Call of the Mountains and Shi Weiliang |
Not many know that Shi Weiliang had tried his hand at writing soundtracks for several films throughout the course of his creative career. These movies include Hsi Shih, Beauty of Beauties, directed by Li Han-hsiang in 1965, A Perturbed Girl, directed by Sung Tsun-shou in 1965, Fire Bulls, directed by Lee Hsing, Lee Chia, and Pai Jingrui in 1966, and Call of the Mountains, directed by Yeung Man-gam in 1967. Shi took up the job of writing soundtracks because his friend Guo Ren who was the art director in those films had recommended him.
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The Chronicles of Taiwanese Vernacular Literature |
Taiwanese culture is composed of a diversity of peoples, and its destiny is strikingly analogous to the natural geological features of the island: young and prone to earthquakes and typhoons. The alternating process of destruction and construction seems to be the core of Taiwanese identity. Because of this fateful cycle of history, a strong sense of uncertainty and restlessness haunts the minds of the islanders. Diverse cultures should coexist in harmony, cherishing each others’ languages and cultures. However, under political turbulence, languages and cultures become memorial statues that were demolished or erected along the great tides of history.
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Stan Lai (賴聲川), a Leader in Asian Theater Arts |
Stan Lai (Sheng-chuan Lai) is the most celebrated Chinese language playwright/ director in the world, renowned not only for creating some of the most memorable works for the contemporary Chinese stage, but also for creating bold new genres and staging innovations. Based in Taiwan, Lai has continually pioneered new horizons in modern Chinese theatre, writing of the beauty and frailty of human spirit through unforgettable characters and imaginative structures. China’s most prominent critic Yu Qiuyu once said that Lai’s work “always has the ability to touch the heartstrings of countless audiences.” Lai’s 30 original plays have been described as being “rare works that delicately blend fine art with popular culture.” His most famous work “Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land” (1986), which combines tragedy and comedy in most creative ways, .....
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Wang Chi-Mei (汪其楣), an Indispensable Figure in Taiwanese Theatre Arts |
Chi-Mei Wang was born in 1946. Upon graduating from Taipei First Girls’ High School, she began studying in the Department of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan University. After the completion of her degree in 1968, she entered her first job as a junior high school teacher but soon after left to study for an M.A. in theatre at the University of Oregon in the United States. During her time there, she studied many aspects of theatre including performance, directing, design, production and education, as well as acting as a director and writer for the school’s drama club. In 1976 she returned to Taiwan, teaching at Chinese Culture University and acting as a director for the Music Department’s opera performances as well as directing all other kinds of productions and performances. At the same time, she coordinated with other like-minded colleagues to establish an artisan workshop while concurrently founding the Taipei Pantomime Company to promote the research and understanding of the culture and language of the deaf. .....
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Yao Yi-Wei (姚一葦), the “Mentor of a Generation” in Taiwanese Theatre Arts |
Professor Yi-Wei Yao, born Gong-Wei Yao (April 5, 1922 – April 11, 1997), grew up near Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, China. At the age of 16 in 1938, he entered Jian Middle School. Not long after though, several years of successive warring began and he was forced to move with the school. Finally he was admitted to Xiamen University and made the school his new home. After graduating in 1946, Yao moved to Taiwan to work. However, political turmoil soon erupted in China, resulting in Taiwan being diplomatically cut off from the mainland. It was not until 51 years later, in 1989, that Yao was able to visit his home in China again. Yao worked at Bank of Taiwan for 36 years. Throughout his life, Yao found immense pleasure in reading at his leisure time. He aspired in creative writings and teaching, and firmly believed in the spirit of traditional humanities and classical aesthetics. His studies were rigorous and his creative concepts far-reaching. .....
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Hsu Tsang-Houei (許常惠), the Taiwanese Composer and Folklore Music Collector |
Professor Hsu Tsang-Houei, born in Changhua, Taiwan in 1929, is a leading figure among Taiwanese composers. Hsu graduated from the Department of Music at National Taiwan Normal University and then went to Paris in 1954 to study composition with André Jolivet. His music was influenced by Claude Debussy, Béla Bartók and Chinese composer Kwang-Chi Wang. In 1959 Hsu returned to Taiwan and introduced the liberal thinking and twentieth-century composition techniques to Taiwan. He taught at several music departments and introduced avant-garde ideas to the country. .....
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