to make his wife stay, he left the force, becoming a policeman in a small town. However, his wife still abandoned him. In the end of this movie, Rauma finds another person to cherish in his life, that is, his father.

The sixth story is about Old Mao and his passion for music. The love in this story is for music, and also for fame. Old Mao wants to be famous. He thinks he can play yueqin very well. No matter how many efforts he has to put in practicing or what instrument he can play, he just wants to be on stage. In the end, he succeeds and achieves his dream.

The seventh story is about Frog and the motorcycle shop’s owner’s wife. The owner of the shop is alcohol-addicted. He doesn’t take care of the children and the shop. Frog helps the owner’s wife and gradually becomes in love with her. In the end, by performing in the concert, he shows his passion for her. Although the owner’s wife does not get together with him, Frog feels satisfied if she knows his concerns.

The eighth story is about Malasun and Meiling. At first, Meiling doesn’t have a good impression of Malasun. But gradually, Meiling falls in love with Malasun’s passion for his work and also for his talent.
 The ninth story is about Dada and her friend. Well, this is just puppy love. Dada’s friend likes Dada very much.

The last story is about the band. All the people in this band, including Tomoko, all become good friends and companions. They share their love together in the band. Their success in the concert attributes to their union in the end.

Finally, making these observations makes me rethink this movie again and again. I find out that every scene of this movie is vividly flashing through my mind. This is really a successful movie, in terms of the completeness of its story.

The Spirit of "The Last Samurai" by Amy

In the movie ‘The Last Samurai,’ the main actor of this movie is Tom Cruise. There are some other Japanese actors and actresses, who are Koyuki and Watanabe Ken. I watched this movie at the theater with my mother in the Chinese New Year. At first, I thought the story was boring. The plot was so calm that I could not put myself in the movie. However, after Algran, the American solder acted by Tom Cruise, meets the samuris leaded by Katsumoto, acted by Watanabe Ken, the story became more and more attractive. Therefore, I started to indulge myself in this story.

In ‘The Last Samurai’, the character Tom Cruise plays is a soldier who loses his soul in a tragedic war. In that fight, he kills as many people as he could. Even though he is honored by the president, he feels sorry for the innocent residents who have been murdered by him. Therefore, when the president sends him to Japan to help the emperor of fighting against the samurais, he considers it as a regular job and feels lazy to do. However, after being caught by the samurais, he lives with them, finding out the spirit of the samurais. He is deeply touched by their spirit, which is so pure and so respectable. In the end of this movie, he gives up his position. He becomes one of the samurais and puts on the armor, which used to be wore by Koyuki’s husband who is killed by Tom Cruise at the beginning of the movie, to fight against the soldiers.

The movie depicts the spirit of samurais vividly. Samurais have their dignity which could not be offended. When knowing there is no chance for them to win, they would rather to commit suicide instead of surrendering to the enemies. Besides, they are loyal. Once they choose their leader, they will follow him until they lose their lives. My favorite character of this movie is Katsumoto, the leader of the samurais acting by Watanabe Ken. The situation of Katsumoto is difficult. He is forced to give up his position due to Meiji Restoration government. Moreover, the prime minister eagers to kill all of the samurais. Therefore, even though Katusmoto is still loyal, he has to flee to a deep mountain where is hard for the soldiers to fight with him. The ending of Katsumoto is sad. He is a good leader with warm heart and wisdom. He doesn’t betray the other samurais. Instead, he leads them, protecting them until the end. Besides, his death brings the new life to the samurais. Since the emperor is also touched by the spirit of the samurais, he decides not to kill the remaining samurais. The spirit of samurais is preserved.

In my opinion, "The Last Samurai" is truly a good movie. The director not only provides the audiences the beautiful scenery of Japan, but also gives the audiences a chance to know the spirit of samurais. I believe o one would feel regret after watching this movie.

Love stories of 21 century by Angela Hu

This semester we have viewed many different versions of the imperishable love story “Romeo and Juliet.”  This masterpiece of Shakespeare has been reedited, retell, adapted through different ways again and again.  This particular classic love story “Romeo and Juliet” won people’s tears and touched people deeply all over the world.  Therefore, I would like to introduce love stories of the 21 century that have moved me to tears and touched my mind so deeply.

The first movie I want to talk about is the creation of P.S. I Love You in 2007.  It is adapted from a book with the same title of Cecelia Ahern.  This book has been translated into forty languages all around the world and it is the best-selling book of 2004 in more than forty countries.  Hence, the high popularity of the book makes the creation of the movie P.S. I Love You.  This movie depicts how Holly overcame the sorrow after losing her husband, Jerry, with ten letters written by Jerry when he is almost dying of cancer.  This movie begins with a scene when Holly and Jerry are arguing about whether to have a baby or not.  Although they have a really fierce quarrel, they make up with each other right after finishing the quarrel.  They hug, they kiss, and they confess to each other that how much they love each other.  After the scene, it comes to Jerry’s farewell ceremony.  This has made people all over the world burst into tears and set a record to make people cry within 15 minutes.  We all know it is really sad and painful to watch our beloved die and you cannot do anything to stop him or her from going away so does Holly.  The Jerry’s death makes Holly trap herself in their department because it is the only place that she could feel like Jerry is still alive and still stay with her.  Later, Holly receives the letters from Jerry and these letters guide her through the way of overcoming the sadness.

There are some lines in “P.S. I Love You” that are really good to share with you.  This is what Jerry says, “Babe, We are going to last, you know how I know?  Because I still wake up every morning and the first thing I want to do is see your face.”  I believe everyone who has ever heard something like this will be touched deeply.  And here is what Holly says, “We have absolutely no ideas what we want.”, and I do agree with her.  Sometimes, women in love are just being too sensitive to make changes in life.  The lack of security leads to endless quarrels between couples and lovers.

I think this movie “P.S. I Love You” do points out some problems that exist in the relationship among lovers or couples.  Most of the time, we take everything we own now for granted.  However, we do not know when it will be gone.  We do not know to cherish until we lost.  Although the movie version has a lot of differences with the book, it is still good and really touching.

The second movie I want to talk about is The Time Traveler’s Wife in 2009.  This movie is also an adaptation of a book with the same title “The Time Traveler’s Wife” written by Audrey Niffenegger in 2006.  Henry is a man who travels through times.  He met his future wife, Clare when he traveled through times.  At that time, she is only 6 years old and he is already 36 years old!  The second time they meet with each other, they start to date.  Soon, they got married.  Clare knows that Henry can travel through times but she still insist on getting married with Henry.  After the marriage, Henry still travels as usual and Clare is always left alone.  She just keeps waiting for Henry back.  Indeed Clare is used to waiting because she has been keeping waiting for Henry since the age of 6.  They are a happy couple until Clare gets pregnant.  Once she gets pregnant, the baby gone away soon.  This makes them sad and strongly hurt Clare’s heart.  Hopefully, they have a child in the end.  However, at the fifth birthday of the child, Alba, Henry died of an accident happened during his travel.  Although he died, Clare still keeps waiting for Henry.  She believes that Henry will come to her one day because he is a time traveler.

This movie ended up with a scene when Henry comes back to Clare after his death.  They hug with each other but Henry disappears again and says “I don’t want to keep you waiting for me the whole life.”  This scene has moved me to tears and also touched people’s mind deeply.  Their love to each other is so selfless.

Both of the two movies that I introduced are just fictions; however, we cannot say that there is no such a love in the real world.  The two movies portray the main idea “lose” in their unique ways and we cannot deny that we are all touched by their stories.  I believe after viewing the two movies, you will get some enlightenment for sure.

Reality Shows by Sharon

Reality Shows

As reality shows become more and more popular in Taiwan, various kinds of reality shows have been broadcasted on TV since I was a senior high school student. Survivor, America's next top models, Project Runway, and so on are well-known in Taiwan. The producers of reality shows are good at promoting the shows. They all know how to make audience watch from a season to another season. Therefore, many reality shows are over 10 seasons or even more. For audience, reality shows can not only satisfy their curiosity but also feeling of virtual situation. It records the true reaction of every person in the show. It is a kind of show which is close to audience’ life the most. Therefore, they draw people’s attention easily. I am also crazy about reality shows, so I want to introduce three reality shows which I like very much.






Apprentice


You are fired!

I have seen Apprentice on Taiwanese TV channel before. At that time, I cannot understand what the show is about, so I just switch to another channel without trying to know more about Apprentice. I know it is really popular in Taiwan, and many Taiwanese people do like the show very much. However, I just don’t think it will be an interesting one. After watching a few episodes of Apprentice, I find that I was wrong before. It is quite a cool reality show. We, the viewers, can see different competitors have their own ways to deal with problems. Also, we can see how those competitors defense for themselves when they are probably the one who is going to be fired. Some competitors are really eloquent and brilliant. Others are not good at cooperating with his/ her teammates. Still the others are born to be leaders; they lead their members winning most of competitions.

Various kinds of competitors make the show much more attractive. Apprentice is really exciting because unpredictable problems occur all the time. The competitors need to be smart enough to handle the problems well. Sometimes their solutions might work, but sometimes they are failed. For some competitors, they seize the chance because it is the time for them to show their talents to figure the problems out.

Watching Apprentice is not only for entertainment. Viewers can really learn something such as leadership or team spirit from the competitors. In this show, especially when things just don’t go smoothly, people can see how important teamwork is.



America’s Next Top Model

Who will become America’s Next Top Model?

Everyone has dreams. Especially, being a top model is a big dream for most of girls. America’s Next Top Model is a show which helps girls realize their dreams. At the beginning of a season, the show has its own audition. There will be many competitors coming from different states for the audition. Those girls will be interviewed by Tyra Banks, the producer of the show also a world-wide top model. The competitors have to perform their talents. Besides, they have to walk on the catwalk even though they are inexperienced. Finally, the judges will pick only thirteen girls to go on the competition, which means only one fourth girls can survive in the audition. Those thirteen girls will be changed their hair style; their dressing style. Also, their unprofessional postures will be corrected by well-known photographers and other top models when they take pictures. However, there will be a competitor being eliminated every week. Therefore, every photo shoot is very important to them. The standard of being a top model is very high. Once, the photo is not good, they might have chance to be sent home. The competitors will be gradually like a model after they have been trained for many days. The last survivor will become a model signing her contrast with top model agency. Also, the one hundred thousand dollars contract with the Cover Girl cosmetics.

Some girls don’t even dress like a model when they participate the show, but finally they become qualified as a world-wide top model. The show makes the audience think that they are close to their dreams. It seems that the girl who make effort will very possibly having chance to become the next top model.

It was a reality show that I watched every Saturday when I was in senior high. My classmates and I were crazy about the show. There were at least 10 students watching the show in my class so I discussed with them all the time. We regarded ourselves as judges in the show. We criticized which girl should be send home instead of the other one. Besides, we imitated how the competitors posed and what the models dressed. Also, we shot many stupid photos in school. Also, we held TNTM, which stands for Taiwan’s Next Top Model, in our class. It was crazy, but it showed how influential the show was to girls especially for teenage girls.

Some girls don’t even dress like a model when they participate the show, but finally they become qualified as a world-wide top model. The show makes the audience think that they are close to their dreams. It seems that the girl who make effort will very possibly having chance to become the next top model.



So You Think You Can Dance

Who is the Top dancer in America?

Some people are born to be a dancer while others work hard to become a dancer. Dancing needs not only skills but also potential. A show provides a stage for those dancing experts to show their talents to the audience. Also, it is a stage for those talented dancers to proof how good they are. So You Think You Can Dance is a show which gets all the dance experts together and competes their dancing skills. Every competitor is really good at dancing. Some of them are even dancing teacher. At the beginning of a season, the show will hold a national audition, so there will be many competitors come from different states for the audition. However, some dancers who think themselves is good at dancing may not have strong confidence when they are eliminated because the judges there are really critical. The judges there don’t care about whether you are a professional dancer or you dance for a very long time or not. What they really care is their dancing skills. If they don’t have talent or potential, it is the time for those judges to say goodbye.

I watched So YouTthink You Can Dance when I went to Canada one and a half year ago. The show was played twice a week. At that time, it was season 4 on TV. I watched every episode. Even though I went out with my friend, I rushed to my home and turn on the TV very quickly in order not to miss any part of the show. In fact, at first, I didn’t know any of the competitors in the show. However, after I watched few episodes, I started to be able to recognize everyone. Also, I could tell who danced better than others or who was good at cooperating with his/her partner. I finished the whole season. When the judges were about to announce the first place, I was as nervous as the competitors. Although the competitor I support only got the second place, I still cheered for him until the last minute.

From the show, audience can learn something from the competitors. They work with each other well. Also, they cherish their friendship. They even cheer for their opponents when they do a really good job. I think the show brings the positive meaning to the audience. And the show gives audience a visual feast.

A World for Chinese by Julia

A World for Chinese


Many scholars predict that Chinese will be one of the major languages in the future, and it means that everything related to Chinese will guide the world. As the economic developed rapidly in China, it is common to see almost everything inscribed “Made in China. Western is not the only mainstream in the world now.” A world for Chinese is already a trend now. Many Chinese stand out in many aspects of works such as movies, sports, music and so on. Taiwan has no exception; I will illustrate some examples to show their influences in the world.

Hollywood is considered as one of the most famous film industry in the world. Western movies were the main leading works before, while many movies directed by Chinese. Ann Lee is a famous director who was affected by Chinese and American culture. Hence, he creates both Chinese films (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Western films (Brokeback Mountain), and his works make him gain much reputation in movie filed. This proves that Chinese could have the opportunity to show their talents on the stage. An Lee’s success even encourages other directors in Taiwan to produce more good films. The famous locally produced movie, Cape No.7, is a good example. This movie is a big hit in the market after its release. This movie’s high popularity attracts other countries’ attention to show it in their own theater. Some foreigners even ask their friends in Taiwan to buy them the videos. With more and more successful directors in Taiwan, it is really hard to hide Chinese’ shine in the world.

In sports fields, Taiwan has created many legends in baseball. In the early time, when Hong-Ye baseball team won the World Champion, which boost Taiwanese a lot at that time. Till now, baseball is still a sport which makes Taiwanese be proud of. With many Taiwanese people enter the MLB league in the U.S., more people know more about Taiwan. Take Chien-Ming Wang as an example, he was voted as one of the greatest person who has impacts in the world. I have great impression in his advertisement about Taiwan. In the film, he tells a taxi driver that he is from Taiwan, and he will show the driver where Taiwan is. Many Americans are crazy about his talents; a American journalist even publishes a book, ACE IN AMERICA：The story of Chien-Ming Wang’s rise to stardom with the New York Yankees. His popularity promotes Chinese social status in the U.S. and lower down Americans’ racial discrimination toward Asian. His great contribution in boosting Chinese status creates a brand new stage in the world.

In addition to sports field, there are many outstanding musicians showing their talents in the world. Yo-Yo Ma is a well-known cello player around the world. When he was only five years old, he played the cello for 35th American president, John F. Kennedy. Last year, he played the cello for Barack Obama inaugural ceremony. In this kind of important ceremony, he represents that Chinese is becoming the mainstream in the world. Also, he is also the first Chinese nominees of Grammy Award. It is really a big breakthrough in Chinese art field; as well it boosts positive impression on Chinese musicians. Besides, more and more singers develop their business in other countries. Holding concerts in the U.S. by singing all Chinese songs does spread Chinese culture and show the beauty of Chinese characters rapidly.

With so many successful Chinese in the world, we can not help but feel proud of being a Taiwanese. Making best use of this trend to create a beneficial market for ourselves and to show the essential part of Chinese Culture to the world is what we have to do when Chinese world comes.

Please upload your final projects.

by Vinia Huang