Hotel Saltwater () is a 2024 Taiwanese period romance drama series produced by PTS Taigi, directed by Cheng Wen-tang and and starring , , Huang Di-yang and Emerson Tsai. The series began filming in February 2023 and premiered on 3 March 2024 on PTS Taigi, PTS+ and Netflix.
Plot The series is set in the late 1970s when Taiwan was under martial law and based on Chen Tseng-chih's 2017 book "Hotel Saltwater: Tai Chen-yao's Revolutionary Youth". The plot is adapted from the youth experiences of agricultural reform activist Tai Chen-yao, depicting the protagonist Lee Wen-chin's participation in the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident during the martial law era in Taiwan. He faces brutal opposition by the Kuomintang government and becomes a political prisoner. The title "Hotel Saltwater" does not refer to a real hotel; rather, it is nickname used by prisoners to joke about the harsh jail conditions, where rice was mixed with salted water as a means of survival.
The series received funding from the Kaohsiung Film Archive as part of the "Kaohsiung Drama" initiative.
Soundtrack Hotel Saltwater Original Soundtrack was produced by Peipei Music, released digitally on 28 February 2024 and physically on 18 March 2024.
Awards YearAwarding BodyCategoryNominee / WorkResult202459th Golden Bell Awards Best Miniseries Hotel Saltwater Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film Huang Di-yang Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film Fang Wen-lin Best Director in a Miniseries or Television Film Cheng Wen-tang and Best Writing for a Miniseries or Television Film Chen Fang-chi and Cheng Wen-tang Best Original Song for a Drama Series Sun Shu-mei, Yang Ya-che, and – "No Hindrance" (《無罣礙》) 2025 2025 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards Best Adaptation from an Original Work Hotel Saltwater
References