228 Memorial Day Series

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-24
By: Jocylin FC, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

Transitional justice, a long overdue process which is a widespread consensus among all Taiwanese, is an ongoing process. It is more than a political slogan, especially for the victims of White Terror during the period from 1947 to 1987. The exhibition of director Pai Ko’s life at the National Human Rights Museum reminds the public of the importance of human rights and life values, which marks the upcoming 228 Memorial Day.

Director Pai Ko was born in Xiamen, China in 1914. He was going to be a teacher after he graduated from the Department of Education at Xiamen University but he left education for film. He was going to study at the Moscow Film School after he received a full scholarship from the government but he gave it up to join the nationalist army when the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out. He walked the battlefields not with a weapon, but with a camera, documenting the impact of war.

Pai was considered the pioneer of Taiwan’s film industry. He came to Taiwan after the end of World War II and directed a documentary on the lives of Taiwanese people. He then established the Taiwan Film Culture Co. and continued shooting propaganda films for the Kuomintang government at first. Pai then left Taiwan Film Culture Co. after he finished his first Taiwanese-language movie, “Descendents of Huangdi”. He then joined the private film sector and directed a couple of Taiwanese-language films. He made 11 movies from 1956 to 1961. His films reflected the livelihood of commoners, social issues, cultural integration, and family dynamics. Unfortunately, he was arrested after he finished the widely popular film, “The Love of Longshan Temple.” Pai was arrested twice in his lifetime; however, he did not survive his second imprisonment.     [FULL  STORY]