Last summer, we joined the CyberFair Club where we started to do our research on Taiwanese Opera. We first started by learning about the basic information about Taiwanese Opera, such as the different roles in Taiwanese Opera, singing tunes, its development etc. After we finished the basic research, we organized all the information and made two mind maps, one about the different elements of Taiwanese Opera, and the other one being a plan for this research project. At the start of the project, we weren’t that interested in the topic because it was something our generation wasn’t familiar with. But after we did more and more research, watched some of the Taiwanese Opera performed by famous actors/actresses, and saw how hard people in this industry tried to preserve this tradition, we came to realize how valuable this incredible art form truly is and why we should also try our best to help revive it.

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We went to Bakuaicuo Folk Art Village to have a glimpse of different Taiwanese traditional art forms. First, we went in to see the informational posters on the wall in the main building. We also read books on the shelves and took notes. Next, we went to the exhibition building across the street. There we saw Taiwanese Opera costumes for different types of characters. There were also interactive activities for us to learn about Taiwanese Opera. There were boxes like puzzles that we could turn and match with other parts. At last, we came to a screen that played a classic Taiwanese Opera. We were amazed by how interesting the characters moved, interacted, and sang with the traditional tunes. It was good that it provided subtitles for us audiences to understand. We thought the biggest challenge we faced so far was the language barrier since not many of us speak Taiwanese. Then we went outside where we saw statues of different characters. There were sheng(male lead), dan(female lead), jing(a mighty, strong male character), and chauo(gesture). We also imitated all the character’s signature moves to get to feel what it was like to be a Taiwanese Opera actor.

Sheng

Dan

Jing

Chou

After that, we went below Long San Temple to check out a library dedicated to Chen Ia Lan, a famous Taiwanese Opera actress, for more inspiration and ideas about Taiwanese Opera and the industry. When we went outside the library, we saw lots of different stores solely dedicated to traditional Taiwanese performances. It was a great experience for us to learn about what Taiwanese Opera is and get a brief understanding of how this traditional art works.

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“That’s it. It’s over” (Final Bow).

Upon discovering that Sun Tsui Feng and Ming Hwa Yuan were restaging their crossover show "Final Bow" at the National Theatre last October, our curiosity was piqued. We wondered why a famous Taiwanese Opera troupe like Ming Hwa Yuan would opt to perform in this modern story again seven years after its premiere in 2016 and thus decided to attend the performance.

 

Before the show, we felt it would be beneficial to familiarize ourselves with the plot. We discovered that "Final Bow" originated as a short story written by the late nativist literature writer Hung Hsing-Fu. This story, along with the book "Black-Faced Qingzi" in which it was included, received the Daily News Novel Award in 1978. "Final Bow" portrays the decline of traditional culture amidst societal transformation through the lens of a Taiwanese Opera troupe. The story serves not only as a literary work but also as a poignant elegy for those devoted to Taiwanese Opera.

Even though Taiwanese Opera seemed really traditional and old to young people nowadays, it was once a popular type of entertainment in its golden age. We couldn’t understand the glory and sorrow until we attended this show. In the show "Final Bow," we witnessed the challenges faced by the whole industry of Taiwanese Opera during its most tumultuous period, as depicted from the perspective of a Taiwanese Opera troupe. The narrative highlighted how modern forms of entertainment hastened the decline of this traditional art form. In one poignant scene, the troupe felt disheartened by the fact that there were more performers on stage than audience members under the stage. Even though the troupe eventually disbanded, they held onto the belief that this traditional art form would revive in the future. This was underscored by the character Sun Tsui Feng portrayed, A-chou-jay, who proclaimed, "Another golden age will come one day! When that day comes, we are going to perform in the best, grandest theater in the country!" True to their aspirations, as A-chou-jay, portrayed by Sun Tsui Feng, uttered these words, we sat in the audience seats of the National Theater, watching the show. Sun Tsui Feng and Ming Hwa Yuan had endured the deepest valleys and eventually graced the stage of the National Theater, Taiwan's grandest venue, not just once, but multiple times. This exemplified their dedication to promoting Taiwanese Opera and fulfilled the dreams of all Taiwanese Opera troupes.

 

Through this crossover performance, we developed a deep connection to Taiwanese Opera and a renewed commitment to contribute to the preservation of this cultural heritage. We explored and discussed several potential actions to contribute to this revival movement. We agreed that integrating modern elements with Taiwanese Opera, as Sun Tsui Feng and Ming Hwa Yuan are currently doing, would engage younger generations. Additionally, establishing Taiwanese clubs in schools to teach Taiwanese language and culture, including Taiwanese Opera, can help younger generations better understand and appreciate this art form. Furthermore, promoting Taiwanese Opera on platforms like YouTube can make it accessible to younger audiences. These initiatives all contribute to the collective goal of revitalizing Taiwanese Opera. The kind of action plans that we could take to take part in the revival movement of Taiwanese Opera became clearer after watching this show.

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/mhyfans/photos?locale=zh_TW（The Ming Hua Yuan Facebook page was hacked on 3/24. Fortunately, we were able to download the images before this event occurred.）

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Preparation before the Interview

We began studying Ms. Sun's life and watching her works last July, reading about the development and evolution of opera, learning about the Taiwanese language, and going to the Art Village to learn about opera costumes, etc. Last October, after reading Hong Xingfu’s "Final Bow," we went to see Ms. Sun's performances at the National Theater Hall, and we were amazed. During the intermission, we discussed the play within a play and when Ms. Sun's Bao Gong (an official justice) appeared on stage. After the show, we were eager to meet and interview Ms. Sun in person, hoping to learn more about her mission in Taiwanese Opera.

We know that Ms. Sun performed in Nantou, Chiayi, and Tainan last November, and we hope that she will have other activities in the northern part of the country so that we can meet Ms. Sun at her office in Luzhou or at the rehearsal space and have more interaction with her. Before the interview, we did a lot of research about her and her career, so that we can ask more questions that she never shared before. A week before the interview, we prepared questions for her and hoped to have a seed in our hearts for the heritage of Taiwanese Opera.

During the Interview

We were very thrilled when we arrived at the office of Ming Hua Yuan. With great excitement, we continued practicing the questions we were going to ask Ms. Sun; meanwhile, we also tried to practice asking questions in Taiwanese.

As we had many questions that we wanted to ask Ms. Sun, we started taking turns to gather information about her. During the interview, she not only answered our questions about her life, achievements, and the people she thanked, but also taught us how to sing the tunes in Taiwanese Opera and showed us different postures for different roles. We found it very interesting that different roles have different postures, and the audience can distinguish the roles of actors or actresses based on how they point their fingers.

Ms. Sun shared her life story with us and gave us ideas on how we could promote this traditional art in the future. She said that as long as there are people paying attention to operas and participating in the shows, then this art form will last for centuries. As Taiwanese, we should be proud of our art and proud of how this art inspires us.

After the Interview

With the help of the teachers who recorded and filmed the interviews, we were able to listen to the interviews again and confirm the content of our notes. Additionally, we created posters to introduce this well-known actress through the club display. We also began planning the layout of our project website and illustrating images of different roles in Taiwanese Opera to use as materials for the website. Furthermore, we developed a strategy for promoting Taiwanese Opera based on what we learned from Ms. Sun. We hope to share with our schoolmates the experience we had when we spoke with Ms. Sun and felt her deep devotion to Taiwanese Opera and her passion for it. Despite the substantial amount of work we needed to complete, we collaborated and made efforts to schedule our time effectively and create an outline for our Cyberfair action plans.

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