After watching, I really want to take my family to Pingxi (Pinghsi)! The New Taipei City Sky Lantern Festival video has moved netizens.

Tourism Center / Taipei Report

The 2013 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival will be held on February 14, 17, and 24. To allow more people to experience the nostalgic charm of Pingxi and participate in the touching moment of releasing sky lanterns to make wishes, the New Taipei City Department of Tourism and the director of the film *Pk.com* (Pik Qingchun), Chen Dapo, have collaborated to tell a heartfelt, time-sensitive love story titled “Because of You, Happiness is Unique,” showcasing the historic scenery unique to Pingxi.


▲The male and female protagonists in the film go from being playmates, experiencing first love and separation, to reuniting in old age. (Photo / from YouTube)

In the film, the male and female protagonists grow from playmates, through first love and separation, to reuniting in old age. The director incorporates Pingxi branch line attractions, including Siguangtan Bridge, Jing’an Suspension Bridge, Shihmen Shrine, Jingtong Railway Station, Pingxi Old Street, and San’ya Bangkong. The film contains no dialogue, leaving viewers to feel and imagine. This simple and rustic small town of Pingxi allows visitors to experience a sense of time travel along its attractions, while releasing sky lanterns gives travelers a feeling of fulfilled happiness.


▲%?This is a modern town, but the alleyways can make visitors feel as if they’ve traveled back in time. (Photo / from YouTube)


The original idea for the film came when producer Liu Pengjia was traveling in Japan and unexpectedly met an elderly Japanese repatriate who had been sent back in the early post-war period. Upon realizing the producer was from Taiwan, the old man, feeling a sense of familiarity akin to home, excitedly recounted everything about his life in Taiwan decades ago. The director visited the Pingxi branch line and found that this mountain town seemed like a place where time had stopped. As time moved forward, many touching stories continued to unfold.

Director Chen Dapo felt that the Lantern Festival, Pingxi, and the sky lanterns gave him a sense of a festival rooted in history, tradition, and reverence. Therefore, he wanted to slowly tell a story with a timeline, giving viewers a subtle yet lingering emotional experience. After watching the film, audiences would open their own memory boxes to find their own unique moments of happiness.

The film “Because of You, Happiness is Unique” has been uploaded to YouTube and has garnered nearly 10,000 views in a short time. Many netizens are discussing the ending of the film. Some say the story resembles the play *Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land*—particularly the "Secret Love" part—and believe although the couple’s ending isn’t perfect, at least something was ultimately found again. Other viewers couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s time to take my family to Pingxi.” Most netizens agreed that the scene of releasing sky lanterns on Pingxi Old Street was the most heartwarming.

The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is one of Taiwan’s most iconic festival events. It has not only been selected by the Discovery Travel Channel as one of the world’s top two major festive carnivals, but also recognized by CNN (Cable News Network) as one of the 52 global experiences worth participating in, photographing, and sharing on Facebook.

To let the sense of happiness grow, the Department of Tourism is holding a “Watch the Video, Win Gifts” campaign. Netizens who join the New Taipei City Travel Fans page and log in to the Fever Goodies event to share “the most touching scene and attraction after watching the video!” may have a chance to win a NT$200 convenience store gift voucher (50 available) and an instant camera (5 available).


▲Because of You, Happiness is Unique. (Video / from YouTube)