Four Moods

An ex-convict came to a small town to learn a handcraft from an old sculptor. He came to know his mute daughter, and soon they fell in love. Then, one day, a hooligan came. He had a crush on the mute daughter and wanted to harass her.

Jointly and respectively directed by King Hu, Lee Hsing, and Pai Ching-Jui, three major Taiwan directors of the 1970s, this film consist of three shorts with the same cast of two actors and one actress, who through reincarnation meet in three different times.

Story from Qiong Yao's novella collection "Shui Ling"

A loose youth passes the time freely until he comes across a young, female broadcaster who works at a radio station.

The story of the Opium War between China, in the waning days of the Qing Dynasty, and the British Empire, in the 1830s, and the subsequent takeover of Hong Kong by Britain; through the eyes of the key figures, fiercely nationalistic Lin Zexu, and opportunistic British naval diplomat Charles Elliot.

Fang Yiyi is a mute woman with physical disabilities who cannot speak or hear. Despite her limitations, she is kind-hearted, intelligent, and beautiful. She marries Liu Jingyan and demonstrates utmost filial piety toward her in-laws, supporting her husband and raising their daughter—a series of touching tales. Fang Yiyi's mother had a close relationship with the Liu family as cousins. During her pregnancy, they arranged a marriage by touching bellies, promising to marry Yiyi to Liu Jingyan. After marriage, they had a daughter who was also mute. Jingyan was disappointed and left home, marrying a talkative woman elsewhere. Yiyi worked tirelessly at home, caring for her in-laws, raising her young daughter, and dedicating herself to the family until she fell ill. On her deathbed, she finally saw her husband return. Liu Jingyan knew that Yi Yi had loved him until her death, and he felt endless sorrow and guilt. In the end, he lived out his days with the mute girl Xue'er.

Overweight shoeshiner Brother Wang (Wang Ge) and skinny rickshaw driver Brother Liu (Liu Ge) are best friends and roommates. One day, they come across a fortune teller who offers a peculiar forecast: that Wang will become very wealthy in three days but that Liu will die in 44 days. When Wang strikes gold by winning the lottery, just as predicted, the celebratory mood is soon eclipsed by the reminder that Liu’s death also has been forecast. With his newfound wealth, Wang decides to reward his dying buddy with the trip of a lifetime. Carrying around a suitcase full of cash, the working-class twosome embark on a road trip around the beautiful island of Taiwan. Enjoying a lavish lifestyle as inexperienced big spenders, they find themselves in unexpected situations and amusing predicaments, one after another.

This film is based on a short story by Qiong Yao whose film adaptions took the world by storm in the 1960s. The time of the story sets in the 1920s, the first decade after the country was founded. This is a bitter love story among three brothers and their beautiful cousin. The film reveals the struggles of a woman facing modern liberation and stereotypes of traditional culture.

The film is based on the real story of Zheng Fengxi. The disabled author studied hard since childhood and finally he graduated from the college.

Hsiao-yueh and her widowed father receive a flock of genetically-improved ducks from the state agricultural council to participate in a breeding experiment.

Oyster-gatherer Ah-lan is in love with the often-absent fisherman Chin-shui, but a bout of premarital sex leaves her pregnant and vulnerable to malicious gossip.

Taiwan's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986. In the story, the kindly and very efficient Chinese settlers are distrusted by the natives until they show that they are able and willing to cure an outbreak of plague. The daughter of the native Taiwanese chief has her own peace plan for the region, which involves finding the most eligible Chinese bachelor and marrying him.

A young boy witnesses his mother’s cheating ways and, after the death of his sick father, grows to despise her. When he’s adopted by another family, the road to reconciliation proves achingly difficult.