Hidden in the details
Huang sought out Hou and suggested changing up the magazines. He wanted county government publications that would “make people’s eyes light up.” Huang says, “I bore with [the old ways] for a long time, [but] a magazine should spark interest and make people want to read it.”
They called it a revamp, but it was really a brand new publication. Amazing cut its print run from 80,000 copies per issue to just 40,000 while simultaneously launching an online edition. Huang also relocated the distribution of free copies to bookstore cafes, barber shops, clinics, and breakfast and lunch shops, seeking to catch the eye of greater numbers of county residents by putting the magazines in places where people spend time. “Customers in hair salons used to read fashion magazines while getting their hair done. Now they read Amazing,” says Huang.
Hou was recently diagnosed with lupus and began chemotherapy. Though ill, she continues to work hard and remains committed to getting all the little things right. As a case in point, she recently had her staff spend three extra days fixing a layout because she thought the original version wasn’t on point. Similarly, during the production of the first issue of Amazing, she visited Eske Place Coffee House three times to ensure she had gotten the perfect picture of a barista at work.
Commenting on the quality of county magazines, Pan Men-an says, “I’ve worked for years to build Pingtung’s brand, and the key to doing that is content.” Notably, that content doesn’t include his picture, which he keeps out of county publications.
Benshi
The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), which began publishing Benshi in January 2018, is often asked about the publication’s connection to the center. Why doesn’t the magazine promote the center and the performing arts?
Benshi has yet to introduce a performance at the center, instead writing about superstitions, April Fools’ Day, extraterrestrials, and other outside-the-box topics. It even uses different paper for the cover of each edition.
Chien Wen-pin, the center’s artistic and executive director, explains how the magazine got its name: “The reason why the arts move people is that artists are dedicated to their craft and make it the best it can be; that’s what makes a good performance. Wonderful performances grow out of the performers’ demands of themselves and their perseverance both on- and offstage, the years they’ve spent acquiring their skills [“benshi”]. Benshi is a magazine that highlights people and things that have undergone this honing process.”
Amazing Pingtung’s detail-oriented editor-in-chief Hou Cian Jyuan tweaks each issue of the magazine right up to the moment it goes to press.