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GREAT CHANGES IN A VAST OCEAN Neither Tragedy Nor Joy Peggy Chiao ince his firstfeaturefilm in 1982, Hou Hsiao-Hsien has emerged as one of the most importantfilmmakers in Taiwan. Hisfilms are documents of the complex history of the Chinese experience there. The following conversation between Hou andfilm criticPeggy Chiao concernsThe Puppetmaster (1993), Hou' intricate portrait ofLi Tien Lu, acknowledgedasa nationaltreasureand Taiwan' mostfamous traditional puppeteer. Thefilm takesplace between 1909 (the year ofLis birth)and 1945 (the end of the Japanesefifty-year occupation of Taiwan), and examines the continuity of the traditional performingarts underextremepoliticalcircumstances. The interviewpresents Hou's views on how a non-documentaryfilm may serve to examine the techniques, including the trainingprocesses and socialcontexts, of a performingarts tradition in imminentdanger ofextinction as traditionalsociety disappears.Whatfollows is notfilm criticism per se, but an extended interview with director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, with the writer' commentary/explanatorynotes insertedat certainpoints of the interview. A Part of Taiwan History Not Found in History Books Chiao: How did you decide to make a film about Li Tien Lu? Hou: When I was making Dustin the Wind, someone recommended Li to me. We worked well together; his role in that film was quite a substantial one. After that, I used him in all my films. He is my good friend, my "Ah Gong" (an affectionate term meaning "grandfather"). He is every bit a traditionalist. His whole life has been inextricably tied to "xiju" (a Chinese term to denote performing arts in the traditional theatre, usually referring to opera). He is not a self-conscious artist, someone who can reorganize and change traditional drama to fit modern tastes. In fact, he completely accepts tradition. He preserves the values of traditional drama within himself. What do we mean by the values of traditional drama? It is the value system of Chinese philosophy that has evolved from the three pillars of Chinese thinking-Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Through forms such as Peking Opera, regional opera, and puppetry, these values have been disseminated to the people and integrated into their daily lives. I feel that Chinese tradition encompasses U 43 a beauty which I have always wanted to explore-something spiritual and dreamlike . We can perceive these qualities in Li Tien Lu. He embodies values such as filial piety, loyalty, and frugality; he shows how the Chinese people express their emotions. Li's life experience is a rich source of material for a film, but if I were to make a documentary about him, it would take up too much time. That's why I decided to make a fictional film. I had always wanted to film Li Tien Lu as a subject because I feel that he is like a living encyclopedia of Chinese tradition. In filming him, it is as if I am flicking through the pages of this encyclopedia. He is different from our generation. He is from an age that is unlike ours, without our modern penchant for rationalization, none of our setbacks or negative qualities, or our pain. When people from that age run into problems, they try their utmost to solve them, with flexibility but from a strong principled position. Life and death and social relationships to them are straightforward propositions, unlike modern man who views such things timidly. Simply put, I see in Li Tien Lu the ardent self-confidence of the Chinese as well as their generous heart. In modern Taiwan, these qualities have all but vanished. Ever since the end of the Ching era, the Chinese people have completely lost their sense of national self-confidence. The May 4th Movement exerted a good influence, but it also made a fetish of the West and created an attitude that rejected tradition. Taiwan has inherited a legacy of influences from Japanese culture-we had 50 years of existence as a Japanese colony after all. During the Korean War, we drew closer to America and absorbed its culture and influence. I feel our generation has a responsibility to conserve the beauty of our own traditions, and to disseminate them using the tools of our age and from our own perspective. In this way, the best and most worthwhile of our traditions will be passed on...

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