In 1994, when then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) was in power — initially elected into office not through direct elections, but by the National Assembly — society was in a transition period, following the Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) era.
In the early years of Lee’s presidency, preparations were made for real progress toward democratization.
It was in this period that three female dancers, in support of the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute’s Save the Rose Historic Site movement, performed a 24 hour-ceremony, in the wind and rain, suspended more than 10 floors from the ground by a crane.
This event became a powerful symbol of cultural restoration in post-war Taiwan, replete with historical import, aimed at saving the Japanese-style wooden building that had served as the dance studio of Taiwanese dance legend Tsai Jui-yueh (蔡瑞月).
It was a symbol of tragedy interwoven with danger, of perseverance and the resolve to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
Today and tomorrow, the same site that was successfully saved by the Tsai Jui-yueh movement 20 years ago, Tsai’s old dance studio on Zhongshan N Road, is scheduled to serve as the venue for a tour through history.
The event is to examine how the nation’s democracy has developed since 1994, and the way cultural restoration has fared within political and economic contexts.
In 1996 Lee was elected in the nation’s first direct presidential election. Four years later, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) led the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to the nation’s first transition of power through direct elections, winning a second term in 2004.
Then, in 2008, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) came to power, and wasted little time settling accounts with Chen, damaging Taiwan’s international reputation for its peaceful transition to democracy, taking a more more pro-China stance and reasserting the colonial attitude of the KMT regime.
Since 2012, when Ma secured his second term, the situation has only gotten worse. The burgeoning wealth divide between the rich and the poor has become deeply entrenched in a nation riven by social tensions.
Over the years, the Rose Historical Site has been the site of the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Festival and various other cultural forums that have interwoven artistic, cultural and social issues, not only exploring dancing and the arts, but also blending in social themes aiming to bring about cultural restoration.
Dating back to the pre-war roots of modern dance, the site bears witness to the wilderness years under Martial Law and shows the transition to democracy, giving voice to society.
This period has now been consigned to history, a time before the democratization process was complete.
The “Save Your Culture — Save Yourself” cultural movement is set to be interwoven with the “Save Your Nation — Save Yourself” event on Xhongshan N Road, and is to incorporate dance, singing, short talks and discussions.
Various participating groups are to take turns performing and demonstrating their own particular visions of how the nation could be rebuilt and society changed for the better.
The idea is to have culture blossom through discussions, music and dance in an artistic setting.
The image of the dancers suspended high in the air on the crane inspires exhilaration, expresses resistance against oppression, with the skies giving testament, and the earth bearing witness.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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