The Arts

Taiwan 2002

The Arts

Drama

Chinese Opera
Chinese opera is one of Taiwan's premier art forms. Although performances are not as frequent as they once were, they can still be seen on a weekly basis at opera schools, community theaters and temples, and on television, as well as in major seasonal productions at the National Theater 國家戲劇院. While opera includes many regional styles, the most common in Taiwan are Peking opera, which first reached maturity in the Ching dynasty, and Taiwanese opera (see section on Taiwanese Opera below), which was influenced by the operatic forms of southern China. Most regional forms of Chinese opera are sung in the dialect of their region of origin, hence Taiwanese opera is performed by speaking and singing in Southern Fujianese. Peking opera is an exception, however. Dialogue is in the Beijing dialect, but the arias are recited or sung in an artificial phonetic stage dialect.

Peking Opera
Peking opera is a colorful and lively form of drama. Plots are adapted from Chinese history and classical literature and reflect traditional Chinese Confucian moral values, such as loyalty, filial piety, and patriotism. Human foibles are also well represented, and usually there is at least one exciting battle scene or acrobatic display per performance. All characters are developed within the confines of traditional roles, with each actor specializing in a specific type of character, such as the hsiao-sheng 小生, a handsome young scholar, the wu-tan 武旦, a beautiful female warrior, or the chou 丑, a clown. Each role is limited by a specific range of gestures and makeup. Singing is stylized, with some characters requiring a high-pitched falsetto (since traditionally, only men appeared on stage, even in female roles). Live musical accompaniment is closely integrated with the action, with the conductor regulating the pace of performance and cueing actors through his control of the beat. Traditional string and wind instruments accompany the singing, while percussion instruments comment on stage movements, including stage entrances and exits, fight scenes, and acrobatic scenes.
Taiwan's major Peking opera troupes are the National Kuo Kuang Chinese Opera Company 國立國光劇團 and the Chinese Opera Troupe of the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts 國立臺灣戲曲專科學校附設國劇團, formerly the National Fu-Hsing Chinese Opera Theater 復興國劇團. The former, established in 1995, is funded by the Ministry of Education, while the latter is affiliated with the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts 國立臺灣戲曲專科學校. The Kuo Kuang Company maintains a traditional repertoire, while the Chinese Opera Troupe of the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts is more adventuresome in its productions, performing new scripts that often combine traditional and modern ideas.
On July 1, 1999, the National Kuo Kuang Academy of Arts 國光藝校 and the National Fu-Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy 國立復興劇藝實驗學校 were merged into the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts. In the near future, both opera troupes are scheduled to merge with other performing groups into one "National Dramatic Arts Center" (NDAC) 國立戲劇藝術中心. Five major performing groups will be formed within the NDAC: Peking Opera Troupe I 京劇一團, Peking Opera Troupe II 京劇二團, Yuchu Troupe 豫劇團, Performing Troupe 綜藝團, and Taiwanese Opera Troupe 歌仔戲. Each performance group will have its own distinct roles and functions.
Peking opera has undergone a degree of experimentation in Taiwan, and one important innovator has been the Contemporary Legend Theater 當代傳奇劇場, founded by opera actor Wu Hsing-kuo 吳興國 in 1984. This internationally acclaimed group is best known for its Peking opera adaptations of Western classics, such as Shakespeare's Macbeth and Euripides' Medea, which incorporate elements of Western drama, including dramatic stage and costume designs, as well as greater psychological character development than is generally found in traditional Chinese opera. Using tragic stories to raise moral questions rather than providing conventional answers is also a distinct departure from tradition. Due to financial difficulties, however, the group stopped performing in late 1998.

Taiwanese Opera
Taiwanese opera 歌仔戲 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 Ilan County 宜蘭縣. These songs were purportedly influenced by the narrative music of Taiwan's aboriginal peoples and later evolved into a more powerful musical form. These "Ilan folk songs" are accompanied by an orchestra consisting of the san-hsien 三絃, a three-stringed Chinese banjo; the pipa 琵琶, a four-stringed vertical lute; the tung-hsiao 洞簫, a vertical flute; the sona 哨吶, a trumpet-belled, double-reeded horn; and various percussion instruments, including gongs and drums. Various regional Chinese music theater forms, particularly the pei-kuan and nan-kuan music theater brought to Taiwan by early immigrants from southern China, have clearly influenced Taiwanese opera. This is evident from the colorful makeup and costumes, stage props, and stylized gestures used in Taiwanese opera, which had become a complete musical genre by the 1930s.
The role of Ilan in the development of Taiwanese opera continues to be important today. Several major troupes are based there, including one sponsored by the Ilan County Cultural Center 宜蘭縣立文化中心, which also houses a Taiwanese opera museum. Today, there are nearly 200 troupes performing around the island, but only a few of professional calibre. The best-known is the Ming Hwa Yuan Theater Troupe 明華園歌劇團, established in 1929. Like other Taiwanese opera troupes, it began performing on outdoor stages, often set up in front of temples, but today it also performs at such prestigious venues as the National Theater. The troupe has also toured overseas, performing in Paris and mainland China. Other important companies include the Ho Lo Taiwanese Opera Troupe 河洛歌仔戲團, the Han Yang Troupe 漢陽歌劇團, and the Lan Yang Troupe 蘭陽戲劇團.
Taiwanese opera's most celebrated actress is Yang Li-hua 楊麗花. With a career spanning over 30 years, she continues to periodically present her own productions. Like many Taiwanese opera actresses, Yang is known for playing only male roles.
Television performances of Taiwanese opera have also been important to its development since the 1960s. Although many TV troupes have a soap opera mentality, with electronic music and pop songs, the Yeh Ching Taiwanese Opera Troupe 葉青歌仔戲團 is one of the few that retained the basic traditional form. Its founder, actress Yeh Ching, has developed an islandwide following through her TV performances and has won numerous awards.

Other Regional Opera Forms
The Kuo Kuang company has a section for Henan opera 河南梆子, which is sung in a natural voice rather than the falsetto common to Peking opera. Taiwan audiences have also been introduced to Hakka opera, which incorporates traditional tea-farming folk songs, through the Rom-shing Hakka Teapicker Opera Troupe 榮興客家採茶劇團. In keeping with tradition, the majority of its productions are presented outdoors, although it also performs at major venues such as the National Theater.
Another opera form found in Taiwan is Pei-kuan opera. The Hsin Mei Yuan Troupe 新美園劇團 is the only professional Pei-kuan opera group on the island to ever win the Heritage Award.
An opera form that has been regaining attention in recent years is Kun opera 崑曲, which preserves late Ching dynasty musical scores and singing techniques from the longest extant tradition of Chinese music theater, possibly dating back to the late 12th or early 13th century. Compared to Peking opera, Kun opera features more delicate and complex music and singing, and also employs more poetic language. Although there are currently only two amateur groups performing Kun opera in Taiwan, a major project is under way to establish a professional troupe. Under the sponsorship of the Kuo Kuang opera school and the private Chinese Folk Arts Foundation, 20 students have been chosen for a three-year program in which the group will train under Kun masters from the Chinese mainland.
Taipei hosted the Chinese Drama Festival 華文戲劇節 in 2000, which was organized by performing groups from Chinese speaking areas (mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore). The biennial Chinese Drama Festival, which began in Beijing in August 1996, was held in Hong Kong in November 1998. The Third Chinese Drama Festival, which was co-organized by the National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center 國立中正文化中心 and Chinese Taipei Theatre Association 中華戲劇學會, was held in Taipei in 2000. Beginning July 22, 2000, seven opera troupes held two weeks of opera performances and seminars at the National Concert Hall, the Taipei Municipal Social Educational Hall 臺北市立社會教育館, and Novel Hall 新舞臺. Ten Kun opera troupes also performed in Taiwan from the end of December 1999 to early January 2000.

Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee
Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution

		The Arts
		Drama Chinese Opera Chinese opera is one of Taiwan's premier art forms. Although performances are not as frequent as they once were, they can still be seen on a weekly basis at opera schools, community theaters and temples, and on television, as well as in major seasonal productions at the National Theater 國家戲劇院. While opera includes many regional styles, the most common in Taiwan are Peking opera, which first reached maturity in the Ching dynasty, and Taiwanese opera (see section on Taiwanese Opera below), which was influenced by the operatic forms of southern China. Most regional forms of Chinese opera are sung in the dialect of their region of origin, hence Taiwanese opera is performed by speaking and singing in Southern Fujianese. Peking opera is an exception, however. Dialogue is in the Beijing dialect, but the arias are recited or sung in an artificial phonetic stage dialect. Peking Opera Peking opera is a colorful and lively form of drama. Plots are adapted from Chinese history and classical literature and reflect traditional Chinese Confucian moral values, such as loyalty, filial piety, and patriotism. Human foibles are also well represented, and usually there is at least one exciting battle scene or acrobatic display per performance. All characters are developed within the confines of traditional roles, with each actor specializing in a specific type of character, such as the hsiao-sheng 小生, a handsome young scholar, the wu-tan 武旦, a beautiful female warrior, or the chou 丑, a clown. Each role is limited by a specific range of gestures and makeup. Singing is stylized, with some characters requiring a high-pitched falsetto (since traditionally, only men appeared on stage, even in female roles). Live musical accompaniment is closely integrated with the action, with the conductor regulating the pace of performance and cueing actors through his control of the beat. Traditional string and wind instruments accompany the singing, while percussion instruments comment on stage movements, including stage entrances and exits, fight scenes, and acrobatic scenes. Taiwan's major Peking opera troupes are the National Kuo Kuang Chinese Opera Company 國立國光劇團 and the Chinese Opera Troupe of the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts 國立臺灣戲曲專科學校附設國劇團, formerly the National Fu-Hsing Chinese Opera Theater 復興國劇團. The former, established in 1995, is funded by the Ministry of Education, while the latter is affiliated with the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts 國立臺灣戲曲專科學校. The Kuo Kuang Company maintains a traditional repertoire, while the Chinese Opera Troupe of the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts is more adventuresome in its productions, performing new scripts that often combine traditional and modern ideas. On July 1, 1999, the National Kuo Kuang Academy of Arts 國光藝校 and the National Fu-Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy 國立復興劇藝實驗學校 were merged into the National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts. In the near future, both opera troupes are scheduled to merge with other performing groups into one "National Dramatic Arts Center" (NDAC) 國立戲劇藝術中心. Five major performing groups will be formed within the NDAC: Peking Opera Troupe I 京劇一團, Peking Opera Troupe II 京劇二團, Yuchu Troupe 豫劇團, Performing Troupe 綜藝團, and Taiwanese Opera Troupe 歌仔戲. Each performance group will have its own distinct roles and functions. Peking opera has undergone a degree of experimentation in Taiwan, and one important innovator has been the Contemporary Legend Theater 當代傳奇劇場, founded by opera actor Wu Hsing-kuo 吳興國 in 1984. This internationally acclaimed group is best known for its Peking opera adaptations of Western classics, such as Shakespeare's Macbeth and Euripides' Medea, which incorporate elements of Western drama, including dramatic stage and costume designs, as well as greater psychological character development than is generally found in traditional Chinese opera. Using tragic stories to raise moral questions rather than providing conventional answers is also a distinct departure from tradition. Due to financial difficulties, however, the group stopped performing in late 1998. Taiwanese Opera Taiwanese opera 歌仔戲 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 Ilan County 宜蘭縣. These songs were purportedly influenced by the narrative music of Taiwan's aboriginal peoples and later evolved into a more powerful musical form. These "Ilan folk songs" are accompanied by an orchestra consisting of the san-hsien 三絃, a three-stringed Chinese banjo; the pipa 琵琶, a four-stringed vertical lute; the tung-hsiao 洞簫, a vertical flute; the sona 哨吶, a trumpet-belled, double-reeded horn; and various percussion instruments, including gongs and drums. Various regional Chinese music theater forms, particularly the pei-kuan and nan-kuan music theater brought to Taiwan by early immigrants from southern China, have clearly influenced Taiwanese opera. This is evident from the colorful makeup and costumes, stage props, and stylized gestures used in Taiwanese opera, which had become a complete musical genre by the 1930s. The role of Ilan in the development of Taiwanese opera continues to be important today. Several major troupes are based there, including one sponsored by the Ilan County Cultural Center 宜蘭縣立文化中心, which also houses a Taiwanese opera museum. Today, there are nearly 200 troupes performing around the island, but only a few of professional calibre. The best-known is the Ming Hwa Yuan Theater Troupe 明華園歌劇團, established in 1929. Like other Taiwanese opera troupes, it began performing on outdoor stages, often set up in front of temples, but today it also performs at such prestigious venues as the National Theater. The troupe has also toured overseas, performing in Paris and mainland China. Other important companies include the Ho Lo Taiwanese Opera Troupe 河洛歌仔戲團, the Han Yang Troupe 漢陽歌劇團, and the Lan Yang Troupe 蘭陽戲劇團. Taiwanese opera's most celebrated actress is Yang Li-hua 楊麗花. With a career spanning over 30 years, she continues to periodically present her own productions. Like many Taiwanese opera actresses, Yang is known for playing only male roles. Television performances of Taiwanese opera have also been important to its development since the 1960s. Although many TV troupes have a soap opera mentality, with electronic music and pop songs, the Yeh Ching Taiwanese Opera Troupe 葉青歌仔戲團 is one of the few that retained the basic traditional form. Its founder, actress Yeh Ching, has developed an islandwide following through her TV performances and has won numerous awards. Other Regional Opera Forms The Kuo Kuang company has a section for Henan opera 河南梆子, which is sung in a natural voice rather than the falsetto common to Peking opera. Taiwan audiences have also been introduced to Hakka opera, which incorporates traditional tea-farming folk songs, through the Rom-shing Hakka Teapicker Opera Troupe 榮興客家採茶劇團. In keeping with tradition, the majority of its productions are presented outdoors, although it also performs at major venues such as the National Theater. Another opera form found in Taiwan is Pei-kuan opera. The Hsin Mei Yuan Troupe 新美園劇團 is the only professional Pei-kuan opera group on the island to ever win the Heritage Award. An opera form that has been regaining attention in recent years is Kun opera 崑曲, which preserves late Ching dynasty musical scores and singing techniques from the longest extant tradition of Chinese music theater, possibly dating back to the late 12th or early 13th century. Compared to Peking opera, Kun opera features more delicate and complex music and singing, and also employs more poetic language. Although there are currently only two amateur groups performing Kun opera in Taiwan, a major project is under way to establish a professional troupe. Under the sponsorship of the Kuo Kuang opera school and the private Chinese Folk Arts Foundation, 20 students have been chosen for a three-year program in which the group will train under Kun masters from the Chinese mainland. Taipei hosted the Chinese Drama Festival 華文戲劇節 in 2000, which was organized by performing groups from Chinese speaking areas (mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore). The biennial Chinese Drama Festival, which began in Beijing in August 1996, was held in Hong Kong in November 1998. The Third Chinese Drama Festival, which was co-organized by the National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center 國立中正文化中心 and Chinese Taipei Theatre Association 中華戲劇學會, was held in Taipei in 2000. Beginning July 22, 2000, seven opera troupes held two weeks of opera performances and seminars at the National Concert Hall, the Taipei Municipal Social Educational Hall 臺北市立社會教育館, and Novel Hall 新舞臺. Ten Kun opera troupes also performed in Taiwan from the end of December 1999 to early January 2000. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution