The Shanghai Beijing Opera Theatre ( 海
Formed in 1955, the Shanghai Beijing Opera Theater has 77 full time performers and is one of the most well traveled opera troupes in China. Since being founded almost 50 years ago the troupe has not only performed widely at home, but has also toured extensively throughout Asia, the Americas and Europe.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTS FORMOSA
Originally staged only for the Emperor and his immediate family, the art form now known as Beijing Opera was developed from an amalgamation of several regional operatic styles and forms some time in the late 1700s. It is widely believed that Beijing Opera was born shortly after four Anhui-based opera troupes went to Beijing in 1790 and began to blend their styles with those of troupes from Hubei.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTS FORMOSA
Outlawed during the Cultural Revolution, traditional Beijing opera was brought back from the brink of it demise in 1978, when Communist authorities once again allowed artisans to stage non class struggle related productions. Opera's out-of-date styles and the younger generations lack of historical and theatrical knowledge apropos Beijing opera meant that the art form never regained the prominence it enjoyed during the pre-Cultural Revolution era, however.
In a bid to ensure that the two-centuries old tradition survives for another 200 years, the young group, with an average age of 30, undertakes educational tours of schools and colleges throughout China, where it performs and teaches operatic techniques to students.
As the first major Chinese operatic touring group to perform in Taiwan in almost two years, the Shanghai Beijing Opera Theatre will be hoping to create something of a renaissance of Beijing opera when it takes to the stage to perform the first of 10 colorful and stylized productions next Tuesday.
Performances by the troupe will include Forth Son Visits his Mother (四
Along with the performances of entire operas the troupe will also be holding a special concert entitled Beijing Opera Virtuoso Solo, which will feature arias from a many of the most well known of all the many hundreds of Beijing operas.
Performance notes:
What: Shanghai Beijing Opera Theater (
Where: National Theater (
When: Tuesday, Aug. 10 through Sunday, Aug. 15.
Tickets: Tickets cost from NT$300 to NT$2,000 and are available from ERA Ticketing or direct the CKS Cultural Center box office.
When the Dutch began interacting with the indigenous people of Taiwan, they found that their hunters classified deer hide quality for trade using the Portuguese terms for “head,” “belly,” and “foot.” The Portuguese must have stopped here more than once to trade, but those visits have all been lost to history. They already had a colony on Macao, and did not need Taiwan to gain access to southern China or to the trade corridor that connected Japan with Manila. They were, however, the last to look at Taiwan that way. The geostrategic relationship between Taiwan and the Philippines was established
“Once you get there, you think, that’s a little embarrassing or revealing or scary... but ultimately, I learned that is where the good stuff is,” says Taiwanese-American director Sean Wang about writing indie breakout Didi (弟弟), which debuted at Sundance Film Festival Asia 2024 in Taipei last month. Didi is a heartwarming coming-of-age story centered on the Asian American experience. Not just a 2000s teenage nostalgia piece, but a raw, unflinching look at immigrant families and adolescent identity struggles. It quickly became the centerpiece of the event, striking a chord with not only those sharing similar backgrounds but anyone who’s ever
This Qing Dynasty trail takes hikers from renowned hot springs in the East Rift Valley, up to the top of the Coastal Mountain Range, and down to the Pacific Short vacations to eastern Taiwan often require choosing between the Rift Valley with its pineapple fields, rice paddies and broader range of amenities, or the less populated coastal route for its ocean scenery. For those who can’t decide, why not try both? The Antong Traversing Trail (安通越嶺道) provides just such an opportunity. Built 149 years ago, the trail linked up these two formerly isolated parts of the island by crossing over the Coastal Mountain Range. After decades of serving as a convenient path for local Amis, Han settlers, missionaries and smugglers, the trail fell into disuse once modern roadways were built
“Magical,” “special,” a “total badass:” step forward Kamala Harris, the 59-year-old dynamo who has rebranded her country at lightning speed, offering it up as a nation synonymous with optimism, hope and patriotism. For the rest of us, Kamala’s gift is her joy and vibrancy — and the way she is smashing it just months away from her seventh decade, holding up 60 in all its power and glory. Welcome to the new golden age. Hers is the vibrancy of a woman who owns her power, a woman who is manifesting her experience and expertise, a woman who knows her time has
RSS