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Shuochang Groups in Taiwan
Han Lin Shuochang Group: In Chinese, ‘Han Lin’ means ‘the rain of the Han people irrigates the world.’Time of inception: January 1985
Han Lin Shuochang Group is the first professional shuochang group in Taiwan. It is dedicated to the promotion of shuochang. Starting from scouting, studying, introducing, performing, promoting, educating, passing down, and nurturing professional shuochang performers, Han Lin has been the front runner in raising young generations of shuochang performers. Members of Han Lin also formed T.Q.T., Dragon Shuochang Experimental Group, Comedians Workshop, and Comedian Shuochang Art Group. In recent years, Han Lin has been working on ‘Shuochang for Children.’ It runs children’s shuochang camps annually to promote this art form, so the seeds of shuochang can germinate and grow in order to pass down this Chinese tradition. Da Han Yu Ji Drama GroupTime of inception: 1986
Da Han Yu Ji Drama Group got its name from an ancient saying ‘da han sound of divine, smooth like pearl, sleek like jade.’ This professional shuochang group focuses on ‘talking’ and ‘singing,’ and its artists are talented in performing gu qu type of shuochang music, cross talks, and yun yong type of comical acts. The group is divided into ‘acting & promoting team,’ ‘educating team,’ and ‘video team’ for the purpose of preserving scripts, creating, promoting, performing, and continuing the art of shuochang. In Da Han group, talking and singing are deemed equally important, and shuochang drama is another specialty of the group. Da Han has toured around Taiwan, Southeast Asia, China, and Korea to promote the art of shuochang. In recent years, Da Han as strengthened its bond with the academic circle to study and promote the art of shuochang. The group sees promoting shuochang through literature, music, and drama as its foremost priority. Da Han has made bringing art and education together as it prime mission, and it is working on preserving and publishing precious shuochang scripts and artifacts from China and Taiwan for future generations to enjoy. Comedians WorkshopTime of inception: June 1988
Comedians Workshop is a shuochang group in Taiwan, and it is dedicated to revolutionize and revamp this traditional art form. Its works are sometimes filled with sarcasm, and they mock the society of some seemingly bizarre phenomenon, usually outrageous doings of celebrities or politicians. Its bold and out-of-box mentality allowed Comedians Workshop to progress with time, garnering support from the younger audience. Even until today, its popularity is still rising among the young. Director Feng Yi Gang said, “Cross talks is the pinnacle of Chinese language. It is a ‘live’ form of performing art. Therefore, there should not be a division between cross talks being traditional or modern. Cross talks should exist in different eras in different language formats, so it will survive through the testing of time.” Taipei Quyi Team (T.Q.T.)Time of inception: August 1993
Taipei Quyi Team has been promoting the education of shuochang for years, and it insists shuochang should maintain its authenticity. It should be bold to create based on its rich tradition and focus on training its performers the basics skills of shuochang. T.Q.T. is constantly writing new scripts to reflect current events. There will be at least two large scale ticketed shows every year. T.Q.T created three programs: Taipei Big Bowl of Tea, Very Cross Talks, and Fun Traveling with Quyi, according to the performance type and content. In 2005, T.Q.T. created its education department to train shuochang teachers and provide the resources they need. T.Q.T. also organizes public shows for its students to nurture and solidify the future of shuochang in Taiwan. Wu Zhao Nan Cross Talks & Drama ClubTime of inception: August 26th, 1999
Wu Zhao Nan Cross Talks & Drama Club is instructed by cross talks master Wu Zhao Nan in person. Since only his direct disciples are allowed to become a member of the club, the club’s list of membership is not long. Most club members have had trainings in drama or other forms of performing art. Besides cross talks, the club also touches on theatric plays and traditional drama, so hence the name Wu Zhao Nan Cross Talks & Drama Club. Han Lin More Shuochang GroupTime of inception: September 18th, 2003
This is Taiwan’s first professional shuochang group for children. Han Lin More Shuochang Group is founded by teachers from Han Lin Folklore Shuochang Group who are devoted to teaching and developing the art of shuochang. The group paid special attention when selecting its name. In Chinese, the group name encourages children to perform on stage with magical power. In English, the group name wishes to create possibilities for enjoyment, learning, and development.
Source：Han Lin Shuochang Group, Taipei Quyi Team, Comedians Workshop, Wu Zhao Nan Cross Talks & Drama Club, Da Han Yu Ji Drama Group, Han Lin More Shuochang Group｜Text: Cathy, Jenny of the Original Artsy Shuochang Posse | |||||
The art of shuochang covers a broad scope, and it includes more than three hundred different types of performances. Due to lack of teachers and skilled personnel playing accompaniment, the development of qu yi in Taiwan has been limited to Taiwanese opera, cross talks, fast clapper talks, and ping shu. As a result, shuochang groups in Taiwan are focused on these types of performances as well. The following are a few well-known shuochang groups in Taiwan that have been actively performing and promoting the art of shuochang.
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