Alone / The "Blue Tears" That Made Ang Lee Sorrowful – A Night Scene in *Life of Pi* That Left Regret

Reported by Reporter Li Anjun / Taipei

In the film *Life of Pi*, there is a scene showing the ocean at night after the protagonist survives the storm, where the clear water is dotted with millions of glowing jellyfish, creating an incredibly beautiful sight. These jellyfish were likely created using 3D animation. Interestingly, when director Ang Lee was scouting locations in Kenting, he learned about the "Blue Tears" (also known as dinoflagellates or noctiluca), and was extremely excited — however, there weren’t enough to film, leaving only regret. In fact, Matsu witnessed a rare and spectacular "sea of Blue Tears" in April this year. If Director Lee had seen that scene, he might have felt even more sorrow, literally beating his chest in regret.

▲The beautiful "Blue Tears" — many people in Matsu were lucky enough to witness this stunning spectacle in April. (Photo provided by Gu Zhejia, Matsu National Scenic Area Administration)

The most important scene in *Life of Pi* was filmed atKenting’s "Banyan Garden". In 2011, Ang Lee went on a location scout trip accompanied by several professionals. The director personally visited spots such as Longkeng, Wanlitong, Banyan Garden, and Houbeihu. Xiao Man, one of the locals who accompanied him, said: "At that time, residents of Houbeihu told the director about a type of plankton called 'noctiluca' that glows at night — something magical. As soon as the director heard about it, he immediately took off his clothes and said he wanted to go into the sea to check it out."

"The seawater was very cold, and the American marine biologist, art director, and producer all advised him not to get in, saying others could go instead. But he insisted, took off his clothes, put on a wetsuit, and joined the group to scout, hoping to see the noctiluca. When the director finally got back on shore, it was obvious he was freezing. After everyone helped warm him up, he immediately started discussing with the team whether they could use filming techniques to capture the glow of the noctiluca!" It turned out to be very difficult, so the movie didn’t include actual scenes of the noctiluca — instead, glowing jellyfish were used as a substitute.

▲Ang Lee’s *Life of Pi* likely used 3D animation to depict the serene night scene of glowing jellyfish in the sea.

After learning about "noctiluca," Ang Lee became fascinated, though unfortunately unable to capture it on film. The "noctiluca" he found so captivating are bioluminescent plankton in the sea. When disturbed, they emit a blue-green glow out of fear, forming beautiful scenes in the water flow — commonly referred to as "fireflies of the sea." Noctiluca can be seen in Kenting, the East Coast and Hualien, and the offshore islands. The most recent notable occurrence was the widespread blue-white glow in the waters south of Matsu, also called "Blue Tears" by locals. This "sea of tears" was captured by many photography enthusiasts and widely shared, making it more well-known.

▲Can’t help but sing Huang Yunling’s “Blue Beer Sea.” (Photo provided by Gu Zhejia, Matsu National Scenic Area Administration)

On April 24, 2012, the southern waters of Matsu — including areas like Iron Fort on Nangan, Jinsha Beach, and Beihai Tunnel — were illuminated by a vast expanse of blue-white light. Yu Zhengzhe, a staff member at Matsu National Scenic Area Administration, said in an interview with ETtoday News Cloud that his colleague Gu Zhejia had prepared a camera and tripod to capture a series of stunning images. "Those days had particularly strong winds blowing from the south, which carried the noctiluca to the southern waters. Because there were enough of them, and the timing was just right, we had time to set up the tripod and take long-exposure shots," Yu explained. He added that walking on the beach, you could even see little blue dots under your feet. While similar occurrences still happen, the quantity is less than in spring.

▲Thank you to Gu Zhejia for spending six hours capturing this breathtaking Blue Tears seascape for everyone to enjoy. (Photo provided by Gu Zhejia, Matsu National Scenic Area Administration)

"I remember Zhejia shooting from around 8 PM until 2 AM. Everyone was so happy and didn’t want to leave — it lasted for three days. To capture such beauty, the average photo required a 20-minute exposure to achieve the effect you see. For Director Lee to have captured such a real scene would have been really difficult," Yu Zhengzhe said with a smile. He added that with the naked eye, it looks like tiny lights forming the Blue Tears sea — truly breathtaking. Currently, the photographer Gu Zhejia is working abroad in Australia through a work-exchange program, and he’s delighted that this series of photos and beautiful sights can be shared with more people.