Introduction On Taiwanese Opera

　Taiwanese opera or Kua-á-hì is Taiwanese folk culture. It is also the only type of opera in existence that originated from Taiwan. The word “Kua-á” in Kua-á-hì have implications of mountain folksong or little tune. Based on historical researches, Taiwanese Opera originated over a century ago from Langyang Plain, located within Yilan County northeast of Taiwan. Taiwanese opera first began in the form of a minor opera, but later evolved into grand opera after the gradual addition of various costumes and characters. It is an ancient costume opera which involved the use of traditional folksong as base and adaptation of the Chinese traditional theater performing method.

The evolution of Taiwanese Opera

　　The evolution of the Taiwanese Opera was as follows: Lo-deh Sao, Outdoor Taiwanese Opera, Indoor Taiwanese Opera, Taiwanese Opera on Radio, Taiwanese Opera on Movie, Taiwanese Opera on TV, and Taiwanese Opera in Theatre.

　Lo-deh Sao

　The local Taiwanese Opera also called Lo-deh Sao was simple in presentation. There was no costume, no script, and the actors don’t put on make-up. It was an impromptu performance. Also, the performers were all male, because during the time it was thought to be improper for women to appear in public. Presently, there are only few master performers such as Wangcong Chen in the Yilan district who are still passing down this cultural heritage.

Outdoor Taiwanese Opera

　Lo-deh Sao, after the introduction of Che Gu, Siping opera, tea-picking opera, and Luantan opera, gradually progressed into “Lao- kua-á” or Old Taiwanese opera. It gradually replaced the beiguan as thanksgiving performance for the gods during temple festivals and became Outdoor Taiwanese Opera.

Indoor Taiwanese Opera

　During the Japanese Colonial period, many Chinese theatre groups performed in Taiwan. It was during this time that the Taiwanese Opera was greatly influenced by the techniques of opera setting, choreography , and timing of gongs and drums of the Chinese performances and the style of Lianben opera. The newly improved Taiwanese opera became more interesting. Smart theatres managers would grab the chance and invite opera groups to perform in their theatres. The operas were a hit and their performances lasted months. It wasn’t until the introduction of television had their fame begun to plummet.

Taiwanese Opera on Radio

　During the 1950’s Taiwan's major radio stations began to invite Taiwanese opera groups to record and broadcast their performances on air. Later the stations established their own opera group. Since, the broadcasts were dependent on the audio aspect of the opera the music aspect of the Taiwanese opera were made even more interesting and invigorating.

Taiwanese Opera on Movie

　In 1955, the Du Ma Ban Theatre Group made its first Taiwanese opera movie in history, the “Six Wits in West Chamber”. However it didn’t perform well at the box office. In 1956, Cheng-san Chen filmed the “Love Amongst War” which triggered a wave of Taiwanese Opera movies. Opera groups everywhere jumped in for the ride. It was until 1965, that the filming of Taiwanese Opera movies lost its popularity.

Taiwanese Opera on TV

　In1962, Taiwan Television was established and it brought Taiwanese opera to the Screen. First there was the “Golden Phoenix Theatre”, followed by Li-hua Yang which was a hit! Due to the Mandarin policy, the TV station can only broadcast 30 minutes of Taiwanese program per day. This policy led to an alteration in the singing and movements of the Taiwanese opera. In fact, there were also occurrences of Taiwanese opera sang in Mandarin. It was a detrimental blow to the art of Taiwanese opera.

Taiwanese Opera in Theatre

　After the abolishment of Martial Law, the sense of national consciousness elevated. By later 1980’sTaiwanese opera had become the symbol of local cultural art. Apart from a stronger emphasis on singing technique and choreography elements of the western opera were also incorporated into the new Taiwanese opera. The settings and costumes of the opera were more exquisite and glamorous. In fact, Taiwanese opera groups such as Ming Hwa Yuan and Ho-lo Taiwanese Troupe were well acclaimed for their performances oversea.

The roles in Taiwanese Opera

　　The roles in Taiwanese Opera were greatly influenced by Classic Chinese opera. The four basic roles were sheng (male character), dan (female character), Jing (painted face character), and chou (the clown). The role of sheng can be categorized into xiao sheng, lao sheng, and wu sheng. The role of dan can be divided into xiao dan, ku dan, and lao dan. The role of jing is specified painted face such as Guangong , Cao Cao, or Baogong. The role of chou is the seasoning of the opera and the male chou is also called san hua and the female is called san ba or lao bo. The role of a female chou was usually played by a male which makes the opera even more interesting.

Xiao Sheng “Xiao Sheng” or “Wen Sheng” refers to a young male role dressed in a charming and graceful manner who has the ability to sing long notes. A Xiao Sheng is usually paired with a “xiao dan” (young female role) and they are described as “the scholar and the beauty”. The audiences see them as subjects of admiration.
Lao Sheng “Lao Sheng” is a middle aged man who wears a beard. Fine movement and a deep steady voice are the required qualities of a Lao Sheng.
Wu Sheng A “Wu Sheng” is an expert on performing martial skills on stage. He appears handsome, vibrant, and strong.
Xiao Dan A “Xiao Dan” (young female role) must have a beautiful voice, lovely features, and graceful figure. She must also appear pitiful which would lead the audience to have the urge to care for her.
Cai Dan A “Cai Dan” is usually the salt of the Opera. The character is usually a sincere, generous and funny folk lady or someone of a lower status in society, such as a matchmaker or Madam. Through funny and interesting performances the “Cai Dai” reflected the thoughts of the common people.
Hua Dan The greatest characteristic of a Hua Dan is cheerful and swift in movement. The character would sing while holding a handkerchief. An adorable character who can sing and dance.
Jing It is also called “Hua mian” in Taiwanese Opera. In the past, part of the Taiwanese Opera Repertoire derived from Peking opera and Launtan opera, and “Hua mian” inherited the old appearance of painted faces. “Hau mian” are hardly seen in present Taiwanese Opera Repertoire.
Chou This character is funny and silly who is usually a common nobody. It is also an indispensable role which brings the drama alive.

Types of tunes in Taiwanese Opera

　Taiwanese Opera is a combination of Taiwanese minor tunes, theatrical music, and Taiwanese folksong. Sometimes, for the purpose of attracting audiences some performers would create new tunes or even sing popular Asian and western songs. The main types of tunes were as follows:

Seven-word tune

　Due to the unique style of the seven-word tune, often, scholars stress that Taiwanese opera is the only native opera in Taiwan. It is not only a significant representation of Taiwanese Opera it is also indispensable. The seven-word tune or Gezi tune is famous for its unique structure of four lines in a piece and seven words per line. Not only does it possess rich Taiwanese cultural identity, it is also the most used type of tune. In fact it took up most of the repertoire. If an opera doesn’t have seven-word tune, it couldn’t be called Taiwanese opera. The music of the seven-word tune consisted of mainly kezaixian (yehu) and paired with datongxian or the flute.

Crying tune
　　It is usually used during tragic scenes. There are many types of crying tunes such as the commonly seen “big crying tune”, “Mengga crying”, “Yilan crying”, and “Changhua crying”. Also “Jiangxi tune” and “Qionghua tune” were categorized as one of the crying tunes. In extremely tragic scenes crying tunes were applied as a set where the tune is carried on continuously one after another like a suite. The instruments used in “crying tune” were mainly consisted of datongxian or dong-xiao.

Narrative tune

Commonly known as “Za Nian Zai”. During performances the actor reads out loud. It is mostly used in opera with long narratives or complex storyline.

　　Duma tune 　　

　It was the main tune used by the Fujian, Duma opera troupe during its 1948 performance in Taiwan. They had modified Taiwanese opera by using Za Nian Zai, Za Sui Zai and narrative tune as basis of their new opera which was loved by the Taiwanese audiences. It was called the Duma tune by the Taiwanese opera groups. Due to its pleasant and elegant musical qualities it became widely used and became an important tune in Taiwanese opera. The duma tune is often used in romantic or nostalgic scenes. Furthermore, it is also commonly used during long narration and replaced the Za Nian Zai.

Music in Taiwanese Opera

　The music in Taiwanese opera is categorized into wen chang and wu chang. The instruments used in wen chang can play music for singing and therefore is used as singing music, interlude and accompaniment. On the other hand, the instruments used in wu chang can only make rhythm sounds. However, it is extremely important, because it is crucial to the creating of the scene atmosphere; a lift of hand or a kick of foot couldn’t do without it. The cooperation of the wen chang and wu chang greatly enhanced the influence of the opera on its audience.

Makeup in Taiwanese Opera

　The makeup of the female role in Taiwanese Opera is similar to that of Peking opera. The makeup of the male role is more simplified, Unlike the various painted face of Peking opera, it is only composed of a few symbolic strokes. For the example of the roles of sheng and dan, they have to have a handsome appearance. On the other hand, the jing and chou roles have exaggerated beard or black mole to accentuate the unique character of the roles. Nowadays, Taiwanese opera makeup is close to the makeup of ancient costume movies or television shows. It is closer to reality.

Taiwanese Opera Costumes

　　The clothing in Taiwanese Opera commonly called hangtao (costume) is the main element which identifies the roles from their status and sex such as male or female, rich or poor, wen or wu, and young or old. The costumes are categorized into five major types and they are informal and formal clothing for the officials, formal and informal clothing for the common folks and clothing for the martial art characters.

References

1. Tseng, Y.Y. (1988). The development and changes of Taiwanese Opera. Taipei City: Linking Publishing
2. Ministry of Education digital learning site: https://isp.moe.edu.tw/
3. Wikipedia (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/歌仔戲)