A Time in Quchi

Kuan Hsiao-Pao, Yang Liang-Yu, is a ten-year-old boy who kick-starts his summer with a mix of swagger and restlessness. Growing up amid the hustle of Taipei, he grapples with a sense of neglect from his parents, a dull school routine, an irritating younger sister, and peers who seem almost unreachable, all while staring down the looming challenge of his summer homework. When tragedy and upheaval strike—the passing of his grandmother and his parents’ divorce, compounded by their busy schedules—his father sends Hsiao-Pao and his sister to the countryside to spend the summer with their grandfather in Quchi, Xindian.

What follows is a slow and gentle immersion into rural life. Hsiao-Pao carries his tablet and the summer assignments with him, but he finds himself enrolled in a local elementary school that numbers just 27 students. The city-boy sensibilities collide with the plain-spoken warmth of the countryside, and he feels both unfamiliar with and curiously drawn to this new world. There, he encounters a girl nicknamed Da-Xiong (Big Bear), whose family is poor yet vibrant and kind, offering a living contrast to his prior world. He also meets an orphan named Ming-Chuan, who quietly shelters a crush on Da-Xiong and introduces Hsiao-Pao to a life beyond the glow of screens and the endless scroll of the internet. Through Ming-Chuan and other new friends, Hsiao-Pao begins to see that there is more to life than games and gadgets, and that authentic connections can be found in the rhythms of countryside days.

As days lengthen into weeks, the boy’s perspective shifts. He starts to open up, to care for the people around him, and to appreciate the simple joys of childhood that had once seemed buried beneath a swirl of notifications and routine. The daily interactions with his grandfather become a focal point, teaching him lessons about family, patience, and resilience. The countryside’s tranquil vastness becomes a canvas for growth, where friendships form and a more grounded version of Hsiao-Pao emerges.

Yet summer does not stay peaceful for long. A typhoon bears down, followed by events that feel almost like a torrent reshaping the landscape of his vacation. The stories of homework and deadlines collide with real-world challenges, reminding him—and the audience—that growing up carries a weightier price than any assignment could demand. In this sunlit, storm-braced world, Hsiao-Pao learns that the journey to adulthood is less about conquering a checklist and more about embracing responsibility, empathy, and the enduring value of family.

This coming-of-age tale moves through warmth and tension with a steady, neutral gaze, inviting viewers to witness a boy’s evolution from a self-assured child clinging to a digital bubble into a young person who can find hope and meaning in the people and places around him. It’s a portrait of summer as a crucible—where the price of growing up is paid not with fear, but with the quiet courage to connect, to share, and to grow beyond one’s own expectations.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 10:33