A-li 88

Directed by Huang Hsin-Yao

In August 2009, Typhoon Morakot killed hundreds and caused irreversible damage to Taiwan. On the Alishan Mountains, the rainfall destroyed its forest railway and badly damaged its tourism industry for years. Huang Hsin-yao initially went up the mountain to document the aftermath of the storm. But Huang changed his approach when he claimed he saw many Wu Fengs on the mountain, referencing the Han merchant who, according to folk legends, “civilised” Taiwanese aborigines on Alishan. This scathing documentary asks whether rapid development of the region, be it by deforestation or by exploitation of its natural beauty for tourist dollars, worsened the effects of the typhoon.