Chia Tshenn Studio

1961, post-war Taiwan. Ma Shuisheng, the eldest son of the Ma family, is forced to sell the family's ancestral land to purchase morphine for his ailing parents, providing them relief from pain. Eventually, Shuisheng faces a heart-wrenching decision between their last piece of farmland and his newborn child.

The last bus has already left the station. Frustrated, the young man reluctantly gets into a nearby illegal taxi with a grandma, a migrant worker, and a talkative driver, and they drive from Changhua City along Zhangshui Road all the way to Erlin. The wheels roll forward, and the scenery of the hometown is reflected on the windshield and constantly receding. Where does the fleeting light in the young man's eyes come from?

How does a piece of sugar taste of history?⁣ A century ago, in Erlin, a land susceptible to winds and floods, the Erlin Sugarcane Farmers' Association was born. It was Taiwan's first modern organization to advocate for farmers. They held lectures and established rural schools, but ultimately faced imprisonment.⁣ A century later, many have forgotten this history. On the crimson monument at the site of the incident, only the faded inscription "Erlin Sugarcane Farmers" is visible, reflecting against distant chimneys.⁣ What kind of future awaits Erlin's rural villages? Looking back at history, what can we learn?⁣ "Before Crystallization" tells the story of how people were treated before sugarcane became a symbol of sweetness.⁣ "Before Crystallization" discusses what efforts we still need to make before memory becomes a collective identity.⁣ Let the Erlin Sugarcane Farmers' Association lead the way, as we travel through time together and begin a century of reflection.⁣