THEATER
Decode 2010 (亂碼2010) by Ku & Dancers (古舞團) probes the subconscious. The score was composed and will be played by Claudia Howard Queen from Chicago.
■ Experimental Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:45pm, tomorrow at 2:45pm and 7:45pm and Sunday at 2:45pm
■ Tickets are NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
The Xinbei City International Arts Festival (2010新北市藝術節) ends with two performances by the Melbourne-based Tom Tom Crew that show off the performance art group’s signature mix of circus routines, acrobatics, drumming and hip-hop.
■ East Riverside Plaza (東岸廣場), Bitan, Sindian, Taipei County (台北縣新店碧潭)
■ Tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm
■ Free admission
Born of a collaboration between artist Chen Chun-ming (陳俊明) and Jelly Fish Bloc, a group composed of artists from Taiwan, Thailand, France and Spain, and billed as an interdisciplinary interactive performance, Hold Down integrates installation art, digital sound and performance to explore the human body as a field of contest.
■ Barry Room, Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村百里廳), 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號)
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$150 at the door
Set up in 2008 by local fire dancers to promote their pastime, the Taiwan Fire Festival (台灣火舞祭) comprises a lineup of individual performances and group shows by popular troupes such as the True Spin Fire Group (TS火舞團), Orange Fire (橘火舞團) and Kundalini. An outdoor art fair and fire dancing workshop will be held before tomorrow evening’s performances. For more information, log on at
log.roodo.com/taiwan_fire_festival
■ Museum of Contemporary Art’s plaza (台北當代藝術館廣場), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號)
■ Performances run from 7:30pm to 10:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 for the workshop, free admission for the performances
Adapted from the renowned Singaporean playwright Kuo Pao Kun’s (郭寶昆) The Spirits Play (靈戲), The Mother Hen Next Door (隔離的大母雞) by EX-Theatre Asia (EX-亞洲劇團) explores political repression, war and death in the form of a fable about a giant hen that can’t stop eating and winds up devouring its own torso, neck and head.
■ Taipei County Arts Center (台北縣藝文中心演藝廳), 62 Jhuangjing Rd, Banciao City, Taipei County (台北縣板橋市莊敬路62號)
■ Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 7pm and 8:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$350, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Timeless Love Concert (時空情人音樂會), part of the 2010 Taipei Arts Festival (2010臺北藝術節), brings together two highly respected artists from two vastly different musical traditions: Wang Xinxin (王心心), one of the most respected practitioners of the ancient Chinese nanguan (南管) musical style, and Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬), who was responsible for molding Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra (國家交響樂團) into an international powerhouse. In Timeless Love Concert, Wang and Chien, who will serve as pianist, will perform with tenor Tilman Lichdi. The program includes arrangements of classical Chinese poetry and music, as well as a Chinese translation and arrangement of Schumann’s Dichterliebe.
■ Today and tomorrow at 7:45pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yanping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
■ Tickets are NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (秋水伊人) is a piano recital by Wang Chao-huan (王兆歡), who will perform a program that includes Beethoven’s Sonata No. 23, Op. 57 and Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, Op. 23 and Scherzos No. 1 and No. 2.
■ Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Henry Mazer Music and Culture Center (台北愛樂暨梅哲音樂文化館) at B1, 7 Jinan Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市濟南路一段7號B1)
■ Tickets are NT$250, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Kiss of Time — Tracy Janis Tu Violin Recital (時光之吻 — 涂鳳玹小提琴獨奏會)presents local violinist Tracy Janis Tu (涂鳳玹)in a performance of the “best loved melodies in history” by Ponce, Kreisler, Saint-Saens, Elgar and Wieniawski. She will be accompanied on piano by Yuriko Morota.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
ATS 2010 SECOM Annual Concert (ATS2010中興保全年度音樂會) sees the Academy of Taiwan Strings (台灣絃樂團), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, presenting a program of music that includes Bach’s Air on the G String, Mozart’s Serenade in G Major, KV525 “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, Op.48 in C Major, and the second movement of Schubert’s String Quartet in D Minor “Der Tod und das Madchen.”
■ Monday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
CONTEMPORARY
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. The venue presents pop singer Shino Lin (林曉培) tonight and folk singer-songwriter Huang Jie (黃玠) tomorrow. On Sunday, it’s The Next Big Thing, a concert program featuring indie bands Yiding Yikou (一丁一口), The Tic Tac, No. 7 Cyan and Orangegrass (橙草樂團). On Wednesday, folk rocker Elisa Lin (林依霖) shares the bill with rock group io.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Shows start at 8pm tonight and tomorrow, 7pm on Sunday and 8:30pm on Wednesday
■ Entrance is NT$500 tonight, NT$600 tomorrow (NT$500 in advance), NT$200 on Sunday and NT$500 on Wednesday (NT$400 in advance). Tickets can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Rapper Soft Lipa (蛋堡) performs tonight at The Wall (這牆). Tomorrow night the venue hosts J-pop singers Misato Watanabe and Mizca. On Sunday, another set of Japanese performers take to the stage: screamo/metal band Heaven in Her Arms and indie rock group Balloons, whose sound owes much to Dinosaur Jr.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm tonight and tomorrow and 7:30pm Sunday
■ Entrance is NT$500 tonight (NT$400 in advance), NT$1,600 tomorrow and NT$1,000 on Sunday (NT$700 in advance). Tickets can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Rock in Hose Burlesque puts on a new show tomorrow night at Pipe, an Italian restaurant located near the riverside section of Taipei Water Park (台北自來水園區) in Gongguan (公館). The group shares the bill with expat rock and punk groups Divebomb and The Deadly Vibes, The Tear Jerks, a band from South Korea, and indie synth rockers The Looking Glass.
■ 1 Siyuan St, Taipei City (台北市思源街1號)
■ Show starts at 11pm
■ Entrance fee is NT$400, includes one drink
Tonight Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) hosts Timeless Fusion Project (無限融合黨), a fusion group led by pianist Fred Lui (呂聖斐). Tomorrow is pop-punk band Inquiry 104 (查號104) and pop-rap group Cool Silly (傻酷樂團). On Sunday, jazz combo Brussel Van Taipeh takes to the stage. The venue hosts its weekly open jam on Monday.
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓). Tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 9:30pm tonight and 9pm all other nights. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ Entrance is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday and NT$150 on Monday
Tonight Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館) hosts indie rockers Love Manana (愛的大未來) and rising Mando-pop star Hsiao Yu (小宇). Tomorrow it’s Tseng Yu-chia (曾昱嘉), the champion singer from the Super Idol (超級偶像) TV talent show.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號). Tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8:30pm tonight and 8pm tomorrow
■ Entrance is NT$450 tonight, tomorrow’s show is NT$500. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Underworld (地下社會) hosts dance rock DJ crew First Row Kidz and indie rock group Macbeth (馬克白). Tomorrow indie bands Brain Roller and Roxymoron take to the stage. Later on it’s Spike, the punk rock dance “party of the year” featuring DJs Dizzy, Steve, and Ah-Chang (阿強) of 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽). On Wednesday, it’s up-and-coming bands Laifushu (籟福樹) and No Money No Honey.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Music shows run from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink, and NT$100 on Wednesdays
Flaneur Daguerre, a jazz quartet that plays everything from Bach to Bjork and Ornette Coleman to the Ramones, performs tonight at Sappho de Base. Tomorrow, it’s blues and surf rock with the Blues Vibrations. On Tuesday, Roger’s Jazz Trio takes to the stage and on Wednesday it’s an open jam hosted by TNT. Thursday’s performance is by electric jazz outfit I Have a New Band Now.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Music shows begin at 10:30pm tonight and tomorrow and 10pm on all other nights
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight, NT$150 tomorrow, NT$100 on Thursday, free on other nights
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include Mando-pop songstress Julia Peng (彭佳慧) and male crooner Shin Lung (辛隆), who performs every Saturday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號). Tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: visit www.ez5.com.tw
■ Music shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Tonight at Roxy Roots, it’s pop-rock group Rubber Band. Tomorrow night expat group Space Funk takes to the stage.
■ 90 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路90號). Tel: (02) 2725-3932. On the Net: www.roxy.com.tw
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300 (NT$200 credited toward food and drinks).
Taipei Swing holds dance socials on Friday nights at Capone’s, with live music from blues band BoPoMoFo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). Dancers of all levels are welcome, and beginner’s lessons are offered while the band takes a break. On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號)
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm on Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturdays
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink, dancers receive a free drink coupon. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300.
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Indie-pop favorites Tizzy Bac perform tonight and tomorrow.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Kaohsiung City (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$500 for each night
By David Chen
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The People’s Republic of China (PRC) invaded Vietnam in 1979, following a year of increasingly tense relations between the two states. Beijing viewed Vietnam’s close relations with Soviet Russia as a threat. One of the pretexts it used was the alleged mistreatment of the ethnic Chinese in Vietnam. Tension between the ethnic Chinese and governments in Vietnam had been ongoing for decades. The French used to play off the Vietnamese against the Chinese as a divide-and-rule strategy. The Saigon government in 1956 compelled all Vietnam-born Chinese to adopt Vietnamese citizenship. It also banned them from 11 trades they had previously
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