The Tales of the Tale
- TAIWAN / 2024 / Taiwanese, Mandarin / Color / DCP / 30 min
Directors: Song Cheng-ying, Hu Chin-ya
Script: Hu Chin-ya
Photography: Song Cheng-ying, Jang Huang-wei, Chi Wen-yu
Editing: Song Cheng-ying
Sound Design: Shrimp Shu
Executive Producer: Selena Tsao
Producer: Fan Wu
Source: Mirror TV Inc.
Houtong once thrived as a coal mining town. From the time of Japan’s colonial rule to the post-war period, the town developed through coal mining, but eventually declined and the mine was closed. The facilities now lie in ruins, sleeping quietly deep in the mountains. During its prosperity, however, many of the village elders who worked as miners would witness mysterious events. When their voices are gathered, the dark history saturating the land rises to the surface. The stories give shape to the shadows falling into the space between the living and the dead—and perhaps even beyond, and the many layers of this world, piled up one on another, become perceptible. Passing down these stories on to future generations ensures we never forget that these people live by our side. (IST)
[Director’s Statement] In 2022, we created a documentary titled Out of the Cave for the Houtong Miner’s Culture and History Museum. This film is a continuation of that project, encompassing a dozen odd stories and anecdotes spanning various eras, including the Japanese colonial period, the post-war economic boom of the mining industry, and the archival period following the industry’s decline in recent years.
Most of these tales are intertwined with gods, ghosts, and demons. They have been passed down orally by retired miners, accompanied by the haunting vistas of abandoned mines. Some are well-formed legends; others are fragmented murmurs. Some are supported by alleged evidence, while others are observations tied to news articles and death records. They come from the personal experiences of our interviewees, told and retold over time, fading and re-emerging like echoes.
The interviewees were once farmers who cultivated the mountain lands, later becoming miners who unearthed its riches. Their labor fueled national development but came at a heavy cost, leaving behind a history of unparalleled occupational hazards. When investment in the mining industry dwindled, Houtong transformed from a bustling, labor-intensive mining town into a forgotten, derelict place hidden within the mountains and overgrown by the woods.
These individuals want their stories to be heard. They refuse to let the calamities they endured be forgotten. How do you live with the fact that you survived while others did not? How do you remember the ghosts of those who were lost? Will those ghosts ever become gods? Through storytelling, they attempt to release these spirits from purgatory. In turn, the act of telling brings them closure.
Song Cheng-yingGraduated from Taipei National University of the Arts. Has worked as a director, screenwriter and editor for several films, including Bird-Window Collisions (2023), co-directed with Hu Chin-ya.
Hu Chin-yaBased in Taipei, Taiwan, began as a freelance writer for independent media in Taiwan. Now she produces documentaries concerning human conditions in social change. She has also been a research team member and executive editor at the Center for Asia-Pacific/Cultural Studies, and production coordinator at CNEX Studio Corporation.