A life-changing study tour

In the 1960s, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission of the Republic of China (now the Overseas Community Affairs Council) began to organize a summer program for ethnic Chinese youngsters abroad, encouraging them to come to Taiwan and immerse themselves in Chinese culture and the Chinese language, as well as experiencing local ways of life in different places around the island. The six-week program is known to have fostered romantic relationships between many young people, hence its nickname “Love Boat.”

Abigail Hing Wen, the author of Loveboat, Taipei, grew up in Ohio. Unlike California, Ohio didn’t have many ethnic Chinese immigrants. Wen rarely came across children who looked like her. She remained unaware of the Taiwanese study tour until the organ­izer contacted ethnic Chinese US Presidential Scholars to offer them free places. Still a senior high school student when she became a Presidential Scholar, Wen decided to go for it. The fabulous experience was to put down roots in her creative mind.

Field trips

Wen’s father is a Chinese-Indonesian, her mother a Chinese-Filipina. She had traveled to Taiwan with her parents when she was 12, but it wasn’t until her first summer vacation as an undergraduate that she set foot on this island again. She made friends with many fellow Love Boaters, and it was through this network that she eventually met her future husband, Andy Wen, who had attended the program some years earlier.

To write her novel, Wen interviewed many former Love Boaters. For example, the episode that describes drinking snake blood at the Huaxi Night Market is based on her husband’s experience. She even made a special trip to Taiwan to gather materials. Revisiting the Chientan Youth Activity Center, where she and her fellow attendees had stayed, she recalled sneaking out with her friends to explore Taipei City’s nightlife.

In Wen’s book, Everett “Ever” Wong, the female protagonist, roams the city with her friend Sophie. They capture fleeting views of cochin ceramics on temples and Chinese characters on shop signs. Those colorful designs are etched on Ever’s mind. Wen herself is an admirer of Eastern art and architecture. While carrying out research for her novel, she visited the Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum in Taipei City’s Zhongshan District and posted photos on Instagram, suggesting that this is where Ever and Rick kissed. In addition to architecture, night markets and Taiwanese treats such as moon cakes, fruits, and bubble tea also feature in the novel, tickling our taste buds.

Wen’s Loveboat Reunion is a sequel to Loveboat, Taipei. To flesh out her characters, Wen came to Taiwan again and took a round-­the-­island tour. Her protagonist, Xavier, is the child of a Taiwanese business dynasty. In order to paint a fuller picture of his family background, Wen visited Xiangshan and Yangmingshan to look for a suitable location for the graves of ­Xavier’s grandparents.

Offering a dazzling array of snacks, Taiwan’s night markets attract many foreign tourists. (MOFA file photo)

 

People of Chinese heritage enjoy moon cakes with their families during the Mid-Autumn Festival. (photo by Chin Hung-hao)

One of Taipei City’s designated heritage sites, Dadaocheng’s Cisheng Temple used to be a religious center for immigrants from Tong’an in China. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan) 

Asian diversity

Three years in the making, Loveboat, Taipei includes Asians working in as many as 26 different fields. Wen aims to present the diversity of ethnic Chinese people and thus to break Hollywood stereotypes. She also hopes the novel will encourage her readers to reflect on Chinese-American identities, as well as learning to cherish their families and friends even while they pursue their own dreams.

Starring Ross Butler, Ashley Liao, Nico Hiraga, and Chelsea Zhang, the film version of Loveboat, Taipei is directed by Arvin Chen and co-produced by Peter Bien. Having spent many years in the US and Canada respectively, both Chen and Bien can relate personally to the quest for cultural belonging in the story.

Peter Bien himself attended a study tour in Taiwan when he was an undergraduate, although it wasn’t Love Boat. He has vivid memories of getting to know many of Taiwan’s outstanding businesses during the tour. One of these was Ritek: offering services across the world, it started out as an optical disc maker but has latterly diversified into green energy and micro-­manufacturing. Bien jokes that the tour “was like an EMBA version of Love Boat.”

When Bien subsequently returned to Taiwan with his wife, who comes from Changhua, he found that there were also many excellent manufacturers in Central and Southern Taiwan. “I used to observe other countries’ strengths when I lived abroad, but since I came back to Taiwan, I’ve been learning about this place I call home, gaining a lot of inspiration from it.” Bien, who has been collaborating with American filmmakers for several years, hopes to bring more opportunities to Taiwan and help the island become part of the global film industry.

The Grand Hotel is the first five-star hotel in Taiwan. The Keelung River flows in front of it, while Mt. Jiantan sits behind it. (MOFA file photo)

Cultural exchanges

Arvin Chen says he was surprised when he learned that an American film company wanted to take on an Asian story, but he welcomed the idea. The Taiwanese crew seized the opportunity to show the American company their skills and dedication. However, whereas Taiwan’s film culture centers on directors, it is producers that play a central role in America. In addition, as the story wasn’t Chen’s own, he found himself having to spend more time discussing the filming process with the producers. 

Take location shooting for example. Having made Au Revoir Taipei, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?, and the recently released Mama Boy—all of which were filmed in Taipei—Chen is familiar with the city. While filming Loveboat, Taipei, he would say this to the American co-producers whenever their approaches differed: “We can get a different feel if we film Taipei from this angle.” And then after some discussion they would reach a consensus.

The film was shot during the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though there were many limitations, the crew demonstrated their ability to adapt. For example, while the actors were in quarantine, the crew delivered costumes to their hotel. The actors were then able to join a video meeting to decide on the costumes, thus ensuring there was no delay in filming. As anti-Covid rules required them to minimize social contact, the crew even constructed a full-scale set for the night market episode.

“This wasn’t just because of Covid. We wanted to create a sense of flamboyance and romance in Loveboat, Taipei, so the colors of each scene had to be planned,” Chen says. Bien adds that the film presents new perspectives on Taipei, breathing a romantic atmo­sphere into familiar streetscapes.

Speaking of international collaboration, Chen remarks that Taiwanese film workers learn very fast. Bien says that Taiwan is very diverse, and that foreign filmmakers may even want to shoot non-­Taiwanese stories in Taiwan, whose forests and cities promise attractive settings. Through films, Chen and Bien hope more and more people across the world will get to appreciate Taiwan’s diversity. 

Abigail Hing Wen (right) toured Taipei with actors Ross Butler (left), Ashley Liao (center), and Chelsea Zhang (second right).

Director Arvin Chen (second right) presents fresh perspectives on Taipei in the film version of Loveboat, Taipei. (courtesy of 1 Production Film Co.)

Loveboat, Taipei was filmed in Taiwan. This photo shows the kickoff ceremony. 

(courtesy of 1 Production Film Co.)