Winning the Golden Bell for best director attracted the attention of Central Movie Studios, which invited him to make a proposal. Before submitting the script, he bought a coffee shop out of its lease and opened a restaurant selling Hainan chicken rice--until China Pictures called to scold him.
金鐘獎最佳導播讓蔡明亮受到中影注目，中影請他提案子，結果他劇本未交，中間卻跑去頂下一家咖啡廳，賣起海南雞飯。一直到中影打電話來罵他。