A guide to a different city
In the drama series, A Taiwanese Tale Of Two Cities, actor James Wen Sheng-hao plays a Taipei grocery store owner who introduces the city to a newcomer.
JAMES Wen Sheng Hao makes a comeback to the Taiwanese TV scene after five years away from the republic’s spotlight to pursue a career in China. His latest series is A Taiwanese Tale Of Two Cities.
In the Netflix original production, two young women decide to switch apartments and lives in their respective cities of Taipei and San Francisco after feeling they have been stuck in a rut for years.
One of them is Nien-nien (played by Tammy Chen), a Taipei native who practises traditional Chinese medicine. The other is Josephine (played by Peggy Tseng), a Taiwanese-American who is bored with her computer programming job in San Francisco.
As for Wen (The Fierce Wife, 2010), he plays a Taipei grocery store owner who ends up befriending Josephine and introducing her to all things Taiwanese as she adjusts to her new life there.
He takes her to Taipei’s night markets, teaches her to eat stinky tofu and shows her the city’s cultural as well as more modern tourist sights.
The actor, who is married and has a five-year-old daughter, says he is a “great choice” to act as the Taiwanese representative in the show.
“My English is not very good, so I wouldn’t be able to play the San Francisco representative,” he says.
This is your first Taiwanese drama series in five years as you have been busy working in China. What made you sign on to this project?
I was drawn to the story because it is not the usual Taiwanese drama that is just about love and relationships. It is about dreams and cultural differences and getting to know one’s identity – I like how this drama felt fresh and different.
The series is on Netflix, which means it is available in 190 territories around the world. Have you felt that sense of global reach in any way yet?
Since the show aired, I read some comments online from my Japanese fans. They commented that they have seen the show and feel that it is different from other Taiwanese shows because the style is so different. Hopefully, more people around the world will catch this.
Did you learn anything new about Taipei after filming this series?
This is not new, but I truly felt just how much warmth there is in the city after doing this show.
We filmed in Da Dao Cheng, a very old neighbourhood in Taipei, and every shopkeeper and resident there was so friendly and welcoming to the crew, even though we were in their way and obstructing their business.
Where is your favourite place in Taipei?
I actually love Da Dao Cheng, where I spent a lot of the time filming the show.
It is a street with history dating back to the 19th century and it has old shops and beautiful architecture. When I was young, I lived 15 minutes away from the area, so I used to go there all the time. It has a lot of memories for me.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a good actor. I grew up watching actors like Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Andy Lau, and their movies helped to take me away from reality into other worlds.
If someone can say that my work has done the same for him, that would be really nice. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network A Taiwanese Tale Of Two Cities airs on Netflix, with a new episode every Saturday.