Visit the Traditional Arts Center to experience the vibrant nightlife and discover the new face of Taiwan’s traditional arts at the night market.

Written/Compiled and Reported by MOOK Travel Life Net’s Chen Guanxin

In the night market story "Chicken Cutlet Hero," which has appeared on the big screen, how will the details of ordinary people's lives take on a unique visual experience through innovative acrobatic performances? Performed by the second graduating class of the Folk Performing Arts Department at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, the show strings together acrobatic acts to form a complete story. It showcases moments from Taiwan’s most representative "night market culture" using diverse acrobatic interpretations, expressing local Taiwanese warmth and unfolding a tale of splendid dreams. The performance will take place on May 19th from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM at the Traditional Arts Center.

The 4th “2012 Traditional Arts Phoenix Flower Graduation Joint Performance,” themed “Rolling with Tradition, Fun with Youth!” involved nine departments from five domestic universities. Traditional opera programs each mobilized nearly a hundred actors, accompanists, and technical staff. This year, graduates from various departments of the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts took the stage. The program includes "Golden Kui Star," adapted from classic folk operas and performed by the Gezaixi (Taiwanese Opera) Department; "Three Thefts of the Nine-Dragon Cup," a martial clown act by the Beijing Opera Department showcasing crisp spoken lines and agile martial arts; and the Hakka Opera Department—Taiwan’s only specialized Hakka opera department—performing classic excerpts "Worshiping the Moon" and "Three Battles with Xue Pinggui," highlighting the distinctive flavors of Hakka music with its unique “nine tunes and eighteen melodies.”

The music programs brought together five major traditional music departments in Taiwan: Taipei National University of the Arts, National Kaohsiung University of the Arts, the Music Department at Chinese Culture University, the Traditional Music Department at National Taiwan University of Arts, and the Opera Music Department at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, presenting the diverse facets of traditional music. Among them, the Traditional Music Department at Taipei National University of the Arts, which focuses mainly on northern and southern pipe music, planned the “FUN Four! Play Music” concert, reviving the beauty of traditional northern pipe scores, southern pipe melodies, pipa, and guqin. The “Thirteen Tones – A Feast of Opera Music” by the Opera Music Department at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, performed by a chamber ensemble, highlighted three main themes: Hakka opera, Gezaixi, and Beijing opera music elements, recreating theatrical scenes with rich musical tones.

This series of events runs every Saturday and Sunday until May 27th at the Jiang Weishui Performance Hall or the Quyi (Folk Art) Theater at the Traditional Arts Center. This coming Saturday (12th), the Beijing Opera Department of the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts will perform "Ode to 101" featuring "The Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers" and "Three Thefts of the Nine-Dragon Cup." On Sunday (13th), the Chinese Music Group Master’s Program of the Music Department at Chinese Culture University will present the “Youth Folk Music Collection” concert. Tickets for all programs are available by reservation. Reservation hotline: 03-970-5815 ext. 1386, 1365, or visit the Traditional Arts Center website: www.ncfta.gov.tw.

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