Taiwan Docs

Kingmeng is only 2 kilometers away from Shahmeng, with the Taiwan Strait in between. From one side of the strait, what’s happening on the other side comes into view clearly. Yet for May-yu Hung, a native of Shahmeng, who is married to a native of Kingmeng, the distance is more than 2000 meters. It takes Hung two whole days to make a trip from Shahmeng, via Hong Kong and Taiwan, to Kingmeng, where she lives with her husband and parents-in-law. Then Hung realized that her hometown is right across the strait. It is so close, yet so far because of the political conflicts between Taiwan and China. The strait becomes a gap that cannot be bridged. When Hung stays with her husband, she would go to the shore to look at her hometown everyday. On the other hand, until she becomes a Taiwanese citizen, Hung cannot stay with her husband as long as she wants to. She can stay in Kingmeng for only three months every year, or at most six months if extending the visa. When her visa expires, Hung has to return to Shahmeng in Mainland China. Back in Shahmeng, she would then look at her husband’s home across the strait. It will take ten years to before the Taiwanese government would grand Hung citizenship, which means during these ten years, Hung must move back and forth between her two homes. Political force such a nomadic life upon brides from Shahmeng like Hung. They can do nothing but stand on the shore, always looking at the other home beyond their reach.

source: Taiwan International Documentary Festival