A documentary film titled “The Mountain Makers – The Bet of the Century,” which chronicles the development of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, held its U.S. East Coast premiere at the Regal Theater in Times Square on November 9. Director Xiao Juzhen and producers Chen Tianshun and Jiang Xianbin were present at the event, where they took the audience on a journey back to the 1970s when Taiwan’s technological talents navigated the turbulent times to find a way forward for the nation.
The film captures a crucial moment in the 1970s when Taiwan withdrew from the United Nations, faced the termination of U.S. aid, the oil crisis, and more. Then Minister of Economic Affairs Sun Yunxuan launched a semiconductor program at the “Xinxin Snack Shop” on Nanyang Street, sending 19 young engineers to the United States to learn semiconductor technology from RCA in New Jersey.
Xiao Juzhen noted that amidst skepticism from politicians, the government, media, and others, these technical talents embraced Sun Yunxuan’s mandate of “only allow success, not failure,” successfully bringing back the technological spark that changed Taiwan’s fate.
During the five-year filming period, the team raced against time, witnessing events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the tech war, and the AI wave. Jiang Xianbin remarked, “We started out making a historical film but ended up with a current affairs film.” Chen Tianshun admitted, “We had to constantly adjust our strategies according to the changing circumstances. We initially thought we could finish in three years, but it took over five years. It wasn’t until May 6 of this year that we truly completed it, so the changes throughout this process were significant.”
1976 marked not only the beginning of the collaboration between Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute and RCA, ushering in the semiconductor era, but also the founding year of the New York-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce. The screening was jointly organized by the New York-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce and the New Jersey-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, symbolizing the spirit of Taiwanese Americans resonating with the semiconductor’s origins. Minister Zhang Lixian of the Economic and Cultural Representative Office attended the event on behalf of Ambassador Li Zhiqiang, expressing gratitude for the film “The Mountain Makers” for taking everyone back half a century ago to witness how these pioneers paved the way for Taiwan’s semiconductor industry.
The daughter of one of the program’s founders, Fang Xianqi, Fang Yihong, also attended the viewing. Producer Jiang Xianbin introduced, “Fang Xianqi was the former Director General of the Telecommunications Bureau, a member of the Xinxin Snack Shop meeting, and later served as the Director of the Industrial Technology Research Institute and the first Chairman of UMC.”
Xiao Juzhen added that throughout the filming process, she heard the same request multiple times: “Director, I hope everyone gets to know the history of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry beyond TSMC, but also remembers these predecessors who are at risk of being forgotten, to help Fang Gong leave behind a historical position… the first generation of engineers, the pioneers of policies, including Mr. Pan Wenyuan, Mr. Fang Xianqi, and others.”
She mentioned that the first-generation elders of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry interviewed often shed tears when discussing that period of history. “What kind of belief allows you, 50 years later, when you talk about it, to not forget its weight? They haven’t forgotten that weight, that’s why they shed tears… So, I think with this kind of sentiment, understanding these predecessors would be very moving.”
The film also sparked intergenerational responses. Many young Taiwanese overseas expressed that after watching the film, they regained pride in Taiwan and understood why they strive for what they do. Some young students, after watching the documentary, said they “found their DNA from Taiwan.” Jiang Xianbin shared, “What surprised me the most was that many young people also shed tears after watching. This shows that we have found a shared language of history and emotional agreement.”