Experimental Animation 2024
Mountain Giant is an animated short set during the Taiwanese Ghost Festival—a Taoist-Buddhist tradition centred on compassion and honouring wandering spirits, told through the eyes of a curious young girl experiencing her culture firsthand for the very first time.
The inspiration for the mountain god came from a mix of visual and cultural influences. One was Le Cyclope, a surreal French painting of a one-eyed giant, and the mythic Cyclops of Greek lore. In Taiwan, mountains hold deep significance—as one of the world’s most mountainous islands, Taiwan’s peaks are spiritual guardians and ancient witnesses. In the film, a young girl’s simple offering awakens a sleeping mountain god, reminding us of the quiet power in innocence and wonder.
As a first-time director, I challenged myself with unusual visual perspectives, imagining scenes from the mountain god’s point of view. I often thought of the Taoist classic philosophy, Zhuangzi’s The art of Being: Free and Easy Wandering, (逍遙遊) particularly the metaphor of the Great Peng—an enormous bird soaring freely above the world. This guided me to tell the story from a broader, more liberated perspective.
Mountain Giant is a tribute to the beauty of Taiwan, the power of storytelling, and the freedom of artistic expression. I hope it invites viewers of all ages and backgrounds to rediscover imagination, cultural memory, and the unseen spirits that quietly shape our lives.
