Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Three Times is a lyrical exploration on three different expressions of love, unfulfilled, mercenary, meaningless, set in different eras; 1966, 1911 and 2005. Shu Qi and Chang Chen play different characters in each period and explore the central theme of Hsien's work in different circumstances. Episode 1 1966, Kaohsiung - A Time For Love ('Lian'ai meng'), a soldier searches for a young woman he met one afternoon playing pool. Episode 2 1911, Dadaocheng - A Time For Freedom (`Ziyou meng', a singer yearns to escape her brothel. 3 2005, Taipei - A Time For Youth ('Qingchun meng'), a singer has an affair with a photographer. Winner of Best Actress (Shu Qi), Best Filmmaker (Hou Hsiao-Hsien) and Best Taiwanese Film at the 2005 Golden Horse Awards.