Theater
Pacific Hospital (太平洋病人院) by Into the Next Wave Theater Troupe (前進下一波表演劇團), which is known for tackling Shakespeare but here moves in a different direction with a performance about mortality and suicide.
* Guling Street Theater (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
* Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$400 and available through www.artsticket.com.tw
National Guoguang Opera Company (國立國光劇團) will kick off 2007 with three classics of Beijing Opera Hongluanxi/Daojia/Wangjiangting (鴻鸞禧/盜甲/望江亭.
* At the Guoguang Theater (國光劇場), 8-1, Ln 66, Mucha Rd Sec 3 (台北市文山區木柵路三段66巷8之1號)
* Tomorrow at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$200 and NT$300 and are available through ERA ticketing
Lion Dance is a stylized festive performance that incorporates acting, martial arts, dancing and music to illustrate the emotional changes — such as joy, sadness and anger — of a lion.
* Shihming Hall, Taiwan Cement Building, 113 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei (台北市中山北路二段113號)
* Today and tomorrow at 8pm
* Tickets are NT$880 and available through www.taipeieye.com
Classical Music
Violinist David Kim and Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (ESO) (費城首席小提琴家金大衛與長榮交響樂團). Kim has been the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1999 and is founder and artistic director of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival at the University of Rhode Island. Kim devotes a portion of his schedule each year to bringing classical music to children. In conjunction with the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Kim founded an annual outreach program that takes him to elementary schools, performing and speaking about classical music in an effort to cultivate future audiences. Since the ESO's inception in 1985, its mission has been to cultivate local musical talent. Tonight, under the direction of conductor Wang Ya-hui (王雅蕙), the program will include a program of works, including Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, Op.35, Bach's Double Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV1043, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol, Op.34.
* At the National Concert Hall, Taipei
* Tickets range from NT$500 to NT$1,500 and are available through ERA ticketing
* Tonight at 7:30pm
Xue Xue Weekend Music Concert — A Night of Flute Recital (學學週末音樂會--長笛之夜). Featuring France-based flautist Ma Hsiao-pei (馬曉珮) and pianist Huang Chu-han (黃楚涵), the flute and piano recital will consist of a program of works, including Steckmest's Fantasy "Auf Flugein des Geanges" Op.17 No.1, Debussy's Reverie, Poldini's Poupee Valsante (Dancing Doll), and Gary Schocker's Musique Francaise: I. Cafe Music II. Chanson III. Dans le Pays in the first part of the concert, and Hummel's Fantasy, Piazzolla's Invierno Porteno, Foster's Oh Susanna and Beautiful Dreamer, and Claude Bolling's Sentimentale.
* At the Music Salon of the Xue Xue Institute (學學文創志業大樓音樂沙龍), 5F, 207 Tiding Blvd Sec 2, Taipei (台北市堤頂大道二段207號5樓)
* Tickets are NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing or call 0800-068-089
* Tonight at 7:30pm
Wang Pin-yi Piano Recital (王品懿鋼琴獨奏會). Wang has been selected as one of the outstanding musicians by the YinQi Culture and Music Foundation (財團法人音契文化藝術基金會) to participate in the 2007 Bach New Generational Voice (巴赫新聲) concert series. The program of works will include Bach's Prelude and Fugue No.3 in C Sharp Major BWV848, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op.109, Ravel's Valse nobles et sentimentales, and Brahms' Three Intermezzi, Op.117 and Piano Pieces, Op.119.
* At the Bach Hall (台北巴赫廳), B1, 53 Minquan W Rd, Taipei (台北市民權西路53號B1)
* Free admission
* Tomorrow at 7:30pm
Hueng I-dun French Horn Recital — Pensee Subtile du Cor XV (黃義敦法國號綺想系列之24). Hueng has a Diplome Superieur de Concertiste at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. Hueng has held the Pensee Subtile du Cor series since 1987 as a way to make every endeavor to promote French horn music. In this 24th series, Hueng will be accompanied by pianist Tsai Yu-shan (蔡昱姍) to present a program including Domenico's Variazioni, Hessenberg's Nocturne et Rondo, Poot's Legende, Gliere's Nocturne, No.10, Op.35, Hanmer's Suite, Hummel's Sonatine, Op.75a, and Danzi's Sonata, Op.28.
* At the Recital Hall, Taipei
* Tickets cost from NT$200 to NT$400; available through NTCH ticketing
* Monday at 7:30pm
National Chiayi University Symphony Orchestra (NCUSO) — The Night of Russia (國立嘉義大學交響樂團—俄羅斯之夜). The NCUSO was established by the NCU Music Department, which devotes its efforts to developing professional performers. The NCUSO will have its very first concert at the National Concert Hall in Taipei on Monday. The program will include many Russian classics as well as music written by native Taiwanese composers, including Tyzen Hsiao's (蕭泰然) 1947 Overture, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.1 in D-flat Major, Op.10, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op.64.
* At the National Concert Hall, Taipei
* Tickets range from NT$100 to NT$500 and are available through ERA ticketing
* Monday at 7:30pm
Contemporary
Tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) it's local rockers RAY Band (雷樂隊), a group formed by three of Taipei's most accomplished studio musicians. Tomorrow features punk rock-turned post rock five-piece The Chairman (董事長). Sunday offers a double billing with expat punk combo The Deported and the hard rock sound of Marty Young. Monday night is open-jam night, when anyone with a song or an instrument can perform. On Tuesday indie bands Bone (骨頭) and Black Summer Days take the stage, Wednesday features Coach (教練樂團), and on Thursday it's Aboriginal two-piece Echo GS (艾可菊斯), whose guitar and accordion ballads have a vaguely Latin sound, along with Hohak Band (好客樂隊), a Hakka group founded by former members of the Labor Exchange Band (交工樂隊), who play jazz, rock and folk.
* The music starts at 9:30pm each night
* Entrance tonight, tomorrow and Thursday is NT$350. For Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday is NT$300. On Monday there is a one-drink minimum
* B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
The Living Room (小客廳) presents Japanese World Music composer and musician Yamato Mongo (也許文吾) tonight. Tomorrow it's a two-hour set from Lost in Vega (恍神織女樂團), a "groove-inspired" band that draws comparisons to Sade and Everything but the Girl. It's Chit Chat Game Night on Tuesday with board games, and on Thursday it's four-piece Milky CaLar.
* Tonight and tomorrow's performances begin at 9pm. Tuesday's fun and games runs from 7pm to midnight. Thursday's show starts at 8pm
* Entrance for tonight, tomorrow and Thursday's mini-concerts is NT$300. There is no admission fee on Tuesday
* 3F, 8 Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com
Velvet Underground (地下絲絨), which by day is an American restaurant, presents Canadian singer-songwriter and former Incriminators frontman Jason Grenier, aka Mister Green, and Coach (教練樂團) tonight. Tomorrow it's The Beetle Band (甲蟲樂團) and Hysteria (歇斯底里). Sunday it's metal acts Down Beet and I Scream.
* Shows start at 9pm
* Entrance is NT$300 or NT$200 for students
* B1, 50 Zhongxiao W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市忠孝西路一段50號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868
The Wall (這牆) features Digihai (低級海) and 88 Guava Seeds (八十八顆芭樂籽) tonight (see Vinyl Word for more information), Echo (回聲樂團) tomorrow, and Deserts Chang (張懸) Thursday.
* Entrance tonight and tomorrow is NT$400. Thursday is NT$300
* Shows start at 8pm
* B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
Witch House (女巫店) presents Timmy (踢米) tonight and Huang Jie (黃玠) tomorrow.
* Entrance is NT$300
* Tonight at 9:30pm
* 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
Underworld (地下社會) presents Tube and Fighting Boy tonight, Overdose and Toxaphene (毒殺芬) tomorrow, and Pepper Cat (胡椒貓) and Milky CaLar on Wednesday.
* The bar opens at 8pm and bands take the stage at 9pm
* Entrance is NT$300
* B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information
At Grooveyard in Taichung, Wednesday nights is jazz night. Thursday is "Taiwan Exposed Open-Mic Night," a jam session for established and amateur musicians.
* Wednesday's jazz and Thursday's jam session both start at 9pm
* There's no cover on Wednesday and Thursday
* 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號2樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com
Exhibitions
Taiwan Avant-Garde Documenta III (CO6台灣前衛文件展). Made up of one competition section and five curatorial programs, the 5th annual art festival has grown to become an important platform to showcase avant-garde works by local artists. With participation of over 50 individuals and art groups, the event offers a polyphonic mosaic of multiple art forms from visual art, sound art, video installation and performances.
* National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (國立台灣美術館), 2 Wuchuan W Rd Sec 1, Taichung (台中市五權西路一段2號). Open
* Tueseday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (04) 2372-3552
* Until Feb. 25
Grand View: Painting, Calligraphy and Ju Ware from the Northern Song Dynasty and Song Dynasty Rare Books (大觀－北宋書畫、汝窯、宋版圖書). This unprecedented exhibition showcases the museum's world-class collection of painting, calligraphy and Ju ware from the Northern Song Dynasty as well as rarely seen items on loan from the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, the Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over 20 rare books selected from the museum's collection of more than 200 pieces also introduce visitors to the booming printing industry of the Song dynasty.
* National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), 221 Zhishan Rd Sec 2, Taipei (台北市至善路二段221號). Open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 3pm. Call (02) 2881-2021
* Until March 25
Fashion and Creativity in Whispers (形•透•花•間－關於時尚與創作靈魂的低語). In the joint exhibition, fashion designer Huang Chi–fang (黃啟方) and space designer Huang Chun-chieh (黃俊傑) use simple forms and material from daily life to explore a intimate and contemplative relation between clothes, architectural space and the human body through their body and visual sculptures.
* Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (高雄市立美術館), 20 Meishukuan Rd, Kushan Dist, Kaohsiung (高雄市鼓山區美術館路20號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Call (07) 555-0331
* Until March 4
Chu Teh-I's 2006 Solo Exhibition — Color and Form Within a Mood (曲德義2006個展). From a series of Contrast/Integration, Juxtaposition, Form and Color, Possess Position/Misplace Union to the latest Form and Impressionist Park that are exhibited in Color and Form Within a Mood, the artist adopts a consistently unique perspective in interpreting and exploring abstract painting, attempting to push the limit of the two-dimensional art form. In the current exhibition, Chu emphasizes the expression of emotion and as such, the depth of the artist's life is fused with the form and color of his work.
* Main Trend Gallery (大趨勢畫廊), 209-1 Chengde Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市承德路三段209-1號). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 2587-3412
* Until Jan. 13
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When life gives you trees, make paper. That was one of the first thoughts to cross my mind as I explored what’s now called Chung Hsing Cultural and Creative Park (中興文化創意園區, CHCCP) in Yilan County’s Wujie Township (五結). Northeast Taiwan boasts an abundance of forest resources. Yilan County is home to both Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area (太平山國家森林遊樂區) — by far the largest reserve of its kind in the country — and Makauy Ecological Park (馬告生態園區, see “Towering trees and a tranquil lake” in the May 13, 2022 edition of this newspaper). So it was inevitable that industrial-scale paper making would
Hualien lawmaker Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) is the prime target of the recall campaigns. They want to bring him and everything he represents crashing down. This is an existential test for Fu and a critical symbolic test for the campaigners. It is also a crucial test for both the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and a personal one for party Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫). Why is Fu such a lightning rod? LOCAL LORD At the dawn of the 2020s, Fu, running as an independent candidate, beat incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and a KMT candidate to return to the legislature representing
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