Taiwanese (folk) opera (Taiwanese: koa-á-hì; Mandarin: 歌仔戲, Gezaixi; lit. "song-drama") is the only form of Han traditional drama known to have originated in Taiwan, specifically the Yilan region. The language used is a stylized combination of both literary and colloquial registers of Taiwanese. Its earliest form adopted elements of folk songs from Zhangzhou. The story elements are traditionally based on folk tales of the Minnan region.
Taiwanese opera was later exported to the Min Nan-speaking areas.
In the early 1980s Taiwanese opera was brought to the television audience, with Iûⁿ Lē-hoa (楊麗花) as its popular face. The artistic elements remained largely traditional, however.
Modern and experimental forms show some propensity for syncretism. Western instruments such as the saxophone and guitar have been used in some performances. Loose Western adaptations have included Nikolai Gogol's The Inspector General [1]. Perhaps due to the influence of the Taiwanese localization movement, stories set in Taiwan, as well as aboriginal characters and stories, have been developed in recent years.
Taiwanese forms of the Hakka tea-picking opera show some influence.
Fans of the opera attribute its continuing relevance to a willingness of performers to adapt to modern times in terms of style and artistic diversity.
External links
- Taiwanese Opera WebDex Brief introduction to Taiwanese Opera, photo gallery, online music, et. al. (in English)
- Taiwanese Opera Introduction, photo gallery, online music, forum, and more resources. (in Mandarin)
