Screening Courtesy of Taipei Film Archive

A young Chang'an (now Xi'an) nobleman meets a young street -wise man by chance. Feeling that they should live their youths to the fullest, the pair sets off on a journey to fulfill all of their desires. On the road, they both fall madly in love for a mysterious woman (Pat Ha) they meet along the way. Meanwhile, two Japanese monks traveling to Chang'an encounters a series of odd events that will test their principles and their beliefs. Featuring scenes of orgies, violence, necrophilia and other taboo topics, Chiu Kang-chien's period drama about spirituality and desire would be considered daring even today. However, despite the film's experimental nature (obvious in Chang Chao-tang's cinematography) and seemingly audacious attitude towards its themes, the film's conclusion actually solidifies the traditional values that lead to antiquated gender attitudes.

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.