Hou Hsiao-hsien whispers you through 5,000 years of obsession—every brushstroke is a flex.
The essence of progress in civilization has always been handiwork. In traditional Chinese civilization, the emperor was supreme. Vested with the authority to enjoy the best of handiwork, all crafts used for residence, clothing, food, and travel were the most refined and splendid.
Direction
Hou's camera lingers like it's afraid to blink.
Cinematography
Every frame could hang in the palace it documents.
Director
Hou Hsiao-hsien
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Commissioned by Taiwan's National Palace Museum, this was Hou's first documentary—essentially propaganda for objects the KMT spirited away from mainland China in 1949.
Hou reportedly shot 70 hours of footage for 55 minutes, treating museum pieces like actors in his typical long-take style. The crafts become characters; the humans stay ghosts.
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