Heritage to Future

Taiwan Folk Song Seedlings Transmission Project

Hong Foundation, long a supporter of local culture and art, and the Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Association, founded by music composer CHEN MINGZHANG, recognized the crisis facing the continuation of traditional storytelling and Chhia-kó opera, both of which have rich cultural heritage. In 2024, they jointly launched the two-year Taiwan Folk Song Seedlings Transmission Project.

The project invited The Syuyang Traditional Chhia-kó Opera Troupe’s Taiwanese Nanguan, founded by WU TIANLUO, recipient of the "Lifetime Achievement Award in Folk Art," to serve as instructors. Taiwan's Chhia-kó opera storytelling and rap art focuses on the historical life and culture of agricultural society. Its performances are humorous, playful, and lively, incorporating diverse opera styles, including Chhia-kó opera and Nanguan, storytelling, musicals, four-sentence couplets, and dazuigu (dà zui gu) xiangbao, embodying the essence of Taiwanese folk aesthetics. We hope that through the oral and hands-on mentoring program among artisans, this Taiwanese folk music culture can be preserved and passed down from generation to generation.

Course period｜ 2024-2025

Organizer｜ Hong Foundation

Executive｜ Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Association ( FB )

Lecturer Group│The Syuyang Traditional Chhia-kó Opera Troupe’s Taiwanese Nanguan

WANG QINGBIAO / Daguangxian performance He has partnered with WU TIANLUO since their youth, and the two are of similar age. WANG QINGBIAO plays a key role in the Syuyang, primarily playing the Guangxian. WANG QINGBIAO says that playing the Guangxian in a drum performance is not difficult; the challenge lies in crafting effective dialogue. The performance must be humorous, consistent with the rhythm of the drum, and rhyme in Taiwanese, making it easy for the audience to understand when performing.

WU FENGZHU / Chhia-kó Nanguan tune singing & Yueqin playing

The second daughter of WU TIANLUO, has participated in Chhia-kó performances since childhood, following her father on his travels. Her natural singing and playing skills, her naturally beautiful voice, and her graceful and graceful Chhia-kó dance movements have made her a mainstay of the Syuyang.

WU XIANSHAN / Taiwan Sanxian performance

The current director of the Syuyang, is the son of the troupe's composer and rap master WU TIANLUO. He inherited his father's natural talent for rap, effortlessly whipping out a four-line couplet and composing new compositions for his performances.