As procession members swell to nearly 80 on the final day of the three-day walk, Lin Hsiu-chin (林秀金) reminds the crowd that there is to be no talking, and all instructions will be given by the light tap of a gong. A longtime performer of drum group U-Theatre (優人神鼓), Lin stands under a concrete structure in a rural town in southern Taiwan, ready to embark on the final 13km of the walk with 15 of her young drummers leading the way.
The entire journey is meant to be completed in meditative silence.
“(Walking) is the only thing we should be doing,” Lin says. “With every step, you are aware of what you’re doing at the moment. It sounds easy, but it’s really hard because we easily get distracted.”
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
The U-Theatre drummers, wearing their distinct red loose-fitting pants and Nike sneakers, stay silent and stare straight ahead, moving forward at a brisk but steady pace. But as the procession moves away from the drab concrete structures towards expansive fields of verdant and golden rice paddies below towering mountain ranges, the walkers pull out their cell phones and cameras, immediately falling behind to snap a scene shot here and a selfie there, chatting loudly as they click away.
So much for silence.
WALKING ON CLOUDS
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
U-Theatre calls its walks yunjiao (雲腳, “cloud feet”). It is part of the training regimen of the renowned troupe, who follow a strict program of drumming, martial arts and meditation. Their performances feature a blend of theater, dance and drumming.
Artistic director Liu Ruo-yu (劉若瑀) says she first experienced walking as a form of training during a year-long workshop in California with Polish theater director Jerzy Grotowski.
After founding U-Theatre, she wanted to expand upon this type of training, so the troupe spent three years with the Baishatun (白沙屯) Matsu procession before starting their own walking regimen in 1996.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
Liu says without the Matsu element, the walking itself became the sole purpose. She adds that even though they meditate and often perform and stay at temples, there is no religious connotation to the process. They also differ from ascetic monks because they don’t carry their equipment, which is transported by car.
“Walking should relax us … We only have to place our faith in the bottom of our feet and quietly walk, step by step,” she says.
They’ve done various treks over the years, including one around the nation in 50 days in 2008. In recent years, they’ve also started walking and drumming with at-risk junior high students.
Wherever they end up, they find a location to perform. They call it luodisao (落地掃, “sweeping the floor”), which refers to stage-less performances, often on temple grounds, by Taiwanese opera troupes.
FIELDS OF GOLD
This particular procession took place around Taitung County’s Chihshang Township (池上) — known for its high-quality rice — and covered about 50km in three days. It was organized by Lovely Taiwan Foundation (台灣好基金會) in conjunction with their annual Autumn Harvest Festival (池上秋收), of which U-Theatre was the guest performer on a stage set up in the middle of the area’s endless golden fields.
Almost all the non U-Theatre walkers, referred to as peijiao (陪腳, “accompanying feet”), were here for the festival, and had the option of joining for however many days they wished.
On the third day, the route led the walkers from Guanshan Township (關山) directly to the main stage, on which the performance began — an outdoor version of U-Theatre’s 2011 work, Beyond Time (時間之外), especially tailored for this occasion.
Liu says participants often don’t follow the rules. However, she adds that she doesn’t want to put too many restrictions on someone who’s walking to simply experience the process rather than actually training.
“If someone walks with us for a long time, something in their heart will change — it’s like Zen meditation,” she says. “But if they’re only here for a day, they might be very excited.”
Lee Chi-hua (李奇樺), who walked for two days, said all the distractions actually helped her reach a deeper level of focus. She admitted to feeling irritated about the behavior of many in her group.
“Near the end, I was surprised that I was able to tell myself that our procession is just like people at the workplace or society — you’ll meet people that think and act differently, and you need to think about how you can accept these different people,” she says. “At that moment, I was able to change my thinking and simply focus on walking my own path.”
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