A presidential citation was awarded posthumously on Wednesday to late musician Zhang Hongming (詹永明) in recognition of his contributions to the nanguan music scene in Taiwan.
In the citation, Zhang was lauded for his lifelong dedication to studying, promoting and passing down nanguan music and for helping to foster cultural exchanges and raise Taiwan’s international visibility with his overseas performances.
Zhang died of colorectal cancer in Greater Tainan on July 26 at the age of 94.
He was designated by the Ministry of Culture as a preserver of the “important traditional art of nanguan music” in 2010.
Nanguan is a Chinese classical music style that originated in Fujian Province in southern China. The instruments often used in nanguan include the donxiao, which is a type of Chinese bamboo flute, the erxian, which is a bowed stringed instrument, and the four-stringed pipa, or lute.
Born in 1919 in Fujian, Zhang received training in nanguan music since childhood.
He moved to Taiwan in the 1940s and served at the Tainan air base until his retirement in 1971.
After his retirement, Zhang served as master teacher at the Tainan Nansheng She Ensemble for over 30 years, performing in countries including South Korea, Japan, France, Germany and Belgium.
He was skilled on various instruments, including the pipa and the erxian.
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