The Republic of China—Striding Into Its 2nd Century
A Cultural Treasure Trove
Works by world-famous sculptor Ju Ming are exhibited outdoors at the Juming Museum in Jinshan. (Pu Hua-chih)
Taiwan is blessed with a cultural diversity that reflects the free and open spirit of its people, which has been molded by a complex set of historical circumstances and human migrations. Until four centuries ago, it was home exclusively to a variety of Malayo-Polynesian groups, each with its own distinctive language and customs. Since the early 17th century, the island has been a magnet for immigrants from all over mainland China, who have brought with them a wealth of linguistic, musical, dramatic and artistic traditions.
Further, Taiwan was influenced by Japanese culture as a consequence of its being under Japanese colonial rule between 1895 and 1945 and continuing close post-war ties with Japan. Taiwan’s people have also embraced Western culture, while immigrants from Indonesia,Thailand and Vietnam have introduced a mélange of viewpoints and traditions to the cultural scene in recent years.
The Taiwanese people’s adaptability to changing circumstances has been a crucial factor in the evolution of their effervescent culture. A dedication to the continuation of tradition combined with the courage to strike out in new directions and charge heritage with new vitality characterize the works of contemporary artists.
Museums utilize digital technology to enliven their displays. (GA Photos Group)
At the vanguard of this move to preserve and explore are Taiwan’s filmmakers. Among those whose works have received greatest acclaim are Ang Lee and Tsai Ming-liang. Lee’s films such as “Sense and Sensibility,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Lust, Caution” and “Taking Woodstock” have earned praise and accolades, including two Golden Lion Awards, eight Academy Awards, and eight Golden Globe Awards. Tsai is a veteran art house film director, whose award-winning works include “Vive l’amour,” “The River,” “The Hole” and “The Wayward Cloud.” His 2009 production “Face” is the first motion picture to become a part of the Louvre’s collection after having been filmed inside the museum.
An up-and-coming movie director who has demonstrated vision that transcends narrow conceptualizations of filmmaking and, indeed, culture is Wei Te-sheng, writer and director of the film “Cape No. 7.” Poignantly dramatizing the power of love to prevail over any obstacle, even language, nationality and time, the picture deeply moved millions of moviegoers in Taiwan and across Asia.
“Cape No. 7,” a film by Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng, dramatizes the power of love to prevail over nationality and time. (Courtesy of Ars Film Production)
Meanwhile, Taiwan has produced a multitude of talented documentary filmmakers. Their movies, such as “Let It Be,” which looks at the plight of Taiwan’s farming communities, have given audiences a greater understanding of Taiwan’s cultural heritage—rooted in an agrarian past—and the challenges it is facing. In addition, a number of Taiwan-made documentaries specially produced for the National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Channel have gained a worldwide audience.
In the realm of dance, Taiwanese choreographer Lin Hwai-min has, in the words of The New York Times, “succeeded brilliantly in fusing dance techniques and theatrical concepts from the East and the West.” In his youth, Lin studied modern dance under the legendary Martha Graham. Annually over the past several decades, his Taipei-based Cloud Gate Dance Theatre has staged performances to rave reviews in New York, Paris, London, Tokyo and other capitals of the arts.
U-Theatre’s marriage of acrobatic dancing and drumming dazzles audiences the world over. (Jimmy Lin)
Playwright and stage director Stan Lai is another brilliant star in Taiwan’s arts firmament. Firsthand experience of the greatly contrasting societies of Taiwan and the United States along with reflections on philosophical and religious topics have inspired him to create extraordinarily profound dramas. His “Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land,” a tragicomedy, has been called one of the top 10 Chinese-language plays of the 20th century. “The Village,” a story about families that migrated from mainland China to Taiwan in 1949, is one of Lai’s most highly acclaimed plays.
Among virtuoso performers who have given Taiwan’s traditional arts a modern mien are the members of U-Theatre, founded in 1988 by its artistic director, Liu Ruo-yu, who works in close cooperation with master drummer and star performer Huang Chih-chun. U-Theatre’s dazzling displays of drumming in combination with martial arts-inspired acrobatic dance movements have delighted audiences around the world.
The Franz Collection’s “Papillon” series received the “Best in Show” award at the 2002 New York International Gift Show. (Jimmy Lin)
Another performing group that has made a tremendous contribution to Taiwan is the Han-Tang Yuefu Music Ensemble, founded in 1983. Its members are exemplars of love and respect for age-old traditions wedded to a vitalizing sense of the here and now. Following exhaustive research on past practices, the troupe has successfully integrated traditional nanguan music—whose pieces are generally melodious and of a slow tempo—with Pear Orchard Opera, which features delicate arias and gestures and is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese drama.
Love of Mother Nature, a passion for ceramics and an instinct for blending Eastern and Western artistic elements have inspired Francis Chen, founder of Franz Collection Inc., to devote his life to producing exquisite porcelain wares. His pieces feature delicately sculpted animal and flower motifs common to Eastern art while manifesting the spirit and style of Western Art Nouveau. Franz Collection’s porcelains are favored by collectors around the world. Accounting in part for this success is the guidance Chen received from legendary ceramicist Chao Sun, whose works are treasured by museums and art collectors in many nations.
For Chang Mei-yun, it was a passion for needlework that brought her to the limelight. As a consequence of her peripatetic studies, she has become the master of some 1,600 stitching techniques as well as a wealth of weaving and dyeing methods. Chang is the only Taiwanese certified by the Japanese government as a restorer of embroidered artifacts. When Russian officials were looking to restore a priceless centuries-old czar’s crown and other ancient embroidered apparel, it was to Chang that they turned. Between bouts of working on restoration projects for world-class museums, she keeps busy passing on her knowledge to the next generation of needleworkers as director of the Global Embroidery Research and Development Center at the Tainan University of Technology.
Adding to its reputation as a cultural creator, Taiwan has been the trendsetter in the Chinese-language popular music scene for over half a century. Contemporary Taiwanese singers such as A-mei (Chang Huei-mei ) and Jay Chou (Chou Chieh-lun) have become superstars throughout Asia and beyond.
These are just a few of the many inspiring stories of Taiwanese whose quests to turn inner visions of beauty into outward expressions of excellence have benefited humanity. And today, as more people in Taiwan and around the globe seek out cultural experiences to enrich their lives, Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries can look forward with confidence to an ever-brighter future.
