In memory of Yang Dechang -- A prophet not welcome by his country

Originally in Chinese by Liang Wendao (cultural critic in Hong Kong)

The day after Yang Dechang passed away, I browsed idly everything about him on internet. I found that most comments and reports from Taiwan unanimously talked about his marriage with Cai Qin. Some titles are provocative such as "Cai Qin: Why did you leave in such a hurry?" and "The marriage without sex between Yang and Cai". Some frankly said, "Yang is a dandy. Internet community equivocates". Even some big newspapers talked about his love affairs in their immediate reports. From them, you almost forget that he is the first Taiwanese artist winning the Award of "the Best Director" of the Cannes Film Festival. Instead, he is just portrayed as a playboy.

I have known Yang for ten years. In the year of 97, the Hong Kong Contemporary Cultural Centre organized a theater series of "China journey". All drama was set with one desk and two chairs. It invited several directors from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to produce a short drama. No one thought that Yang's "Brother Nine and seven" was the most "dramatic" in this series. It is dialogue between two gangsters. His script and mise en scene are as accurate and perfect as his films.

Yong Nianzheng, chief organizer of this event, was very busy at that time. He asked me to rehearse his own work "This is a chair". As a managing director I had the opportunity to chat with Yang every day. Although Yang's works are characteristic of alienation and ruthlessness, his personality is rather amiable. He did not talk much but he showed his passion when a topic interested him. I remember that one time when we talked about Haruki Murakami and Wong Kar-Wai in subway, we forgot to get off the train after we passed a couple of stations.

I was still very young, impetuous and rebellious at that time. Probably he was particularly tolerant and friendly to a young man like me. Once when we visited his home, several grown-ups took soft drink but I wanted alcohol. Then he put down his tea cup. He took out some cans of beer and said, "Okay. I drink beer with you. Buddy, cheers!" I still deeply remember his smile, holding his beer and wrinkling his eyes. When I read the recent news about him, I think of his smile and I feel extremely sad.

Now when you walk into a DVD rental shop in Taipei, you find difficult to get his complete work. Even in some large DVD shops, it is also not that easy. Some internet users left messages like this: "Just an old man born in the 50s and 60s. What a big deal?" More comments are like it: "His work is too boring. I could not understand."

Most Taiwanese do not admire Yang. Neither does Yang like Taiwan. His last work "Yi Yi", the best according to many fans, was screened only once in a special occasion in Taiwan. It has never been distributed in Taiwan. Not even a DVD copy. The reason is that Yang did not want to. He disliked Taiwan's film industry. He was dissatisfied with government's indifference to movies. So did he hate the so-called "entertainment" circle.

In the early phase of Taiwan New Cinema Movement, there are two figures: Yang Dechang and Hou Xiaoxian. The audience was divided into the camps of pro-Yang and Pro-Hou. Those loved Hou said that Yang's work was too cool without Hou's humanitarianism and embrace of the native soil. The pro-Yang appreciated his work showing the ruthlessness and alienation of modern city life. Looking back upon these comments, I find this distinction too rough. Hou's movies should be summarized as "native soil". Neither should Yang's be simply about ruthlessness and alienation.

But Yang definitely felt distance to Taiwanese-style "native soil". Many years ago, he introduced me to read a thesis about the origins of Nazi's anti-Jewish consciousness. The author traced it back to Nazi's "complex of native soil" and pointed out that they were obsessed with the motherland and romanticized picture of countryside. They argued that the native soil represents people's roots, honesty and tradition worthy of people's devotion and even sacrifices. On the contrary, those Jews residing in cities were seen as rootless, diasporic, cunning and elusive others.

At that time the complex of native soil in Taiwanese culture was integrated into political rhetorics. We witness more and more Taiwanese localistic discourses coming out. Taiwanese food is seen as the best. Taiwanese art is viewed as the most delicate. Even in the field of philosophy, some advocated the notion of "Taiwanese philosophy". Finally Taiwan reached the stage that whoever dislikes Taiwanese localism, denies the pure essence of Taiwanese native soil, and affirms the hybridity of Taipei city would be condemned as "not loving Taiwan". Whoever dares not to love Taiwan would be the public enemy of the people. Some years ago, Lian Zhan, former chair of the KMT knelt down to kiss the land publicly. It seems that this is the only way to prove that KMT is not a "foreign regime" and he really loves Taiwan.

When the love for Taiwan is so excessive, "love" itself becomes questionable and nihilistic. Within several years, Taiwan becomes a heaven full of love and sentiment. All politicians, like the characters of Qiong Yao's novel (Qiong is a famous novelist of popular romance), keep bubbling with love. They act so passionately and burst into tears in public. When you open the package of CD thick like a book, you read a lot of personal stories of the singer's each song. In order to show their authenticity, they have to write down their touching emotions. The popularity of gossip proves to be an over-emotional custom of rural village-like parochialism. No one cares about Yang's camera movement. All know that he abandoned Cai Qin. Yang is too frank about it. In Majiang, he reveals everything. He told the so-called love is only a calculation. The utilitarianism and ruthlessness of city have swallowed up the beauty of native soil people always talk about.

The more rough and direct the structure of feeling of Taiwanese culture, the more obscure and sad his films are. I believe he extremely hated the industrial pattern of Taiwanese film industry. Every time when a film is released, it is necessary to make up some scandals about the male and female protagonists? Does the director have to be interviewed by those stupid TV channels? Do they have to frequently address "Brother Hu" and "Brother Wu" (two famous TV show host) and play some humiliating games with Hu and Wu?

He had thought that abandoning film and joining the comic industry is a way out. Comic books is somehow a handicraft industry. This is his interest since his childhood (he has a collection of Tezuka Osamu). However, Taiwanese could not accept Yang's style of comic.

Except insiders of film industry, most audience does not like Yang. Hou Xiaoxian's films are also not good in box office. But for some stereotypes, most feel that Hou is "the director of we Taiwanese". And in Yang's eyes, Taiwan seems never be beautified. He was always critical of everything about Taiwan. A Taiwanese not loving Taiwan is not a real Taiwanese.

Didn't Yang love Taiwan? In "A Brighter Summer Day", Xiao Maowang (the petty Elvis Presley or "Hillbilly Cat") visited Xiaosi and left a recording tape. In it, there was their favourite song of Elvis Presley, "A Brighter Summer Day". Xiao Maowang told Xiaosi that Elvis Presley wrote back to them and said, "He is so happy to know that some people in an unknown island love his songs". Withou a deep feeling and emotion, Yang wrote down such a heavy and absurd sentence! The most despairing moment is that Xiaosi neither knew Xiao Maowang's visit nor the existence of this tape. The jailers did not allow Xiao Maowang to visit him and threw away the tape into rubbish bin.