THE AUTHOR HAS incurred personal and professional debts to more people than can be named here, and owes the successful publication of this book primarily to Kai-chong Cheung, whose support of this research has been invaluable, and Milan V. Dimić, whose timely counsel and enthusiasm helped propel this work forward. Thanks to friends and colleagues Peng-hsiang Chen, Chen-ching Li, John Hu, Tienen Kao, Heidi Yu, Yung-aun Li, Charlene Chen, Peter Lin, Alex Rath, Yvette Huang, Irene Wang, Stephanie Pu, Kelly Weng, Song Hwee Lim, Kien Ket Lim, Ru-Shou Robert Chen, Ivy I-Chu Chang, Li-Chun Hsiao, Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, Song-Yong Sing, Che-ming Yang, Hui-Fen Chin, George Huang, Peng Hsiao-yen, Chang Hsiao-hung, Wenchi Lin, Eileen Cheng-yin Chow, Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh, Darrell W. Davis, and especially Ching-hsien Wang at the University of Washington, Douglas Kellner at UCLA, and Jerome Silbergeld at Princeton for academic inspiration.
Jennifer Crewe, director at Columbia University Press, and Yoram Allon, consulting editor to Columbia University Press and founder of Wallflower Press, have offered their illimitable support to this work and have been instrumental in its successful completion. Columbia University Press senior manuscript editor Roy E. Thomas also deserves commendation for his detailed attention and expertise. The author is grateful to the many individuals, particularly Jacqueline Downs, Curtis Quick, and Linda Theriault, whose insightful critiques aided in preparing early drafts of the manuscript, and to the anonymous reviewers for reading the manuscript and providing valuable input and suggestions. Staff at the Chinese Taipei Film Archive in Taiwan, under the directorship of Winston T. Y. Lee, have been extremely helpful in unearthing resources from Ang Lee’s early filmmaking days, including the earliest published version of Lee’s award-winning screenplay for Pushing Hands. Shih Hsin University generously awarded the author a sabbatical leave and two substantial research grants, which allowed for the completion of much of this research.
To Larry, a great husband, and to Michelle Kupé, a faithful friend. Thanks to Robert, Judith, and Tim Crothers.
Finally, this is for Liza, Stephen, and Chris, and all those who vividly remember New Canaan’s ice storm of 1973.