Virtual Ethnography 101: Movies in Taiwan

As part of the weekly exercises of my graduate students in Anthropology 225: Philippine Society and Culture, I wanted my students to explore places and write ethnography using the method of participation-observation.

I am posting in my blog with the writer's consent selected ethnography penned creatively by my students to contribute to the emerging sub-discipline of anthropology called 'Virtual Ethnography'.

Basically, virtually ethnography is also referred to as Webnography. We cannot deny the fact that with increasing use of technology and the Internet, there is now a demand for online spaces on various ethnographic accounts.


Ethnography by Dolf Cheng


I turned on the tv today in my apartment in Taipei and how timely it is to get a glimpse of Oscar’s Night live on Starworld. How timely it is to open my topic with movies in my ethnography.

The Taiwanese love Western movies despite the influx of other Asian productions from Thailand, China, Korea, Japanese and Hong Kong. Hollywood movies are always very popular here among the young generation and because of this theme in mind; I ventured to the local hang-out in Hsimenting, Taipei, to witness this scene.

As I arrived in Hsimenting Square, I toured John (a Filipino tourist) around and asked him what he thinks of the movies here. He was very surprised to see that the movies are as recent as those of the Philippines’ like Black Swan, 127 hours, Unknown, among other recent movies in Manila are now showing.

The funny thing is the Mandarin titles which strike out despite the familiar movie posters we see in Trinoma or SM North Edsa. One poster that he remarked on was Black Swan. The 3 characters that are in bold typeface is the title of the movie. The 1st character pronounced “Hay” means black. The 2nd character is pronounced “Tien” which means sky. The 3rd character says “Er” which means goose.

At first, it struck him as strange because it is translated as Black Sky Goose. I explained to John that “Tien” and “Er” collectively means “swan” and he laughed and said he preferred the funnier version. He asked where Natalie Portman’s name was and

I explained that in Taiwan, movie event organizers do not translate English names of actors into Mandarin but instead use homophones that sound very close to the English pronunciation of their names. Natalie Portman’s name has 5 syllables and for this, 5 Chinese characters are used. The 1st character is pronounced “Na” which is very close to the English counterpart. The 2nd character is pronounced “Ta” and again sounds very close. The 3rd is pronounced “Li”. However, not all Mandarin sounds can be fine-tuned to sound English which is evident in the 4th character. It is pronounced “Po” instead of the usual English sound of Port. The last character does justice to the whole name because it ends with “Man”. And there you go! “Natali Poman”.

Another movie that is playing is 127 hours. Just to briefly compare the Mandarin translation, the white boldface type that stands out is the title of the movie. 127 “Siaw” meaning “Small” and “Sh-r” meaning “Moment”. Not all words can be translated from the Mandarin to possess the whole meaning or context of English. In Mandarin, “Hour” means “Small Moment”. Sometimes, it is bizarre to think that an hour could only equate to a small moment. 2 hours is 2 small moments, 3 hours is 3 small moments. 127 hours is 127 small moments and sounds really absurd....lol.

The Rite is an example of how Mandarin titles are sometimes not directly translated but given a new meaning. The 5 characters depicting the title of the movie means “The Modern Exorcist” which is not a direct translation of “The Rite” but has a more inviting explanation to what the movie is about. Somehow, the word “Modern” is very intriguing and might make viewers become drawn to it. How many movies has there been with the theme of exorcism? Dozens! And somehow, sometimes, movie event organizers in Taiwan play with words to bring a new meaning to an old theme. No wonder the movie industry keeps coming up with different strategies to keep the movie business flourishing here.

Just awhile ago, I was handed a brochure which is promoting 127 hours. A postercard-sized paraphernalia which captures the movie in a nutshell and asks what I would do if I were in a situation like that trapped for 127 hours. No comment. As I arrived at the cinema belt which is aptly named so because of the line-up of cinemas offering all sorts of “now showing” movies in the Hsimenting district. I was suddenly nostalgic because I used to be a movie fan when I was a Taipei resident one year ago. We (as I identify with the Taiwanese) love the movies and it is a very weekend thing.

The cinemas are of the topmost calibre in regards to sound dynamics and image quality, the same standards with that of IMAX of SM North Edsa or Trinoma. It has always been a great movie experience and I miss those times. With added work and school in U.P. I had forgotten about my lifestyle here in Taipei and I am reminiscing on them once more, tonight.

I quickly joined the crowd to get in line for what is now showing to purchase a ticket. With very expensive yet generally-accepted ticket prices of 230 NTD (New Taiwan dollars) per person equivalent to 364 Pesos, our choice had to narrow down to what REALLY to watch. And so we chose (John and I) 127 Small Moments. Lights are now dimmed, cellphone off, popcorn ready, time for the show!