The Rice Dumpling Vendors-Genres & Themes-國家電影及視聽文化中心 Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute

燒肉粽
The Rice Dumpling Vendors

Directed : 辛奇 HSIN Chi

Opening : 2021-11-22 00:00:00 ~ 2028-12-31 23:55:00

Year : 1969

Color : 黑白

Length : 01:23:57

Production: Taiwan

Introduction

Tsi-Bing is living a wealthy and successful life. However, when he is manipulated by his mistress into believing that his wife is having an affair, he throws her out. When his mistress vanishes with all his money, Tsi-Bing is forced to relocate to a makeshift home with his three children, who are forced to take on various jobs, such as selling rice dumplings, to make ends meet. Will this unfortunate family be reunited one day?

The story centers on a man who loses his social and economic status but manages to regain his place in his family through sacrifices – much like the experience of female protagonists in melodramas. And unlike the prevalent female-centric melodramas of the time, this male-centric narrative was recognized as part of a subgenre of Taiwanese-language melodrama. The depictions of a powerful male figure losing his power before finally turning the tide, and a woman able to support herself after leaving home, both suggest the changing attitudes of the late 60s as people grew less convinced of the perfect family, but could still find beauty in its cause.

Director's Profile

Born in 1924, HSIN found his love for movies, literature and plays at a young age. After studying theater at Nihon University in Japan, he returned to Taiwan and became active in the theater movement. Though he temporarily left Taiwan following the February 28 Incident, he again returned as Taiwanese-language films were on the rise, during which he began to explore filmmaking. He organized actors' workshops and became a screenwriter and director interested in experimenting with different subjects, styles and techniques. His most notable Taiwanese-language films include the baseball film Kiss Me (1963), Alias Lover (1965) based on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a disaster film, The Night of Jiayi Earthquake (1964), and Back Street Life (1965), a satirical comedy about low lifes. Eight of HSIN's Taiwanese-language films exist today and are currently preserved in Taiwan Film Institute.