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Religion
Dance in Taiwan has become especially diverse since the late 1960s. Though temporarily sidetracked by Chinese folk dance in the 1950s, modern dance was revived in the 1960s when local dancers and audiences were exposed to new styles following tours by American companies such as Alvin Ailey and Paul Taylor. In the early 1970s, Lin Hwai-min formed the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, which later became Taiwan’s premier dance company, gaining a devoted local audience as well as an international reputation in numerous overseas tours. Mr. Lin was chosen as one of Asia’s Heroes for 2005 by Time (Asia) Magazine. Drama Taiwanese opera was once performed on nearly every auspicious occasion, including weddings, birthdays, and temple festivals. By tradition, the form is said to have its origin in short songs from Yilan County. Today, there are nearly 200 troupes performing around the island. The best-known is the Ming Hwa Yuan Theater Troupe, established in 1929. Like other Taiwanese opera troupes, it began by performing on outdoor stages, often erected in front of temples. Today, it also performs at such prestigious venues as the National Theater and has toured overseas, performing in Paris and China. Music Taiwan’s music can roughly be divided into traditional music and western music. Traditional music refers to Chinese traditional music and music specifically identified with local ethnic groups or geographic areas. Although western music, both classical and popular, came only in modern times, it has had a great influence on the development of local music. This genre includes music of Europe and America, and music of that genre composed locally. Motion pictures Local filmmakers are best known for introspective works with rich atmospheres that explore social developments and the human condition, as in the past few years movies from Taiwan have captured awards at film festivals around the world in 2004. For instance, The Missing won the award for best film at the New Delhi Asian Film Festival and the award for best director for Li Kang-sheng at the Athens International Film Festival. Taipei 21 won the best film award and Lin Mei-shiu captured the best supporting actress award for her performance in Comes the Black Dog at the Asian Pacific Film Festival. Tsai Ming-liang’s latest work, The Wayward Cloud, received the Silver Bear Award at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. With an aim to restructure Taiwan’s film industry, the government has devoted considerable effort to nurturing talent in this field, forming relevant funds, holding the Taiwan International Film & TV Expo, and encouraging cooperation with international media organizations. It is hoped that the international competitiveness of Taiwan’s film industry will be raised, thereby bringing it into the global spotlight.
Lunar New Year’s Eve marks the last day of the lunar year. Families gather together for dinner, and the children are given gifts consisting of money stuffed in red envelopes. According to legend, there was a monster that appeared only on New Year’s Eve. People discovered that this monster was afraid of the color of red and the sound of firecrackers. Thus, children are given red envelopes as a token for luck, and firecrackers are set off to scare away the monster. These customs survive until this day. Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival falls on the first full moon of the lunar calendar and is the last day of the traditional Lunar New Year holiday. Celebrations are often very lively, and specific activities during this period include ancestor worship, lantern displays, and riddle-solving contests.
The Dragon Boat Festival takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Dragon boat races are held and glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves are eaten in remembrance of Cyu Yuan, a famous scholar-statesman (304-278 BC). Every year, thousands of athletes around the world come to compete for the Taipei International Dragon Boat Race Championship. In June 2005, this event attracted 116 local and foreign teams and 2,838 participants. Ghost Festival
Mid-autumn Festival The Mid-autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month and is traditionally an occasion for families to reunite and appreciate the full moon, which symbolizes completeness and, by extension, family unity. Year-end banquet On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, businesses take advantage of this tradition to host a year-end banquet, or weiya, for employees in recognition of their hard work.
Golden Melody Awards: Presented since 1990, this event recognizes outstanding local performances of and contributions to pop, classical, and folk music. Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE): Held since 1998, this event serves as a channel for the exchange of market information, development of business relationships, and purchases of related rights. In 2005, a total of 877 publishers from 40 nations participated in the fair, attracting more than 320,000 visitors to the six-day event. Golden Tripod Awards: Founded in 1976 and presented annually since 1981, this event honors individuals and publishers for outstanding achievements in magazines and books. It will be held concurrently with the TIBE in February 2006 to encourage royalty transaction and greater participation of publishing houses from home and abroad.
Source: Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (http://www.taiwan.net.tw) Best viewed with IE 4.0 or higher at 800 x 600 resolution. Copyright © 2006 Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) 2 Tianjin St. Taipei, 100, Taiwan, R.O.C. |
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Culture
