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March of Happiness


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Date:1999
Director: Cheng-sheng Lin
Screenwriter: Ko Su-ching, Yeh Chin-sheng
Featured Country: Taiwan
Running Time: 93
Format: Color
Original Language: Mandarin, Japanese, Shanghainese, Taiwanese
Event: World War II in Asia


Set between the end of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1945 and the massacre of Taiwanese natives by Nationalist Chinese forces on February 28, 1947, this film follows two lovers as they attempt to build a life together. A-Yu (Hsiao Hsu-shen) is a budding actress who loves singing and dancing. She meets a kindred spirit in A-Jin (Lim Giong), a musician who has recently returned from studying guitar in Japan. They hit it off, but are separated when the Allied forces begin bombing Taiwan, and must rely on letters to continue their relationship.

After they return to their homes, however, A-Yu's father, a fish-ball merchant, arranges her marriage to Ren-Chang, the son of a prominent doctor. The lovers plan an elopement for February 28, 1947, the same day her father has planned for the marriage to Ren-Chang. This is the infamous date in which Chinese Nationalist troops, fleeing the Communist forces, massacred thousands of native Taiwanese, and the lovers' fates will be tied to the coming tragedy.

Credits: Photo: The Museum of Modern Art / Film Stills Archive