Shu Kuo-Chih

A Taipei family faces personal and moral uncertainty as everyday events test their relationships and sense of purpose.

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.

The Chen Family Residence “Chen Sì-yù” in Xiushui Township, Changhua, was built in 1846 (the 26th year of the Daoguang reign, Qing dynasty). Designed by craftsmen from Tangshan and constructed using stone from Mount Wuyi, the residence features a symmetrical and meticulously crafted layout. The “Wénkuí” plaque above the main entrance serves as a moral exhortation to future generations, bearing witness to the Chen ancestors’ journey across the strait from Fujian to Taiwan.