Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Hou Hsiao-hsien" in English language version.
HOU HIMSELF CAME to be thought of as "quintessentially Taiwanese" within international evaluations of Sinophone film because of City of Sadness being the first film to criticize the KMT on the basis of the White Terror. But, actually, Hou's political reviews are actually more reflective of his affiliation to the pro-unification Left...It would be mistaken to see Hou as a quintessentially Taiwanese filmmaker, as much Anglophone scholarship continues to do so. However, neither does it do to attempt to crucify Hou solely on the issue of his political identification with China.
"The Assassin" is set in a potentially rebellious province of the Chinese empire, and it's made by a noted Taiwanese filmmaker. Are there any parallels intended to the political situation between mainland China and Taiwan? [Hou]: I don't think there are any political elements you can read into it. The story takes place a long time ago, and I first read the story when I was much younger, in my college days. I was born in mainland China, so to me I will always be Chinese, no matter where I am.
