The centuries-old Chinese love story of The Butterfly Lovers has been part of folklore for as long as anyone can remember, and has more recently been featured in Chinese traditional operas, on the stage and in movies.
From tomorrow in Taichung, the Dafeng Musical Theater will present this romantic story in a Broadway musical style. The music is composed by the highly-talented Chung Yiu-kwong (
One major and daring change from the original story is the role of Ma Wen-cai (
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAFENG MUSICAL THEATER
The new role that Ma takes in this production is that of a rich, handsome guy who gets almost the same amount of affection from Zhu as Liang does. So, the old story of Zhu breaking away from an arranged marriage turns into a modern triangular love story with leading lady Zhu having to make a final choice of her life-long companion.
Liang is played by Berson Wang (
The Butterfly Lovers is from Oct. 1 to Oct. 2 at Zhongshan Hall, Taichung City; from Oct. 7 to Oct. 8, at Municipal Culture Center, Tainan City; Nov. 4 to Nov. 6, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Taipei; Nov. 26, Hall of Art, Jungli.
Website: www.liang-zhu.com
Telephone: (02) 2925 3960
Last week the story of the giant illegal crater dug in Kaohsiung’s Meinong District (美濃) emerged into the public consciousness. The site was used for sand and gravel extraction, and then filled with construction waste. Locals referred to it sardonically as the “Meinong Grand Canyon,” according to media reports, because it was 2 hectares in length and 10 meters deep. The land involved included both state-owned and local farm land. Local media said that the site had generated NT$300 million in profits, against fines of a few million and the loss of some excavators. OFFICIAL CORRUPTION? The site had been seized
Next week, candidates will officially register to run for chair of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). By the end of Friday, we will know who has registered for the Oct. 18 election. The number of declared candidates has been fluctuating daily. Some candidates registering may be disqualified, so the final list may be in flux for weeks. The list of likely candidates ranges from deep blue to deeper blue to deepest blue, bordering on red (pro-Chinese Communist Party, CCP). Unless current Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) can be convinced to run for re-election, the party looks likely to shift towards more hardline
Sept. 15 to Sept. 21 A Bhutanese princess caught at Taoyuan Airport with 22 rhino horns — worth about NT$31 million today — might have been just another curious front-page story. But the Sept. 17, 1993 incident came at a sensitive moment. Taiwan, dubbed “Die-wan” by the British conservationist group Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), was under international fire for being a major hub for rhino horn. Just 10 days earlier, US secretary of the interior Bruce Babbitt had recommended sanctions against Taiwan for its “failure to end its participation in rhinoceros horn trade.” Even though Taiwan had restricted imports since 1985 and enacted
The depressing numbers continue to pile up, like casualty lists after a lost battle. This week, after the government announced the 19th straight month of population decline, the Ministry of the Interior said that Taiwan is expected to lose 6.67 million workers in two waves of retirement over the next 15 years. According to the Ministry of Labor (MOL), Taiwan has a workforce of 11.6 million (as of July). The over-15 population was 20.244 million last year. EARLY RETIREMENT Early retirement is going to make these waves a tsunami. According to the Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), the