In Taiwan, the performing arts are typically classified into the broad categories of music, dance, drama, and traditional opera, with further subdivisions within each category. For instance, traditional opera includes Taiwanese opera, Peking opera, glove puppetry, Beiguan opera, Hakka opera, and others, while dance includes folk dance, modern dance, and indigenous dance. Some genres are difficult to categorize, such as circus acts, immersive experiences, and magic, and some are classified as "integrated art" or included in one of the above listed categories.[1]
Due to the specificities of its geographic location and temporal spatial contexts, Taiwan has experienced various regimes and has different ethnic groups and races, resulting in a variety of cultural systems and sources, which have integrated, resisted, converged, or competed with each other and have all continued to transform and evolve through time, civilizations, and development.[2]
From the Kingdom of Tungning to Qing Dynasty
To a certain degree, the performing arts originate in rites and rituals. For instance, indigenous dances include festival dance, social rites dance, and recreational dance. Early records of Taiwanese performing arts include dances performed at indigenous festivals, including the Pasta'ay and the Maleveq festivals of the Paiwan, the Amis Milalikis or Misacepo' and Harvest festival, the Flying fish festival of the Tao, and the Mangayau festival of the Puyuma, etc.[3]
The folk beliefs of the Han people arrived when residents along the coastal regions of Fujian and Guangdong came to Taiwan during the Kingdom of Tungning period between 1661 and 1683. Popular regional performances during this time included Nanguan, Beiguan, Teochew opera, Taiwanese opera, glove puppetry, marionette puppetry, shadow puppetry, as well as song and dance performance activities such as chariot and drum pageantry, plowing pageantry, and others.[4] These theatrical and musical elements and activities not only provided spiritual comfort but also became a breeding ground for traditional Taiwanese drama. From the dominance of the Nanguan opera in the early Qing dynasty to the popularity of Beiguan opera in the late Qing, family troupes, professional theatrical troupes, and apprentice associations began to form, which laid a foundation for the development of Taiwanese folk dance. Nanguan and Beiguan music were the predominant musical form during this period.[5]
Taiwan's performing arts during this time still tended toward folk beliefs and ceremonial rites, or as recreation during agricultural slack seasons. Commercial and professional performances had not yet been developed. Performing arts as we know it rose to prominence only with the rise of theaters after urbanization and the involvement of industry professionals, who elevated performances to the level of artistry, and such development did not occur until the Japanese colonial period. This was preceded by the development of Taiwan's fine arts and music in the 17th century, when the island was ruled by the Spanish in the north and the Dutch in the south, accompanied by the arrival of missionaries, who established churches to proselytize and introduced Western church music to Taiwan. With the successive defeats suffered by the Qing Dynasty, European traders arrived in troves after the mid-19th century, setting up chambers of commerce and branch offices in Taiwan and bringing Western culture with them. With the increasing number of missionaries, Western art and music was also imparted through the church system.[6]
Japanese colonial period
Subsequent to the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the defeated Qing dynasty signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan to Japanese rule beginning in 1895.[7] Western music education systems were introduced to Taiwan along with Japanese rule. At the time, "music" was a core subject officially rooted in the Taiwanese education curriculum, and was a compulsory subject in the teacher training system. It became an important part of the system that cultivated Taiwanese composers. In addition to learning from the education curriculum, dancers as well as musicians departed for Japan to pursue further studies.[8]
Prior to the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, the professional Beiguan theatrical troupes were active throughout Taiwan. The popularity of Peking opera in Taiwan influenced the development of various theatrical genres, such as Beiguan opera and Siping opera. Taiwanese opera began to develop from the Yilan region to become the only theatrical genre that originated in Taiwan. Other theatrical genres such as the Hakka tea harvest drama and glove puppetry also proliferated, while the number of glove puppetry troupes had remained the highest among all theatrical genres since the Japanese colonial period.[9]
At the same time, Taiwan's modern drama began to germinate. In contrast to performing through songs in traditional operas, these were called "New Drama" and were set in a contemporary social environment, where performers wore modern clothing and spoke the vernacular against a modern set design, which diverged entirely from the traditional opera. The rise and fall of the development of "New Drama" in Taiwan's theatrical history were influenced by factors in the "political environment." For instance, the Taiwanese Cultural Association was established in 1921 by Lin Hsien-tang, Chiang Wei-shui, Tsai Pei-huo, Wang Min-chuan and others in the hope to change ideological concepts in the society and culture at the time as well as to reform unpleasant social customs and elevate the cultural standards of the general public through theater, which was therefore referred to as "Cultural Drama."[10]
In the field of dance, performances by the pioneer of Japanese modern dance Baku Ishii and Korea dancer Choi Seung-hee in Taiwan in 1930 catalyzed a trend among early Taiwanese dancers, represented by Tsai Jui-yueh, Lee Tsai-er, Lee Shu-fen, to study in Japan. Upon ruling Taiwan, the Japanese government worked to put an end to practices such as foot binding, striving to make strides toward modernization.[11] The visit to Taiwan by modern dancers was of symbolic historical significance. Japan also provided a conduit for the introduction into Taiwan of ballet -- the epitome of Western culture.[12]
Under the Kominka (Japanization) Movement implemented during the late Japanese colonial period, most traditional operas were banned or forced to take on different performance formats. As a result, a profusion of professional theatrical troupes sprang up in an attempt to replace the gaps in the market after the ban on traditional opera. However, the initial fervor in the development of New Drama was limited by conditions of social development and political factors, and faced scrutiny and suppression from the Japanese authorities as well as the Nationalist government that followed. Even Lu Chuan-sheng’s Castrated Chicken, a Taiwanese opera created through Western composition techniques, came under the scrutiny of the ruling powers. Ultimately, the major creative forces of New Drama could only rely on amateur performances. Without more profound artistic achievements and lacking in entertainment value, these works gradually fell out of the mainstream.[13]
From post-war to the martial law period
In the early post-war period, professional theater troupes of various regional theatrical genres from China arrived in Taiwan, which were more or less connected with the government or the military. Examples included Yu opera, Qinqiang, Peking opera, Sichuan opera, Yue opera, etc. In terms of dance, the authorities did not place limitations on the style or content of dance performances between 1945 and 1950. Whether they're Japanese creative dance, Western ballet, Christian cultural themes, or exotic dances drawn from various cultures around the world, the first generation of Taiwanese dancers were free to create and teach.[14]。
However, after the 228 incident erupted in 1947, the Taiwan Provincial Chief Executive Office promulgated the Regulations on the Management of Theatrical Troupes in the Taiwan Province, requiring all performances and activities to apply for registration in advance and strengthening control over theatrical activities and speech.[15]In 1949, the Nationalist government comprehensively retreated to Taiwan and immediately promulgated the Martial Law. Subsequent to the repressive rule of the Kominka Movement, the Martial Law further exerted pressures and centralized power over the thoughts, actions and personal freedoms of the Taiwanese people, while suppressed the freedoms of performing arts activities at the same time.[16]
For example, the establishment of the Chinese Literature and Arts Awards Committee in 1950 provided a sizable monetary award for the creation of literary and artistic works with a "national cultural consciousness" and "highlighting anticommunist and anti-Russian significance." The subsequently founding of the Chinese Writers' and Artists' Association, which incorporated a group of theater workers, along with theatrical troupes established by the military and academic institutions brought anticommunist and anti-Russian works to an apex in theater as well as in dance. Dance was regarded as a tool for reviving national culture and for uniting the collective consciousness of the people. The "created tradition" of "folk dance movement" was born within this temporal context.[17]
In regards to traditional theater, Taiwanese opera was popularly received in commercial theaters during the Japanese colonial period and reached a further peak in the post-war 1960s. It was incorporated into broadcast, film, and television media along with transformations in mass media. Glove puppetry progressed along a similar route. Anti-communist and anti-Russian literature and art placed similar restraints and restrictions on traditional theater, with the exception of Peking opera. Though popularly received in Taiwan prior to the arrival of the Nationalist government, Peking opera was nurtured in the military and enjoyed a developmental ecology that differed from other theatrical arts. The mechanisms for cultivating talents of Peking opera included formal education in the school system as well as schools affiliated with theater troupes, and thus private and public theatrical schools emerged in consequence. These schools did not only nurture operatic talents but many circus and acrobatic talents as well. In terms of music, there were a number of educational systems established respectively by musicians from mainland China as well as by Taiwanese musicians who have studied in Japan.[18]
The introduction of modern dance in the 1960s played a pivotal role in the Cold War era. The Western cultural trends, the mainstay in modernist ideologies and aesthetics at that time, had a profound influence in Taiwan and opened up international perspectives during the Martial Law era. The diplomatic setbacks of the 1970s, including the withdrawal from the United Nations and severance of the diplomatic ties between the ROC and the United States, made Taiwanese people turn to culture and begin to seek for their own identity and national legitimacy. The Cloud Gate Dance Theater was established at this time.[19]
After the lifting of martial law
The first phase of Taiwan's Little Theater Movement basically began to germinate in the 1960s, prior to the lifting of Martial Law, with Li Man-kue, who was devoted to promoting theatrical performances and organizing events such as world theater festivals and youth theater festivals. Performance activities targeted students on campus. Although Li had a strong political backing and served as a member of the play script review committee of the Chinese Literature and Arts Awards Committee, she actively promoted theatrical performances for children, students in universities, women, and religious groups in hopes that drama could play a role in social education.[20]At the same time, magazines introducing Western art, film, drama, and creative theories also created new connections between Taiwan and Western culture in the context towards the lifting of Martial Law.[21]
In 1980, Yao Yi-wei, then chairman of the Stage Play Appreciation Committee, launched the first Experimental Theatre Festival, presenting new styles that diverged from traditional dramatic forms and opened up a dialogue between traditional and modern dramas and enabled more people to see new possibilities. This greatly influenced the later development of modern drama and is regarded as a major milestone in the development of Taiwan's modern drama.[22] As a result, Lanlin Theatre Troupe, which performed in the inaugural Experimental Theatre Festival, officially launched the wave of Taiwan's Little Theater movement full of avant-garde and experimental character. It ushered in an era that gradually made strides toward the lifting of Martial Law and welcomed various stages of the Little Theater movement as well as more drastic social, artistic, and cultural changes.[23]
Around the time when Martial Law was lifted, Taiwan experienced an accelerating disparity between the rich and the poor brought by rapid industrialization.[24] In addition to responding to social issues through various experimental styles of drama, dance provided a response to contemporaneity through the narrative methods of post-modern dance. Masters, authorities, and celebrity dancers are no longer held on a pedestal. Instead, with the bold use of daily life as the subject of dance, the core of post-modern dance lies in breaking the boundaries between life and art and challenging the hierarchies of dance. To a certain degree, it had a mutual resonance with the Little Theater movement of that era.
At the same time, various genres of performing arts transcended their existing frameworks. "Transcultural" and "transdisciplinary" became mainstreams for certain types of creation and discourse. In addition to searching for artistry, they also explored potential for commercial entertainment. As creative content moves toward freedom and diversity, the division of labor within the theater has gradually become comprehensive through professional training and international cooperation,[25] including stage, lighting, music, and sound effects designs, etc. Dramaturgy,[26] theater consultants, creative partners,[27] and various creative and production platforms[28] that have been adopted in recent years have opened up more possibilities for the creative environment of Taiwan's performing arts.
The music of Taiwan reflects the diverse culture of Taiwanese people. Taiwan has undergone several economic, social, and political changes through its cultural history, and Taiwanese music reflects those issues in its way. The music of the country has adopted a mixed style. As a country rich in Chinese folk culture and with many indigenous tribes with their own distinct artistic identity, various folk music styles are appreciated in Taiwan. In addition, people in Taiwan highly appreciate various style of Western classical music and pop music. Taiwan is a major Mandopop hub.
The National Chinese Orchestra, Taiwan is a national-level Chinese orchestra of Taiwan. It is currently a dispatched unit of the National Center for Traditional Arts under the Ministry of Culture. The orchestra is stationed at the Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center in Taipei City.
Ming Hwa Yuan is the largest Taiwanese opera troupe, founded in 1929 by Chen Ming-Chi (陳明吉) and theater owner Tsai Bin-Hwa (蔡炳華). The Chen family has maintained a dedicated presence in Taiwan's opera industry for over four generations. Following the passing of its founding leader, Chen Ming-chi, in 1997, the second-generation director, Chen Sheng-Fu, undertook a comprehensive restructuring of the organization.
Literary Day is observed annually on May 4 in Taiwan, in honor of the May Fourth Movement. It was first celebrated on this day in 1945, and its establishment was affected by the dispute over whether the Kuomintang or the Communist Party was the legitimate successor to the May Fourth Movement, disagreements about how to interpret the movement, and other cultural struggles.
Loong Kim Sang is a Cantonese opera performer. She is widely regarded as a pioneer in playing “Wenwusheng” lead male roles, combining literary opera and martial arts scenes.
Chinese traditional music includes various music genres which have been inherited for generations in China. Specifically, this term refers to the music genres originated in or before Qing dynasty. According to the appearance, the genres can be classified into instrumental ensemble, instrumental solo, theatre, shuochang, dance music and song. It is now the primary classification in both research and education, although some genres contain different forms of performance and thus do not belong to a single category. The genres could also be classified into literati music, folk music, religious music and palace music, according to their cultural connotations or purpose.
Si̍t-chûn Movement, inasmuch as the Kyoto School, Neo-Confucianism and other prominent philosophical movements in the early-twentieth-century East Asia, is a significant philosophical movement during the Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan, in which the intellectuals in the 1920s formulated their reflections on the Taiwanese community through the western values and thoughts and wedged against the colonial domination and imperial assimilation. Si̍t-chûn Movement was intensely bond with political and cultural counter-imperialism, involving intellectuals e.g. Lin Mosei(zh:林茂生), Hung Yao-hsün(zh:洪耀勳), Wen Kwei Liao(zh:廖文奎), Mingdian Liu(zh:劉明電), Shao-Hsing Chen(zh:陳紹馨), Lin Qiu-wu(zh:林秋悟), Hsiang-yu Su(zh:蘇薌雨), Shenqie Zhang(zh:張深切), Chin-sui Hwang(zh:黃金穗), Shoki Coe(zh:黃彰輝), Isshū Yō(zh:楊杏庭), C K Wu(吳 振坤), and so forth. 'At the begin,' according to the Taiwanese cultural sociologist Ren-yi Liao 's 1988 grounding formulation, 'Taiwanese Philosophy has been a civil intellectual movement against domination, rather than an academic form of conception.' 'Si̍t-chûn Movement', however, has yet ratified and systemically studied until 2014.
Philosophy in Taiwan is the set of philosophical traditions in Taiwan, while Taiwanese philosophy is taken to mean philosophical work from the country. Philosophical thought in Taiwan is diverse, drawing influence from Chinese philosophy during Qing rule from the 17th and 18th century, and Western philosophy through the Kyoto School during Japanese rule in the 19th and early 20th century. Taiwanese philosophy took a more endogenous turn during the modern era, with burgeoning philosophical debate regarding Taiwanese Gemeinschaft.
The Fujian–Taiwan relations, also known as the Min–Tai relations, refers to the relationship between Fujian, which is located in mainland China, and Taiwan, which is across the Taiwan Strait. Since the average width of the Taiwan Strait is 180 kilometers, Fujian and Taiwan are adjacent, similar in both climate and environment. Although the relationship between Taiwan and Fujian has changed with the development of history, the two places have maintained close relations in terms of personnel, economy, military, culture and other aspects. At present, Taiwan residents are mostly descendants of immigrants from mainland China, of which the southern Fujian ethnic group is the main group, accounting for 73.5% of Taiwan's total population. In terms of culture, language, religion, and customs, Fujian and Taiwan also share similarities.
Washington DC Taiwanese School is a Taiwanese-American nonprofit organization that was established in 1983. The school offers classes on Sunday afternoons at Cabin John Middle School in Potomac, MD, with a curriculum focused on language learning, cultural immersion, and community engagement.
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Zhuang Jin-Cai (1935 – July 3, 2021）was a Taiwanese traditional theatre musician who was born in Dongshan Township, Yilan. He was the founder and head of the Hanyan Beiguan Troupe. He was also the winner of National Award for Arts, Yilan Cultural Awards, The Global Chinese Culture & Arts Award, and Folk Art Heritage Award.
Zoo-anthropomorphic jade earring is a jade ornament that dates back to the Neolithic Period in Taiwan. It is believed to have been worn as a pendant on the ears, given its notches and the evidence from unearthed contexts. The earring features two human figures with their hands on their waists and their legs spread wide apart. On top of their heads is a beast that resembles a cat, pig, or deer. The feet of the beast are connected to the heads. The feet of the human figures. While there are variations, including single-person or multiple-ring designs, such jade pendants are primarily found in Taiwan, making them highly unique.
Frog-shaped jade ornament was unearthed in the archaeological site at Yenliao, Hualien, Taiwan in 1994 It can be dated back to 2,800 to 2,300 years ago. It is one of the most significant jade ornaments of the Huakangshan Culture during the Neolithic period. It is thought to have been used as a pendant.
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Hsu Shih was a post-World War II Taiwanese composer who created many Taiwanese ballads, including "Anping Memories ," "The Sound of the Gongs ," and "Night in Nandu " as his masterpieces. In 1946, Hsu Shih returned to Taiwan from Japan and gradually collected and organized Taiwanese folk songs scattered in various places and promoted local music. He used orchestral music to raise the status of Taiwanese folk songs and organized choral tours with Taiwanese characteristics, pioneering the trend of popular music.
Ma Pai-Shui, born Ma Shi-Xiang, was a painter and art educator. He was born in Shanchenggou, Benxi County, Liaoning Province, China. After settling in Taiwan in 1948, he served as a teacher for 27 years, exerting a profound influence on the education and development of watercolor painting in post-war Taiwan. In 1975, he retired and moved to the United States. He passed away in 2003.
Parade formations, also known as "Tīn-thâu" in Taiwanese Hokkien or "Zhen Tou" in Mandarin, are a traditional folk art originating from China. As a part of worship activities and temple festivals, members of communities express gratitude to the gods by escorting them in a procession. This practice can be either performed while walking or in fixed locations along the streets, incorporating elements of acrobatics and folk dramas. The term “Zhen Tou” came from coastal regions like Fuzhou and Minnan in China. The folk art has flourished in Taiwan, particularly in the southern regions where the highest number and variety of Zhen Tou can be found.
Lotus Pond is a gelatin painting by Taiwanese painter Lin Yu-shan. This painting was archived by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and is now a national treasure of the Republic of China. It is one of the most well-known modern paintings in Taiwan.
↑ 陳揚威. "現代舞與文化認同 當代臺灣原住民編舞者研究" [Modern Dance and Cultural Identity-A Study on Contemporary Indigenous Choreographers in Taiwan]. 美學與藝術管理研究所學術論文. 南華大學 – via 臺灣博碩士論文網.
↑ 陳新瑜 (2018). "1949年以降 台灣傳統戲曲發展初探" [The Preliminary Study on Taiwanese Traditional Opera in 1949]. 中文文學系博士論文. 東吳大學.
↑ 邱坤良 (2013). "時空流轉，劇場重構：十七世紀臺灣戲劇與戲劇中的臺灣" [Changes of Time and Space, and Reconstruction of the Theatre: The Seventeenth Century Taiwanese Theatre and Taiwan in Theatre]. 戲劇研究. 無 (第12期): 1-32. doi:10.6257/JOTS.2013.12001.
↑ 邱坤良. "理念、假設與詮釋：臺灣現代戲劇的日治篇" [Concept, Assumption and Interpretation: The Chapter of Taiwanese Modern Theatre under Japanese Rule]. Taipei Theatre Journal (13): 7-34.
↑ Wang, Tsu-Liang. "戒嚴時期國民黨威權統合主義下的臺灣省地方戲劇協進會" [The Development of the Taiwan Provincial Local Theatre Association under the KuoMingTang Corporative Authoritarian Rule during the Martial Law Period]. 歷史學系碩士論文. 國立臺灣師範大學.
↑ Chen, Pi-Hua (2011). "反共年代臺灣歷史劇的美學與政治── 李曼瑰歷史劇與戰後戲劇運動之展開（1949–1975）" [Aesthetics and Politics of Taiwanese Chronicle Play in Anti-Communism Era: Launch of Li Man-Gui's Chronicle Plays and Post-war Drama Movement (1949–1975)]. 台灣文學研究所碩士論文. 國立中興大學.
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