''Night Market Hero'' () is a 2011 Taiwanese film. The plot focuses on the life of food vendors in Taiwan's night markets. It was performed by

Lan Cheng-lung Lan Cheng-lung (, born March 1, 1979) is a Taiwanese actor and film director. He was born in Yilan, Taiwan. Career Lan made his acting debut in 2001 and gained attention for one of his first roles, a small cameo as Ya-men, Dao Ming Si's olde ...

Ko Chia-yen Ko Chia-yen (; born 10 January 1985), also known as Alice Ko, is a Taiwanese actress. Career Ko's debut acting role was in the 2006 film ''Do Over'', by award-winning director Cheng Yu-chieh. Subsequently, she had starring roles in the film ...

, and

Chu Ke-liang Hsieh Hsin-ta (6 December 194615 May 2017), professionally known as Chu Ke-liang () was a Taiwanese comedian, actor, television show host and singer. He was known for his "over-the-top appearance" with unusual clothing and hair styles and his ...

. It won “best film” at The Guam International Film Festival in 2011.

Plot

The 888 Night Market, is a place filled with an atmosphere of warmth and joy every day. A-hua is the night market's managing director and, responsible for mediating night market disputes to protect the interests of the vendors. One night, Lin Yi-nan, a female reporter, was riding her motorcycle and collided with Hsiao-chi near the night market. When A-hua met Lin Yi-nan, his heart unconsciously opened. However, since their meeting, Lin Yi-nan's life fell into chaos – at work, she was severely criticized by her supervisor; her boyfriend broke up with her; and she was sentenced to community service at 888 Night Market as a punishment for destroying an electric circuit. The friendliness of A-hua and the vendors gradually dispelled the loneliness that Lin Yi-nan felt in a foreign place, and their relationship was no longer tense. Later, a construction company purchased the land where 888 Night Market was located, bribed legislator Chang Chin-liang, and threatened to close the market. The vendors’ livelihoods were at risk. What was worse, the construction company also employed gangsters to damage the night market. To protect the night market, A-hua led the vendors to protest and work with media to reveal the stories of their hardships and dreams. In the end, the night market was preserved.

Casting

as Chen Yi-hua, nicknamed, A-hua, managing director of 888 Night Market ** as young A-hua *

as Lin Yi-nan, a reporter ** Chu Ching-yu as young Lin Yi-nan * as Wang Kuo-ping, nicknamed Siba Wang (Eighteen King), sausage vendor * as King Ai-chu, nicknamed A-chu * as Chiu Man-mei, elder sister of Hsiao-chi *

Emerson Tsai Emerson Tsai (; born 2 August 1988) is a Taiwanese actor, television host and singer. He appeared on the third season of singing competition television series '' Super Idol'' in 2009, and came in eighth place. In 2010, Tsai made his acting debu ...

as Hsiao-chi (Little Seven) *

Esther Liu Esther Liu (born 8 August 1988) is a Taiwanese actress, singer and television host. Liu began her career at the age of 14 as part of the girl group Sweety with Joanne Tseng. In 2003, Liu made her acting debut in the television series ''West ...

as Lin Mei-hsiang, vendor of

cosmeceutical Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with bioactive ingredients purported to have medical benefits. In America, there are no legal requirements to prove that these products live up to their claims. The name is a portmanteau of "cosmetics" and " ...

s * Wu Tsui-o as Chen Wang-ju, A-hua's grandmother * as Auntie, provides threading services, mother of Lin Yi-nan *

Fan Kuang-yao Fan Kuang-yao (born 3 May 1975) is a Taiwanese actor and xiangsheng performer. He has been nominated for three Golden Bell Awards and won once in 2005. Selected filmography *''Lust, Caution'' (2007) *''Night Market Hero'' (2011) *''Amour et Pâ ...

as Luo Shang-te, legislative assistant to Chang Chin-liang *

Ying Wei-min Ying Wei-min (; born 24 October 1970) is a Taiwanese actor and singer. He is the lead singer of an indie nakasi rock band, , which he founded in 1995. The band began with an emphasis on noise music, and shifted in style throughout the years. On st ...

as Hong Kuei (Red Turtle), a gangster * and

Bamboo Chen Bamboo Chen Chu-sheng (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tek-seng; born 6 August 1975) is a Taiwanese actor, acting coach and producer. He is best known for his roles in '' Zone Pro Site'', ''The Great Buddha + ''The Great Buddha+'' is a 2017 Taiwanese d ...

as construction workers * Hao Shao-ting as Fatty, the son of A-chu * Wu Kuo-chou as A-chu's assistant *

as Chang Chin-liang, a legislator * Cheng Chih-hung as a legislator

Reception

''Night Market Hero'' is the feature directorial debut film of Yeh Tien-lun. The film drew attention for its use of

Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hokkien () (; Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-uân-uē''), also known as Taigi/Taigu (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú''), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by about 70% ...

, and was compared to ''

Cinema Paradiso ''Cinema Paradiso'' ( it, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, , literally "New Paradise Cinema") is a 1988 coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Set in a small Sicilian town, the film centers on the friendship between a young b ...

'' and the work of

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

. The release of the Taiwanese film ''Night Market Hero'' in mainland China marked a watershed moment in Taiwan's film industry. ''Night Market Hero'' is the first Taiwanese film to be shown in mainland China since the

Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) is a free trade agreement (FTA) between the governments of the People's Republic of China (mainland China, PRC, commonly "China") and the Republic of China (ROC, commonly "Taiwan"), that aims ...

was signed on June 29, 2010. It grossed NT$140 million (US$4.9 million) at Taiwan box offices in 2011.

References

External links

《Night Market Hero》Official Blog
*{{facebook, NightMarketHero, 《Night Market Hero》
《Night Market Hero》Movie Website
2011 films Chinese drama films Taiwanese drama films 2011 directorial debut films