While waiting for HongKong TVB new series -Beyond the Realm of Conscience 宮心計 to be released (it will be releasing on 19th of Oct), I was searching for other series produced by HongKong and Taiwan. What i wanted is a short series with interesting storyline. A 20-episode series is just nice for me as it occupies 20 series-free days of mine before the release of Beyond the Realm of Conscience. And finally, i found it - 'Crystal Boys 孽子' a Taiwan series .
How does this series caught my attention? 1stly, it was a well-known series in Taiwan in the year of 2003 as it won The Best Series, The Best Actress, The Best Lighting, The Best Background Music and so on and so forth in Taiwan's Golden Bell Award 2003. 2ndly, it elaborated deeply on father-son relationship and homosexual issues. 3rdly, there're only 20 episodes.
Well, before i go into the interesting part of this series, i should touch a bit on the related novel. This series was based on a novel called 孽子Crystal Boys which is written by Pai Hsien Yung 白先勇 and first published in 1983 in Taiwan. In 1988, this novel went into circulation in China; its French and English translations were published in 1985 and 1989. Nowadays, you still can find this novel in any bookstore if you are interested. 孽子means literally "sinful sons" or "sons of sin", but it may also be an allusion to a passage in Mencius in which "friendless officials and concubine's sons" (孤臣孽子) reach positions of power because they have learned to live with a dangerous status. A movie called ‘Outcasts’ based on this novel was released in 1986 and it had gained great attention from the public.
Uhh....finally done with the history part. Now, let's talk about the storyline. The story takes place in Taipei in the 1960s and follows a short period in the life of a young man called Li Qing.
When Li Qing is expelled from his school because of "scandalous relations" with his good friend Zhao Ying in school's laboratory, his father kicks him out of the family home on the same day as his lovely younger brother Di Wa passed away. Li Qing begins to hang out at a park called New Park, a gay cruising area and hangout for gay men, where he meets the novel's other primary characters......I just watched the 1st three episodes and it really touched my heart, especially the parts which elaborating the interactions between him and his father. The way he talks to his father, the way his father shows his concern to him... It was so real until i felt that it was telling my own story.
As a whole, the story focuses on Li Qing's struggle between himself, his family and a society where homosexuality is taboo. It is not a MUST to watch this series yet there's no harm to give yourself a chance to explore the internal thoughts of the main character-Li Qing as he is a contracted reflection of many people in the society, if and only if you are not homophobia. LOL
How does this series caught my attention? 1stly, it was a well-known series in Taiwan in the year of 2003 as it won The Best Series, The Best Actress, The Best Lighting, The Best Background Music and so on and so forth in Taiwan's Golden Bell Award 2003. 2ndly, it elaborated deeply on father-son relationship and homosexual issues. 3rdly, there're only 20 episodes.
Well, before i go into the interesting part of this series, i should touch a bit on the related novel. This series was based on a novel called 孽子Crystal Boys which is written by Pai Hsien Yung 白先勇 and first published in 1983 in Taiwan. In 1988, this novel went into circulation in China; its French and English translations were published in 1985 and 1989. Nowadays, you still can find this novel in any bookstore if you are interested. 孽子means literally "sinful sons" or "sons of sin", but it may also be an allusion to a passage in Mencius in which "friendless officials and concubine's sons" (孤臣孽子) reach positions of power because they have learned to live with a dangerous status. A movie called ‘Outcasts’ based on this novel was released in 1986 and it had gained great attention from the public.
Uhh....finally done with the history part. Now, let's talk about the storyline. The story takes place in Taipei in the 1960s and follows a short period in the life of a young man called Li Qing.
When Li Qing is expelled from his school because of "scandalous relations" with his good friend Zhao Ying in school's laboratory, his father kicks him out of the family home on the same day as his lovely younger brother Di Wa passed away. Li Qing begins to hang out at a park called New Park, a gay cruising area and hangout for gay men, where he meets the novel's other primary characters......I just watched the 1st three episodes and it really touched my heart, especially the parts which elaborating the interactions between him and his father. The way he talks to his father, the way his father shows his concern to him... It was so real until i felt that it was telling my own story.
As a whole, the story focuses on Li Qing's struggle between himself, his family and a society where homosexuality is taboo. It is not a MUST to watch this series yet there's no harm to give yourself a chance to explore the internal thoughts of the main character-Li Qing as he is a contracted reflection of many people in the society, if and only if you are not homophobia. LOL
白先勇先生：[在《孽子》中，我主要寫父子關係，而父子又擴大為：父代表中國社會的一種態度，一種價值，對待下一輩、對待同性戀子女的態度——父子間的衝突，實際是個人與社會的衝突.]
Cover of the novel - Crystal Boys
Poster of this series....
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