He finished two scripts during this quiet period--Pushing Hands and The Wedding Banquet--both of which won awards in the Government Information Office's national script competition. He also earned the patronage of Hsu Li-kung, then-vice president of the Central Motion Picture Corporation, which set him on the path of directing.
他沈潛時完成的劇本《推手》與《喜宴》獲得新聞局「優良電影劇本徵選」的最佳獎與優等獎，並受到時任中影副總的徐立功支持，開啟了李安的執導生涯。