The Modern Taipei
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The Modern Taipei
---- A new “fresh-breezy” (小清新) identity in Taipei Exchanges
Taipei Exchanges is produced in 2010 and directed by Ya-chuan Hsiao. It is a lovely poem about the city of Taipei and the people living in Taipei. Through a simple, genuine story of Doris, Josie and their Bartering café, the film captures the essence of a modern Taipei that has never shown on screen: A city hugged by the gentle sunlight; a city filled with colorful bubbles of dreams. Within the city, Taipei Exchanges then presents in a dream-likely way, a young modern Taiwanese identity driven by a peculiar ‘ fresh-breezy’ optimism of life from various aspects.
Taipei Exchanges tells the story of a girl names Doris opening her own café with her younger sister Josie in Taipei. On the opening day Doris’ friends bring her different vintage stuff from their attics as housewarming gifts. Therefore the café is filled with various old items. Unwilling to sell anything other than coffee, Josie comes up with the idea of exchange that allows customers to trade things in the café for something they think is of equal value. In the beginning Doris is business minded while Josie is more idealistic. Doris wants to save money and Josie wants to travel around the world. However the process of goods trading slowly transforms the two sisters. This is how the story begins.
One of the most important themes in the film is the concept of “inner value” that Ya-chuan Hsiao introduces. Through this concept, he tries to discusse about the difference between values of material goods and values of dreams. Hsiao wants to deliver the idea of "making exchanges without using money." In the interview after the opening of Taipei Exchanges, He stated,
"I am not against using money to buy things. But if we value an item with only one fixed standard (referring to money), the item will lose its appeal very soon."The emphasis on the inner value of commodities provides a unique exposure of the physical material world and brings the material world up to a spiritual level of perception. In the film, aided by the curious spiritual bent, regarding the connection formed between people and their possessions, Hsiao creates an interesting narrative of the human-material relationship. Josie often rejects items to be exchanged, for her desires of something with a soul but someone’s claim that they once had imbued meaning into the item. She longs for something special, with the enduring power in it, for instance the thirty-five scented soaps with thirty-five stories of each in exchange for thirty-five love letters, and the Japanese tourist’s beautiful voice in exchange for an old Japanese songbook. In this way, Ya-chuan Hsiao constructs a new standard of evaluation—which, rather than evaluating based on the money price printed on the label and the credibility constructed in the money market, we should think more about the inner value of the objects: the value that connects us together. It can be a story, a dream, the memory of a sweet summer, etc. The objects then become alive and meaningful. This perception indicates Taiwanese young generations’ awareness of the materialistic imperialism. Therefore, they have the intention to re-define the value of something, which they are so used to, that neglect the simple beauty of it. The awareness and intention are the power driving these young people to look through the surface, and to discover the real value of everything surrounds them.
The exploration of inner value is not just about exchanging items, but more importantly through the exchange process, Hsiao manages to show how the young Taiwanese generation sees their lives and future, and he utilizes several devices to present this idea. Through using a peculiar fourth-wall-breaking technique, where apparent members of the general public are interviewed about the dilemmas Doris and Josie encounter who represent the young generation of Taiwan, we are given adequate perspectives from the overall Taiwanese society. In the documentary-style sequences Ya-chuan Hsiao mainly discussed two questions:
“ Will you use your money to study or to travel around the world?”
“In your heart, what do you treasure the most? ”
From the interview, some people prefer traveling to studying, someone treasures her family the most, and someone thinks daydreaming is the best way to enjoy the life. The answers are variously compelling, and difficult to draw conclusion. However through the interviewees’ expressions and gestures mixed with the snapshots of Taipei, I found a refreshing optimism flowing in the city, the optimism of how people value their lives: Young people are eager to experience the outside world to make their lives meaningful. The elders are happy and content with their lives and families. This optimism therefore projects the unique identity of the modern “Taiwanese.”
Besides the crucial idea of “exchange”, Ya-chuan Hsiao also presents the optimism through different cinematic aspects for example the us of comic hand drawing. When the film first shows the evaluation process of the sisters where Doris’ inner monologue states that she considers a beautiful coffee mug is more valuable than a baseball signed by a star, the jump cut immediately links to a comic drawing image of a mug and a baseball. A jump cut followed by comic illustration effect of the protagonists’ inner monologue appears multiple times in the film. The combination of animation and the realistic narration accentuate the lively and playful undertone of the film. The mise-en-scene of Taipei City also suggests the optimistic attitudes of life. In the sequence where Josie bikes around the city advertising her barter idea and Doris’ café, the camera produces a series of snapshots of Taipei. Josie greets strangers on the road. Following her bike route, we see the streets, the crowd, and the Indie-stores shining under the sun, and the whole city seems almost transparent under the sunlight just like a newborn baby, suggesting the dreams, hopes and the unlimited possibilities embodied in this city.
On the other hand, the impacts of globalization also constitute this unique Taiwanese optimism. First of all, the setting of the story is in a café shop that is a powerful representation of the western world. In the beginning of the film where we first learn about Doris’ café, the narrator explains that latte is Taipei people’s favorite coffee. This specific statement clearly alludes the importance and the wide acceptance of western culture in modern Taiwan. Another important element in the setting is the introduction of coach surfing, which is one of the most worldwide popular activities for young backpackers. In the film, Doris invites two young American backpackers to stay over in her café. She shows them how to lock the door and greets them good night. The international image of a polite, lovely, warm-hearted modern Taiwanese is thus constructed through the camera. It is not only the acceptance of western culture from Taiwan, but also the acceptance of Taiwanese culture from the outside world. The friendly and diverse atmosphere aided by globalization then adds another layer to the optimism. The film project this optimism in a way to show that the young Taiwanese now has the power and confidence to open their world to others, and welcome other culture elements to immerse into their own native culture to produce a rich multicultural environment which also contributes to the modern Taiwanese identity.
Some critics consider that Taipei Exchanges is the Taiwanese version of the French film Amélie. The idealistic and whimsical style of a romantic comedy indeed lines the two together. However different from the colorful fantasy depiction in Amélie, the realism produced in Taipei Exchanges is more convincing in portraying modern Taiwanese identity though Ya-chuan Hsiao makes it relatively subtle under the cover of a sweet and minimalistic story. In this way, Hsiao traces the many emotions of change and exchange with a breezy elegance that offsets his film’s underlying philosophical and spiritual preoccupations. However at the same time, through the discussion of inner value and the surface appearance, the characters and the city’s self-consciousness of Taiwanese are gradually exposed. All the different aspects of the film ultimately constitute a modern Taiwanese identity through its breezy elegance style of optimism. Just as delightful as a cup of creamy flavorful latte, the sophisticated brand of sensory stimulation on offer here mixes a peculiar Taiwanese bitterness with the sweet.
Work Cited:
1. Taipei Exchanges (2010),Ya-chuan Hsiao
2. Taipei Exchanges' catches you off guard, Hermia Lin http://www.culture.tw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1800&Itemid=235
---- A new “fresh-breezy” (小清新) identity in Taipei Exchanges
Taipei Exchanges is produced in 2010 and directed by Ya-chuan Hsiao. It is a lovely poem about the city of Taipei and the people living in Taipei. Through a simple, genuine story of Doris, Josie and their Bartering café, the film captures the essence of a modern Taipei that has never shown on screen: A city hugged by the gentle sunlight; a city filled with colorful bubbles of dreams. Within the city, Taipei Exchanges then presents in a dream-likely way, a young modern Taiwanese identity driven by a peculiar ‘ fresh-breezy’ optimism of life from various aspects.
Taipei Exchanges tells the story of a girl names Doris opening her own café with her younger sister Josie in Taipei. On the opening day Doris’ friends bring her different vintage stuff from their attics as housewarming gifts. Therefore the café is filled with various old items. Unwilling to sell anything other than coffee, Josie comes up with the idea of exchange that allows customers to trade things in the café for something they think is of equal value. In the beginning Doris is business minded while Josie is more idealistic. Doris wants to save money and Josie wants to travel around the world. However the process of goods trading slowly transforms the two sisters. This is how the story begins.
One of the most important themes in the film is the concept of “inner value” that Ya-chuan Hsiao introduces. Through this concept, he tries to discusse about the difference between values of material goods and values of dreams. Hsiao wants to deliver the idea of "making exchanges without using money." In the interview after the opening of Taipei Exchanges, He stated,
"I am not against using money to buy things. But if we value an item with only one fixed standard (referring to money), the item will lose its appeal very soon."The emphasis on the inner value of commodities provides a unique exposure of the physical material world and brings the material world up to a spiritual level of perception. In the film, aided by the curious spiritual bent, regarding the connection formed between people and their possessions, Hsiao creates an interesting narrative of the human-material relationship. Josie often rejects items to be exchanged, for her desires of something with a soul but someone’s claim that they once had imbued meaning into the item. She longs for something special, with the enduring power in it, for instance the thirty-five scented soaps with thirty-five stories of each in exchange for thirty-five love letters, and the Japanese tourist’s beautiful voice in exchange for an old Japanese songbook. In this way, Ya-chuan Hsiao constructs a new standard of evaluation—which, rather than evaluating based on the money price printed on the label and the credibility constructed in the money market, we should think more about the inner value of the objects: the value that connects us together. It can be a story, a dream, the memory of a sweet summer, etc. The objects then become alive and meaningful. This perception indicates Taiwanese young generations’ awareness of the materialistic imperialism. Therefore, they have the intention to re-define the value of something, which they are so used to, that neglect the simple beauty of it. The awareness and intention are the power driving these young people to look through the surface, and to discover the real value of everything surrounds them.
The exploration of inner value is not just about exchanging items, but more importantly through the exchange process, Hsiao manages to show how the young Taiwanese generation sees their lives and future, and he utilizes several devices to present this idea. Through using a peculiar fourth-wall-breaking technique, where apparent members of the general public are interviewed about the dilemmas Doris and Josie encounter who represent the young generation of Taiwan, we are given adequate perspectives from the overall Taiwanese society. In the documentary-style sequences Ya-chuan Hsiao mainly discussed two questions:
“ Will you use your money to study or to travel around the world?”
“In your heart, what do you treasure the most? ”
From the interview, some people prefer traveling to studying, someone treasures her family the most, and someone thinks daydreaming is the best way to enjoy the life. The answers are variously compelling, and difficult to draw conclusion. However through the interviewees’ expressions and gestures mixed with the snapshots of Taipei, I found a refreshing optimism flowing in the city, the optimism of how people value their lives: Young people are eager to experience the outside world to make their lives meaningful. The elders are happy and content with their lives and families. This optimism therefore projects the unique identity of the modern “Taiwanese.”
Besides the crucial idea of “exchange”, Ya-chuan Hsiao also presents the optimism through different cinematic aspects for example the us of comic hand drawing. When the film first shows the evaluation process of the sisters where Doris’ inner monologue states that she considers a beautiful coffee mug is more valuable than a baseball signed by a star, the jump cut immediately links to a comic drawing image of a mug and a baseball. A jump cut followed by comic illustration effect of the protagonists’ inner monologue appears multiple times in the film. The combination of animation and the realistic narration accentuate the lively and playful undertone of the film. The mise-en-scene of Taipei City also suggests the optimistic attitudes of life. In the sequence where Josie bikes around the city advertising her barter idea and Doris’ café, the camera produces a series of snapshots of Taipei. Josie greets strangers on the road. Following her bike route, we see the streets, the crowd, and the Indie-stores shining under the sun, and the whole city seems almost transparent under the sunlight just like a newborn baby, suggesting the dreams, hopes and the unlimited possibilities embodied in this city.
On the other hand, the impacts of globalization also constitute this unique Taiwanese optimism. First of all, the setting of the story is in a café shop that is a powerful representation of the western world. In the beginning of the film where we first learn about Doris’ café, the narrator explains that latte is Taipei people’s favorite coffee. This specific statement clearly alludes the importance and the wide acceptance of western culture in modern Taiwan. Another important element in the setting is the introduction of coach surfing, which is one of the most worldwide popular activities for young backpackers. In the film, Doris invites two young American backpackers to stay over in her café. She shows them how to lock the door and greets them good night. The international image of a polite, lovely, warm-hearted modern Taiwanese is thus constructed through the camera. It is not only the acceptance of western culture from Taiwan, but also the acceptance of Taiwanese culture from the outside world. The friendly and diverse atmosphere aided by globalization then adds another layer to the optimism. The film project this optimism in a way to show that the young Taiwanese now has the power and confidence to open their world to others, and welcome other culture elements to immerse into their own native culture to produce a rich multicultural environment which also contributes to the modern Taiwanese identity.
Some critics consider that Taipei Exchanges is the Taiwanese version of the French film Amélie. The idealistic and whimsical style of a romantic comedy indeed lines the two together. However different from the colorful fantasy depiction in Amélie, the realism produced in Taipei Exchanges is more convincing in portraying modern Taiwanese identity though Ya-chuan Hsiao makes it relatively subtle under the cover of a sweet and minimalistic story. In this way, Hsiao traces the many emotions of change and exchange with a breezy elegance that offsets his film’s underlying philosophical and spiritual preoccupations. However at the same time, through the discussion of inner value and the surface appearance, the characters and the city’s self-consciousness of Taiwanese are gradually exposed. All the different aspects of the film ultimately constitute a modern Taiwanese identity through its breezy elegance style of optimism. Just as delightful as a cup of creamy flavorful latte, the sophisticated brand of sensory stimulation on offer here mixes a peculiar Taiwanese bitterness with the sweet.
Work Cited:
1. Taipei Exchanges (2010),Ya-chuan Hsiao
2. Taipei Exchanges' catches you off guard, Hermia Lin http://www.culture.tw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1800&Itemid=235
