Shows

    Traditional arts, rooted in people’s lives and are a form of beauty derived from the art of living, represent a specific way of thinking, different beliefs, cultures and religions that are local to a certain place.

Ø   內門宋江陣Song-Jiang Battle Array

    The Song Jiang Array, originally organized to strengthen, defend, and unite the town, under historical, generational, and government influence, turned into a theatrical drama that combined entertainment for the gods with furtive military training, eventually becoming the well-known folk art that it is today. Many of the weapons used in the martial art were originally modifications of agricultural implements and farming tools, as it evolved as a self-defence military tactic for Taiwanese farmers against invaders

Ø   歌仔戲Taiwanese Opera

    Taiwanese Opera is a very distinct part of Taiwan’s culture, and it is also the only dramatic form to have developed entirely on the island of Taiwan.

    The origin of Taiwanese opera dates back to the early 20th century. Taiwanese opera combines singing with acting. The singing part is based on folk songs in Taiwan, and the acting part is developed from traditional Chinese operas.

    Performers put on traditional costumes on stage and sing in Taiwanese dialects. The local art form is a part of Taiwan's culture and a part of the life of Taiwanese people, reflecting the thoughts, feelings, and aesthetics of the people. The audience can always relate itself to the characters in the performances, and that is why Taiwanese opera outperforms any other art form and has become the most representative performance art of Taiwan. 

Ø   布袋戲Glove Puppetry

    Glove puppetry in Taiwan takes many forms and is performed with greatest vitality. First introduced to Taiwan more than 200 years ago by immigrants from China, a glove puppet performance is a combination of many different aspects of culture, integrating various dialects, folk music, carving, color painting, and puppet manipulation techniques.

    The puppeteers are the magicians who master in the language and hand techniques guides. Being the key player in a glove puppet performance, the puppeteer must learn how to mimic the tones and phraseology of characters of different age and gender.

    Taiwanese glove puppetry is a drama that is deeply embedded in Taiwanese folk society. Nowadays, glove puppetry continues to adjust to changing trends to offer a glamorous and appealing drama.

Ø   電音三太子The Electric-Techno Neon Gods

    A Taiwanese religious folk icon, the Third Prince, who can be seen at temple festivals and street parades, has become a figure in promoting the nation internationally.

    Electric-Techno Neon Gods is the combination of Third Prince in traditional temple fair with electronic music and pop dance. Some Electric-Techno Neon Gods even wear sun glasses, gloves, or put pacifiers in their mouths. It is a sub-cultural performance combined with tradition and innovation, and has become popular rapidly in recent years.

Ø   舞獅 Lion Dance

    The Lion Dance is said to drive away the devil as well as monsters with the sound of gongs, drums and cymbals, and also the fireworks. Therefore, whenever there's a festival, lion dancers will go to every residence to wish the inhabitants good luck and drive out the devil by performing the Lion Dance.

    Originated from China during the Ching Dynasty, Taiwan has created its own Taiwanese Lion Dance. In order to protect themselves from invaders, the ancient people combined the Lion Dance with martial art and later became an entertainment for locals.

Ø   皮影戲Shadow puppetry

    Shadow puppetry has distant origins in China. The shadows are projected on a screen to portray folk performances. Each puppet on screen tells a beautiful and amazing story. In Taiwan, the stories derive mainly from historical events, legends and folk tales.

    In the early days, most shadow puppet theater performances in Taiwan were held to accompany celebrations and religious festivals. Nowadays, a great deal of light and shadow effects are used in the performance, which helps to add creative definition to the shadow puppet show—not only the puppet matters, but light and shadow also play a vital part.

Ø   雲門舞集Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

    Founded by choreographer Lin Hwai-min in 1973, it is a modern dance group based in Taiwan. Cloud Gate thrilled the Taiwan cultural scene when it came into being in the 1970s with an unbroken series of innovative dances and dance directions.

    Cloud Gate blends its roots in Asian mythology, folklore, and aesthetics with a modern sensibility. Dancers practice and perform using such diverse movement disciplines and artistic approaches as tai chi, martial arts, modern dance, and ballet.Cloud Gate created numerous dances that evoked the unique experience of Taiwan people within the larger Chinese and Asian context.

Ø   八部合音Pasibutbut

    Pasibutbut is the ancient Bunun tribe tradition of polyphonic choral singing, which has won them a permanent spot in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Singing with their unique eight-part harmony, the Bunun tribe prays for a plentiful harvest of millet.

    Pasibutbut has also been called the “sound of nature.” There are no words to this song, but rather eight man form a tight circle, each one adding a sound based on nature such as the buzzing of insects or the sound of leaves blowing in the wind to create a unique harmony. This tradition is one of the oldest and most primal kinds of musical expression still existing on Earth.