A mong fans of gezai opera (歌仔戲), the Taiwanese answer to Beijing opera, the hottest ticket for next week is the premiere of a new production by local opera superstar Yang Li-hua (楊麗花), who is making a comeback after seven years away from the stage. The four performances of Dan Xin Jiu Ju (丹心救主), starting on Thursday, have already sold out despite higher-than-average ticket prices. This comeback, part of National Theater and Concert Hall's 20th anniversary celebrations, will have the star, now 63, pushing her limits as she takes on three very different roles in a complex story of palace intrigue.
Yang is routinely given the title of "National Treasure," and this new work follows on three phenomenally successful performances at the National Theater during the 1990s. Yang was one of the first opera stars to bring gezai opera to major venues such as the National Theater. She has been followed by others, including the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Company (明華園戲劇團) and the Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Company (唐美雲歌仔戲團), who have all contributed significantly to lifting gezai opera from the curbside and placing it firmly and confidently in the temples of art and culture. Nevertheless, Yang is credited as the pioneer, and her career, which spans stage, television and film, has been devoted to preserving Taiwan's most popular operatic form.
Gezai opera is often criticized for not having the sophistication or elegance of Beijing opera. It was popular at temple fairs and local celebrations, and appealed to audiences with accounts of involved stories and clever improvisation.
Yang, who was born into a theatrical family began her carrier at just over 10 years old. She was one of the first people to respond to the challenge posed by TV and cinema and use it to her advantage. She helped create many TV operas through the 1970s, and by focusing on characters and plot, helped broaden the audience for gezai opera. Her popularity extends beyond Taiwan, and performances by Yang can even now be seen on Mac TV, the multimedia news and information site of the Overseas Compatriots Affairs Commission (僑務委員會).
Yang's return to the stage has encouraged many other prominent gezai performers to sign up for this production, ensuring that Dan Xin Jiu Ju is likely to be the greatest gathering of gezai talent the stage has seen in a while. Due to the scale and complexity of the production, two directors have been brought in, including the highly-respected Chu Lu-hao (朱陸豪), who has built his reputation in Beijing opera.
Performances of Dan Xin Jiu Ju will take place at the National Theater, Taipei. Performances at 7:30pm Thursday, Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 and at 2:30pm Oct. 28. Tickets are NT$600 to NT$5,000. The show is sold out.
Last week, Viola Zhou published a marvelous deep dive into the culture clash between Taiwanese boss mentality and American labor practices at the Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) plant in Arizona in Rest of World. “The American engineers complained of rigid, counterproductive hierarchies at the company,” while the Taiwanese said American workers aren’t dedicated. The article is a delight, but what it is depicting is the clash between a work culture that offers employee autonomy and at least nods at work-life balance, and one that runs on hierarchical discipline enforced by chickenshit. And it runs on chickenshit because chickenshit is a cultural
By far the most jarring of the new appointments for the incoming administration is that of Tseng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) to head the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). That is a huge demotion for one of the most powerful figures in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Tseng has one of the most impressive resumes in the party. He was very active during the Wild Lily Movement and his generation is now the one taking power. He has served in many of the requisite government, party and elected positions to build out a solid political profile. Elected as mayor of Taoyuan as part of the
Moritz Mieg, 22, lay face down in the rubble, the ground shaking violently beneath him. Boulders crashed down around him, some stones hitting his back. “I just hoped that it would be one big hit and over, because I did not want to be hit nearly to death and then have to slowly die,” the student from Germany tells Taipei Times. MORNING WALK Early on April 3, Mieg set out on a scenic hike through Taroko Gorge in Hualien County (花蓮). It was a fine day for it. Little did he know that the complex intersection of tectonic plates Taiwan sits
When picturing Tainan, what typically comes to mind is charming alleyways, Japanese architecture and world-class cuisine. But look beyond the fray, through stained glass windows and sliding bookcases, and there exists a thriving speakeasy subculture, where innovative mixologists ply their trade, serving exquisite concoctions and unique flavor profiles to rival any city in Taiwan. Speakeasies hail from the prohibition era of 1920s America. When alcohol was outlawed, people took their business to hidden establishments; requiring patrons to use hushed tones — speak easy — to conceal their illegal activities. Nowadays legal, speakeasy bars are simply hidden bars, often found behind bookcases