Taiwan New Cinema films primarily showcase a realistic style with their depictions of subject matter close to the social reality, offering a retrospective look into the lives of the common people.
[17][18] In the 1970s, under the leadership of Chiang Ching-kuo, who was serving as the Premier of the Executive Yuan at the time, Taiwan embarked on the Ten Major Construction Projects to accelerate economic development.
[21] In June 1978, Ming Ji, the president of Central Motion Picture Corporation, revisited film production trends and guidelines and set goals to "strengthen policy propaganda and promote cooperation with both domestic and overseas filmmakers.
"[22] In 1980, the Government Information Office of the Executive Yuan put in efforts to enhance the artistic and international dimensions of Taiwanese films.
Establishing new forms of cinematic style and language, it also began to cast non-celebrity or non-professional actors and to adopt a more natural and realistic filmmaking approach.
[25][26][27] In 1982, three new-generation directors—Edward Yang, Ko I-chen, and Chang Yi—joined the Central Motion Picture Corporation and proposed a collaborative project of low-budget films.
[29] This film marked the beginning of analyzing real social phenomena and caring about the realities of everyday life as well as the restoration of collective memory.
Ultimately, as the film managed to escape censorship and kept its creative concept intact, The Sandwich Man established the theme and direction for the Taiwan New Cinema.
[43][44] On November 6, 1986, Edward Yang delivered a speech entitled the "Taiwan Film Manifesto of the 76th Year of the Republic of China" at his 40th birthday party in his home in Taipei.
[45] On January 24, 1987, the manifesto was published in the Literary Supplement of the China Times, as well as in Wenxing Monthly and the Hong Kong magazine Film Biweekly.
[46][47][48][49] On July 15, 1987, the Nationalist government announced the lifting of the 38-year-long martial law and allowed its people to visit their families in the mainland, leading to a gradual easing of political relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
In conjunction with the lifting of governmental restrictions on political party formation and press freedom, the overall atmosphere in society was no longer as serious as before.
[56] The film depicts the prominent Lin family in the Jiufen area as they navigate through the periods of the Japanese rule, the end of World War II, the 228 Incident, and the White Terror, providing a nuanced reflection of Taiwan's modern history and garnering much praise.
[57] From then on, Taiwanese cinema achieved full artistic freedom in its choice of subjects and officially entered an era of diversity, free from ideological constraints.