:P

"The reason I call the audience ghosts is because it reminds me of a short story I read a few years ago. It was said to be a true story that took place in Udon Thani province. Coincidentally, I just found out that it is about to be made into a film by Five Star Productions. As far as I can remember, the story went something like this: The main character was a man with a travelling cinema show, he made open-air presentations in villages and temples. One day a very mysterious man hired him to show a film in a temple that was a long way off. By the time he had arrived and set up the projector and film screen, it was after dusk. Gradually people started to arrive in the darkness. While the film was running, the audience all sat still in an orderly fashion, their eyes looking up at the screen. They did not show any emotion, nor did they speak to one another until the film ended. Then they all got up and wandered away. At dawn the next day the film-show owner realized that he was in the middle of a cemetery, and that he had been paid to show a film for ghosts.

"When I finished reading this story, I felt sad: even ghosts wanted to watch films, just like everyone else. They were ghosts that still wanted to dream; they paid their final offering of money to buy dreams, which was film. If you notice the people around you while watching a film, you will see that their behaviour is like that of ghosts, lifting up their heads to look at the moving images in front. The cinema itself is like a coffin with bodies, sitting still, as if under a spell. The moving images on the screen are camera records of events that have already taken place; they are remains of the past, strung together and called a film. In this hall of darkness, ghosts are watching ghosts.

"I felt the same way last month, when I had the opportunity to visit an arthouse cinema in Taipei called Spot Cinema. It is run by a well known film director, a god, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and is supported by the government which had donated the premises. The decoration inside was marvellous. There was a bookstore, a shop selling DVDs, a restaurant and a coffee shop called Café Lumière. In several corners there were stills from Hou’s films, proudly used as decoration. On the stairway ceiling was a large black and white photo of a man riding a motorcycle with a girl sitting behind him, a scene from one of his classic films. The person showing us around was a man well past middle-age; he pointed to the picture of the young man on the motorcycle and said that they had been in the same class at school. It affected me deeply as I heard this; it wouldn’t be long now before everyone here would become ghosts. The old man showing us around was wearing glasses and already showing grey hair, but his friend on the motorcycle would always remain the same age."

— Apichatpong Weerasethakul: Ghosts in the Darkness

dracodeazure.pixnet.net

五三牌香煙：民國十七年九月七日《民國日報》頭版廣告

　　五三香煙雖微　關係中國前途 一吸此煙。五三國恥即刻現於目前。不由得愛國之心。充 滿胸中。雪恥之念。縈迴腦際。熱血沸騰。精神奮發。所以 農　　夫　吸了　五三香煙。能夠增加農產開墾荒蕪。 工　　人　吸了　五三香煙。能夠多製國貨打倒舶品。 商　　人　吸了　五三香煙。能夠深明大義多銷國貨。 學　　界　吸了　五三香煙。能夠喚醒大眾培植人材。 兵　　士　吸了　五三香煙。能夠為國犧牲忍辱雪恥。 政府諸公　吸了　五三香煙。能夠治內攘外和衷共濟。 外交官吏　吸了　五三香煙。能夠折衝樽俎戰勝強權。 女界同胞　吸了　五三香煙。能夠崇尚節儉同肩重任。 家庭之中　吸了　五三香煙。能夠人人獨立鞏固國基。 海外僑胞　吸了　五三香煙。能夠關心桑梓輸材效力。 同 胞 欲 救 國 乎 。 請 吸 五 三 香 煙 。 〔招請外埠經理〕五三牌香煙。辱承中央及各級黨部機關團體嘉許。 　　　　　　　　並蒙愛國同志竭誠提倡。銷路日廣。今特招請外埠 　　　　　　　　經理，有意者請致函本公司營業部接洽可也。 中國涼州煙草公司謹啟 　　廠　址　上海法新租界菜市路底四七三至四七四號　 　　營業部　四七五號電話中央四七三一 〔附告〕本公司近蒙南洋等處僑胞。熱心祖國實業。對於五三香煙。深加贊許。並請即日裝往待銷。藉表雪恥之決心。但此煙支上之牌標。原係紅心血字。雖具深意。第恐運往國外。引起誤會。故為慎重起見。特從第二次出品起。用青天白日濟南地球牌標。雅而不俗。且能使人不忘受辱之地點。現已出品特此聲明。　 再每包煙內附送愛國歌曲。