The Story of a Small Town

In a tiny fishing hamlet on an island off the coast of Taiwan, men find their balls are swelling. The entire village gets involved in diagnosis and treatment.

Peigang, his family's only son for three generations running, is to be executed on account of larceny, but not without the intervention of his grandmother.

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.

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

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

Directed by some of most well known Chinese-language directors of the time, the portmanteau film Four Moods was an attempt to alleviate Li Han-hsiang’s financial troubles during the late 1960s. Arguably one of his best works, King Hu’s short Anger is an adaptation of the famous Peking opera San Cha Kou; set to opera instrumentation and stylishly shot, the film deftly captures the tense showdown between political schemers, avengers and vagabonds inside an inn. Li Han-hsiang’s Happiness, inspired by the Strange Tales of Liaozhai, tells a tale of reprieve for a kind-hearted ghost, while Pai Ching-Jui’s Joy and Lee Hsing’s Sadness both explore the fateful encounters between mortal men and ghostly women.

Spring in Autumn tells the story of university student Cheng Wei who rescues He Liwen, a woman facing a family crisis, abandonment by her boyfriend, and the predicament of pregnancy. He takes her in and accompanies her through an abortion procedure. After Cheng Wei unexpectedly loses his memory, the two reunite two years later in a mountainous area and rekindle their romance. However, shadows from the past and external obstacles emerge.

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.