Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
folksy and down-to-earth form of opera, making use of folk stories and sayings and, of
course, the Hokkien language. The occasional martial arts display is a result of a merger
of Beijing Opera and Taiwanese Opera troupes in the 1920s.
Dance
Modern dance in Taiwan has its roots in the 1940s, when it was introduced by the Japan-
ese. In the 1960s and '70s a number of outstanding dancers, trained abroad or influenced
by American dancers who had toured Taiwan, began to form their own troupes and
schools, some of which remain influential today.
The most highly regarded is the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan (
Click here
)
,
founded in the early 1970s by Lin Hwai-min. Lin was a student under Martha Graham
and upon his return to Taiwan in 1973 desired to combine modern dance techniques with
Chinese opera.
Lin's first works were based on stories and legends from Chinese classical literature.
Soon, however, Lin decided to try to explore Taiwanese identity in his work.
Legacy,
one
of Lin's most important works, tells the story of the first Taiwanese settlers. Later works
are more abstract and meditative as Lin explored Tibetan, Indian and Indonesian influen-
ces. No matter what, Cloud Gate performances are breathtaking in their colour and
movement.
It's common to see free performances of opera held on stages outside local temples.
Check out Bao'an Temple, Xiahai City God Temple and also Dadaocheng Theatre.
Cinema
Taiwanese cinema began in 1901 with Japanese-made documentaries and feature films.
Many of these show the progress of Taiwan under colonial rule and were clearly meant
for a Japanese audience.
In the 1960s the Nationalist government created the Central Motion Picture Corpora-
tion (CMP) and a genuine movie industry took off. During the 1960s and '70s, audiences
were treated to a deluge of romantic melodramas and martial arts epics.
In the 1980s a New Wave movement began as directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien broke
away from escapism to depict the gritty reality of Taiwan life. Hou's most successful
film,
City of Sadness
(1989), follows the lives of a Taiwanese family living through the
KMT takeover of Taiwan and the 2-28 Incident. This movie was the first to break the si-
lence around 2-28 and won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
