臺灣文學虛擬博物館

After cinema rose to popularity in the 20th century, it became an indispensable medium of mass communication and entertainment. Literature, as both a classical craft and a vessel of memory, intertwined with film, reflecting and reshaping one another to open new perspectives and artistic viewpoints for contemporary society.

The invention of cinema and its trend first arrived in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era. After the war, local filmmakers began telling stories in native languages, ushering in a golden age of Taiwanese-language cinema. In the 1960s, Chiung Yao’s kingdom of romantic love took root, while “Three-Hall Films” became widely popular. The 1970s witnessed a boom in martial arts adaptations, as Taiwan’s film industry competed vigorously with Hong Kong across the strait. In the 1980s, the Taiwanese New Cinema movement emerged, pioneering fresh forms and languages of cinema. Literary works such as Chu Tien-wen’s Growing Up, Huang Chun-ming’s His Son's Big Doll, Pai Hsien-yung’s Jade Love, and Liao Hui-ying’s Rapeseed all found their way to the screen. Stories of youth and female coming-of-age in particular continue to resonate in contemporary productions such as Back to the Good Times, The Making of an Ordinary Woman, and The Magician on the Skywalk.

Early literary adaptations for film and television largely adhered faithfully to the source texts. But with advances in technology and the arrival of international streaming platforms, adaptations entered a new chapter. Contemporary works not only subvert traditional forms and styles of adaptation, but also excavate intellectual property from the fertile ground of Taiwan literature. They infuse the original spirit with bold creativity, while preserving local cultural features and staying close to everyday life - key elements in attracting audiences and expanding into international markets.

In today’s flourishing streaming era, what is the trajectory of Taiwan literature as adapted for film and television? What transformations and defining features can we observe? Let us trace, across different historical stages, the rise of literary adaptations, their shifting imagery, and the sparks ignited where the two art forms intersect.

[The Flourishing Scene of Contemporary Literature Adaptations]

In recent years, numerous acclaimed television adaptations of contemporary literature have continued to appear, with nearly every production generating popular discussion and prompting reflection on related social issues.

Hou Wen-yong The Hospital (1999) → adapted into the drama of the same name (2006)
Yang Fu-min A Boy Named Flora A (2010) → adapted into Back to the Good Times (2018)
Liao Yun-pan memoir (Writing Whatever Comes to Mind) (2017) → adapted into Gold Leaf (2021)
Goose Chiang The Making Of An Ordinary Woman (2016) → adapted into the drama of the same name (2019)
Wu Ming-yi The Magician on the Skywalk (2011) → adapted into the drama of the same name (2021)
Chen Yao-chang Lady the Butterfly (2016) → adapted into Seqalu: Formosa 1867 (2021)
Cheng Hui-wen (The Fourth Victim) (2015) → adapted into The Victims’ Game (2020)
Tang Fu-jui Port of Lies (2021) → adapted into the drama of the same name (2023)