Tea-picking opera staged to celebrate culture of Hakkas

An award-winning opera troupe staged a traditional "tea picking" opera last night to celebrate the first anniversary of the Cabinet's Council for Hakka Affairs.

"This is an effort to popularize the beauty of Hakka culture," Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), council chairwoman, said prior to last night's performance.

Yeh said the celebration of the council's anniversary was an effort to strengthen Hakka identity, promote the visibility of Hakka culture and give the public a chance to appreciate the beauty of traditional Hakka opera.

The Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe (榮興客家採茶劇團) performed a San Jiao (三腳) tea-picking opera, which consists of three characters -- two actresses and a comedian.

The opera centers on a tea seller, Chang San-lang (張三郎), and depicts life in a Hakka village in the early 1900s.

Tea-picking operas generally consist of songs that tea-pickers sing.

Yesterday's opera was performed in the Kuo-Kuang conference room of the Chinese Petroleum Building, where the Council for Hakka Affairs is located.

Professor Cheng Rom-shing (鄭榮興), founder of the troupe and the principal of the Fuhsing Dramatic Arts Academy, said tea-picking operas were popular among Hakka people before the prevalence of TV and movies.

"Although [the three-character opera] has gradually lost its popularity, it remains important at temple fairs or religious ceremonies of the Hakka people," Cheng said.

The small operas were later modified into major dramatic pieces and adapted scripts from history.

With the addition of more characters, props and elaborate costumes, the storylines of pieces gravitated away from tea picking to focus on themes of righteousness and loyalty.

But Cheng said major dramatic pieces retain the "Hakka feeling" because the performances are in the Hakka language.

In addition, the songs use the unique melodies of tea-picking songs.

Hakkas, which represent 15 percent of the nation's population, have had a close relationship with tea, as many live in Taiwan's hilly areas where tea is grown and derive their income from the crop.

Although Hakkas are not the only tea farmers in Taiwan, they are the only group to blend tea into their music and culture.

In addition to last night's performance, the Council for Hakka Affairs plans to organize a concert tour for next month, inviting Hakka bands to play around the nation.

Specific times and venues have yet to be decided.

The council was established on June 14 last year as part of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) campaign promise to give minority groups more support.