Taiwanese opera legend releases original scripts

Taiwanese opera legend releases original scripts

2025-01-03

Today we take you to meet Taiwanese opera legend Liao Chiung-chih. She is acknowledged as Taiwan’s top kudan or tragic female lead. At the age of 90 she is still teaching and promoting Taiwanese opera. Her foundation recently released a set of seven annotated scripts compiled with Liao’s own documentation. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to the diva herself to find out more about her career and hopes for the art.

Liao Chiung-chih is a world-renowned Taiwanese opera performer. Acknowledged as Taiwan’s top kudan, she is famous for her unique crying technique. She received a Golden Bell Award in 1990 for her work in television and was recognized with a National Cultural Award in 2008 and a National Cultural Heritage Preservation Award in 2012. Liao witnessed a lot of adversity throughout her life.

At the age of 90 this year, she is still passionate about preserving Taiwanese opera and training the future generation of performers. She believes the keys to persevering Taiwanese opera is learning Taiwanese Hokkien and embracing innovation and avoiding radical change.

Liao Chiung-chih
Taiwanese opera performer
I think there is hope for young people to learn it. Nowadays, everyone is seeking innovation and change. But it is good to seek innovation, but it is very bad to seek change. After the foreign cultures came in, everyone changed and started wearing Western clothes. In the past, everything was very conservative. Being able to speak Taiwanese is the most important thing, because Taiwanese Opera is performed in Taiwanese.

To preserve Liao’s craft, the Liao Chiung-chih Taiwanese Opera Cultural and Education Foundation released a set of seven annotated scripts, documenting works composed and performed by Liao.

Tsai Hsin-hsin
Liao Chiung-chih Taiwanese Opera Cultural and Education Foundation
Can such scripts be compiled and recorded? Our maestro Liao has also been thinking about whether we can add more repertoires to Taiwanese opera, including preserving these wonderful and iconic repertoires. She has been archiving her shows since 1999. We compiled sources including her archives, compositions and stage presentations, her recounts of the creative process as well as performance records.

To witness Liao’s vision, stay tuned for the three shows the foundation has planned for 2025. The first show will take place in April.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

台灣第一苦旦「國寶藝師」廖瓊枝

2025-01-03

今天帶大家認識有「台灣第一苦旦」之稱的「國寶藝師」廖瓊枝。今年90歲的她，仍然熱衷於保存台灣歌仔戲，以及培養下一代表演藝術家。廖瓊枝歌仔戲文教基金會，舉辦「廖瓊枝歌仔戲經典劇目Ⅱ」劇本集新書發表會，同時宣布2025年將推出集結旗艦大戲。

從戲多年，廖瓊枝有「台灣第一苦旦」之稱，擅長「哭調」，1990年拿下得第25屆行政院新聞局金鐘獎。2008年，得到第27屆「行政院文化獎」。2012年更被文化部依「台灣文化資產保存法」認證為重要傳統表演藝術保存者的「國寶藝師」。

今年90歲的廖瓊枝，仍然熱衷於保存台灣歌仔戲，以及培養下一代表演藝術家。她認為傳承台灣歌仔戲的關鍵是學習台語，擁抱創新，但不要徹底改變。

[[臺灣歌仔戲藝員廖瓊枝]]
"我覺得，年輕人來學有希望，現在都求新求變，求新是很好，但是求變是很不好。外來文化進來後，大家都變了，變成洋裝，以前都很保守，台語會講最重要，因為歌仔戲是台語"

為妥善保存廖瓊枝經典劇目，基金會完成了「廖瓊枝歌仔戲經典劇目Ⅱ」劇本集，書中涵括廖瓊枝改編或新編的7齣作品。

[[廖瓊枝歌仔戲文教基金會董事長蔡欣欣]]
"這樣子的劇本，能不能做一些整理把它紀錄下來，廖老師也一直在想，我們能不能為台灣的歌仔戲多增添一些劇目，包括存留這些精彩、經典的劇目。從1999年開始做劇目的保存，經過他的整理、創編，還有舞台的呈現，我們把它這些從文本到口述創作的過程，還有演出的紀錄，把它彙整在一起"

基金會計同時宣布將在2025年舉辦三場演出，首場將於4月登場。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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