hou's first film as a director, as well as writer, was "cute girl" (1980) or "lovable you", a relatively formulaic romantic comedy (prevalent in taiwan at the time) starring kenny bee, anthony chan and feng fei-fei. the film was primarily devised as a vehicle for bee and feng, who were popular pop-stars in hong kong and taiwan, respectively, at the time. hou would later collaborate with both bee and fong later on in his next feature film, "cheerful wind" (1981). although the film was shot in a more commercial style unlike his later work, film critic and writer david bordell stated that "cute girl" and the rest of hou's early films "show [hou] developing, in almost casual ways, techniques of staging and shooting that will become his artistic hallmarks."