In 1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien's A City of Sadness, the first film to touch on the 228 Incident, a taboo subject in Taiwan, became a big hit in the theaters. As a result Jioufen, where the film was set, revived due to the film's popularity. The nostalgic scenery of Jioufen as seen in the film, as well as appearances in other media, charmed many people into visiting Jioufen. For the beginning of the 90s, Jioufen experienced a tourist boom that has shaped the town as a tourist attraction. Soon retro-Chinese style cafés, tea houses, and souvenir stores bearing the name "City of Sadness" were built.
Tony Leung Chiu-wai's character was made a deaf-mute because the film used direct sound and Leung could not convincingly speak Mandarin or Taiwanese.
This was the first Taiwanese film to be shot in direct sound. Director Hsiao-Hsien Hou wanted to capture the varied dialects and accents of his actors, reflecting the film's concern for the complex, heterogeneous origins of modern Taiwan.
According to mangaka Kengo Hanazawa, this film was an inspiration for director Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" movie.
Average shot length (ASL): 158 minutes / 222 shots = 43 seconds (some takes last over 3 minutes).