China and Taiwan may be separated by just a narrow body of water but, like many other aspects of the cross-Strait relationship, the two film markets have remained largely separate from each other.
That is now changing with Night Market Hero, the first Taiwanese film to be allowed to enter the Chinese market under a broad trade deal signed last year.
Night Market Hero will be shown in Chinese screens from 12 July, an achievement that the Taiwanese government hailed on Wednesday as a “pioneering event that will be like a train engine leading more films to China”. The film’s breakthrough a year after the trade deal was signed will also provide some much needed ammunition for the government, in the run-up to next year’s election, to show that closer ties with China is bringing economic benefits to Taiwan.