Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Grossing NT$ 75 million at the box office in a matter of four days, the blockbuster movie Monga has become an important promotion for its namesake. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and Deputy Mayor Lee Yong-ping visited the filming location of Geta’s – one of the movie characters – home and tried out the great food at a local diner on February 9. After arriving at the shooting location of the Geta’s small abode, the mayor talked about the outstanding performance of the movie at local cinemas and announced that Monga will be appearing at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival. He took the opportunity to congratulate director Doze Niu, Lee Lieh, and the movie crew. Hau hopes that the movie, with its stunning box office performance and positive feedbacks from viewers, will play an important role in promoting both Taipei City and Taiwan. He stressed the city’s resolve in supporting filmmaking efforts in Taipei, vouching that the city government will be their “best partner.” Niu remarked that he has made over 200 visits to Bangka during the making of the movie. He is impressed with the open-armed friendliness of Bangka’s residents and storeowners. There were times when filming required the closing of street sections, and Niu took the opportunity to apologize and express his gratitude to the locals for their cooperation throughout the filming period Accompanied by the movie staff, Hau and city officials took an one-day tour of Bangka, visiting a number of the filming locations for Monga including Bopiliao, Longshan Temple, Cingshan Temple, Buddhist Supply Street, and Herb Alley.