Golden rice waves and drumbeats amaze all as Youren performers stun the audience at Chishang

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department, compiled and reported by Liao Qiyu
 

Against a backdrop of blue skies, green mountains, and drifting clouds, the 7th "Chishang Autumn Harvest Rice Ear Arts Festival," organized by the Taiwan Good Foundation, kicked off over two consecutive days starting October 31. This year, the festival once again invited the renowned Youren Drum Theater to perform in Chishang and, for the first time, brought their production “Beyond Time” outdoors. To adapt to this outdoor presentation, Youren Drum Theater specially adjusted the theatrical content by removing the original floor projection and using natural light and shadow for visual effects. Set against nature’s most beautiful stage, it offered all audience members in Chishang a spiritually enriching sensory feast.

Kuo Wen-chang, chairman of the Taiwan Good Foundation, shared that ever since stepping into Chishang seven years ago, he has not only been deeply captivated by the local scenery but also moved by the simplicity, purity, and cultural richness of the people of Chishang. Over the past seven years, the Taiwan Good Foundation has rooted itself in the land, befriended local farmers, and collaborated with residents to envision various possibilities for Chishang. Leveraging the area’s rich humanistic foundation, and seeing through the same lens as the land and its people, the foundation launched the Chishang Four Seasons activities — “Spring Plowing, Summer Tending, Autumn Harvest, Winter Storage.” In 2009, they invited pianist Chen Guanyu to perform amid golden rice waves, an event that was featured on the website of TIME Magazine, showcasing Chishang’s beauty to the world. On September 16, 2015, The New York Times even published a front-page, full-size photo and related report on Cloud Gate Dance Theatre’s performance of “Rice” in Chishang.

The 2015 "Chishang Autumn Harvest Rice Ear Arts Festival" invited Youren Drum Theater back to Chishang to perform the highly acclaimed work “Beyond Time.” With the golden rice waves of Chishang’s Beilang Boulevard as the backdrop, the beauty of art was displayed, allowing everyone present to shake off distracting thoughts and fully immerse themselves in the present feeling beyond time, guided by the powerful beats of the drums.