In 1969, Yu-Tien Wu's grandparents, Yi-Yuan Wu and his wife, led the Wu family in taking on the management of the First Chuan Cheng Theater, and renamed it Chuang Mei Theater. In the eyes of the older generations of people in Tainan, the Chuang Mei was a theater that had established a clear brand image and market recognition by showing Western movies.
Yu-Tien Wu, the third-generation owner, studied ethnology at the National Cheng Kung University during his undergraduate years. He went on to major in the study of “eco-museums” in the UK. Growing up in a movie theater, Yu-Tien Wu has been in charge of everything from ticket sales to ticket inspection and the snack shop. The business model at Chuang Mei Theater changed from showing newly released movies to becoming a discount theater, and it has benefited moviegoers by selling more at a lower price. Now, in addition to movie screenings, it has also become a multi-functional exhibition hall (for concerts, autograph signing sessions, performance venues, etc). Wu said that the best thing about Chuang Mei Theater is the “people”.
This year, through Yu-Tien Wu, the Royal Explorer will lead travelers to witness the local prosperity and the glory of the film industry in the olden days, and to savor the new cultural values nurtured by different eras.
