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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

Teacher's campus suicide prompts reflection: Qu Chuanli fears 'trust and companionship are disappearing'

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Director Qu Chuanli reflects on the recent suicide of a teacher, linking it to a decline in interpersonal trust and companionship.
  • His documentary "Rise of the Superman" explores overcoming adversity, emphasizing the importance of support.
  • Qu believes education needs more "companionship" and less "iron fist," advocating for recognizing and responding to cries for help.

Director Qu Chuanli expressed deep sorrow following the recent suicide of a teacher in Kaohsiung, viewing it as a tragic reflection of diminishing interpersonal trust and companionship. His documentary, "Rise of the Superman," which has surpassed 10 million box office sales, highlights stories of individuals overcoming despair and finding hope, with "companionship" serving as a central theme.

Rise of the Superman always talks about how to catch people, but in reality, many are not caught in time.

— Qu ChuanliReflecting on the gap between the film's message of support and the tragic reality of the teacher's suicide.

"'Rise of the Superman' always talks about how to catch people, but in reality, many are not caught in time," Qu lamented in a recent interview. Having conducted over 150 post-screening talks, he observes a concerning trend of depression rapidly affecting younger demographics, citing alarming statistics on youth depression and self-harm in some regions.

AI is getting smarter, but the distance between people is growing further. The biggest problem of the 3C generation is the loss of companionship and trust.

— Qu ChuanliExplaining his view on how technology contributes to social isolation and declining interpersonal connection.

Qu attributes this societal issue to the paradox of advancing technology: "AI is getting smarter, but the distance between people is growing further. The biggest problem of the 3C generation is the loss of companionship and trust." He finds the teacher's death particularly poignant, stating, "Such a good teacher, yet they reached this point." While acknowledging complexities like school bullying and parental pressure, as seen in dramas like "Ironclad Education," Qu insists real-world problems are more intricate, involving interconnected factors of parents, teachers, students, systems, and societal environments.

Such a good teacher, yet they reached this point.

— Qu ChuanliExpressing grief and disbelief over the teacher's tragic end.

Without claiming to have all the answers, Qu hopes "Rise of the Superman" offers an alternative perspective. "Education doesn't need an iron fist, but companionship," he asserted. He believes many individuals signal distress before collapsing, but these signals often go unseen. This conviction drives his extensive work in life education promotion since 2021, reaching over a hundred companies and delivering 400 lectures, using a 3D mobile cinema to visit schools and remote areas across eight countries and 20 cities. His goal is to assure children facing difficulties that they are not alone, and that a single conversation or film might encourage someone to seek help, potentially changing a life.

Education doesn't need an iron fist, but companionship.

— Qu ChuanliStating his core belief about the essential element needed in education.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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