University partners with troupe to teach Eight Generals tradition

University partners with troupe to teach Eight Generals tradition

2026-07-14

The Eight Generals are a common sight at temple festivals in Taiwan. To give people a better understanding of this unique performative culture, the Department of Chinese Literature at National Sun Yat-sen University organized a class with the Gushan鼓山 Jishengtang Eight Generals troupe in Kaohsiung. Seventeen participants learned everything from formations and steps, to face painting. At the end, they tested out their newfound skills in a live presentation.

Drum beats swell as performers depicting the Eight Generals step out, wielding weapons and fans. They walk along Kaohsiung’s Love River, stopping at four temples along the way. Their skill makes it hard to believe they’re university students.

Chen Chia-hao
Participant
Most people misunderstand this culture and it tends to be quite stigmatized. But if you try it for yourself, you’ll find it’s totally different from what you imagined.

Hsu Wei-kai
Participant
I’ve been interested in it since I was a kid, so I figured why not take the class and try it out? I think the hardest part is the doing the formations and the steps.

The Eight Generals are a common part of any temple festival in Taiwan, but they’ve gotten a bad reputation over the past few years. To reverse this stigma, the Department of Chinese Literature at National Sun Yat-sen University organized a class with the Gushan Jishengtang Eight Generals troupe. Seventeen participants learned everything from formations and steps to face painting, and at the end held their own performance.

Hsu Wei-chen
Participant
The Chinese literature department happened to have a partnership with our temple. This was how I got the chance to take the class. I was determined to join, even though my parents didn’t approve. The formations, the face paint, the entire cultural context are all super interesting.

Lee Ting-yen
Participant
Becoming a troupe member has been a very new experience for me. Once you actually join, you’ll understand the meaning behind a certain movement.

Hsieh Hao-ting
Troupe face painter
In our Jiali lineage, one main attribute is that we usually paint the face with solid blocks of color. Over in Chiayi, they’ll emphasize finer details and lines.

Charmed by the unique Eight Generals tradition, many students decided to formally join as troupe members. The class even attracted some foreign exchange students. There was even a Christian student who overcame religious limitations to experience it firsthand.

Chiu Shih-yuan
Instructor
This time was very special. We had a Christian student who joined to understand some of the body movements. There were some things, like the finer details, that the students couldn’t do perfectly, but I don’t think it matters that much.

Lo Ching-wen
NSYSU Chinese literature professor
This time we had students from Malaysia and Hong Kong. Over six weeks, they learned about Taiwan’s Eight Generals culture, the history of Jishengtang, the face paint, and formations, as well as some rituals and taboos. Then for the main event, we went out and experienced holding our own performance.

Although it was only part of a class, every step was executed perfectly. The university hopes that the course will help people better understand this rich part of Taiwanese religious culture and ensure it’s passed down to future generations.

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

#EightGenerals #templeculture #templefestival #folktradition #NSYSU #traditionalculture #temples

翻轉負面標籤! 中山大學中文系攜手吉勝堂體驗八家將

2026-07-14

八家將是台灣廟會中常見的陣頭文化，為了讓更多人了解，這個特別的文化，國立中山大學中文系，跟高雄鼓山吉勝堂八家將團合作，推出體驗課程，師生共17人，從陣法、腳步到畫上臉譜，用演出來驗收課程成果。

鼓聲響起，八家將手持法器與羽扇出軍，沿著高雄愛河邊，四間地方廟宇拜廟參禮，專業演出，讓人想不到，這群人居然是中山大學的學生。

[[體驗學生陳佳豪]]
“因為大部分的人對這個都會有誤解啦，會比較污名化，你就自己來體驗，這個跟你外面，你之前想像的是不一樣的。”

[[體驗學生許為凱]]
“就覺得從小對這個有興趣，那這活動為什麼不來參與看看。我覺得最困難是那些陣法還有那些腳步。”

八家將是台灣廟會中常見的陣頭文化，近年來卻被貼上負面標籤，為了翻轉這種思維，國立中山大學中文系，跟高雄鼓山吉勝堂八家將團合作，推出家將文化體驗課程，師生共17人，從陣法、腳步到畫上臉譜，用演出來驗收課程成果。

[[體驗學生許維晨]]
“中山大學中文系跟我們廟宇剛好有合作，就是這樣一個契機，讓我們可以踏進這個圈子。毅然決然不顧家人的反對就加入了。我覺得是陣法啊，臉譜啊，跟整個文化的脈絡都非常有趣。”

[[體驗學生李定諺]]
“當將腳之後我覺得我覺得這是很新鮮，你實際加入之後就會知道說，這個時候的可能這個形狀代表什麼陣法意涵。”

[[八家將畫師謝昊廷]]
“像我們佳里這一脈，比較大的特徵是我們會比較以色塊去呈現，我們的臉譜，像嘉義那邊的會比較講求細節跟線條。”

不少學生，被八家將的獨特魅力吸引，正式加入將腳，這堂課不只吸引台灣人，連外籍生都非常有興趣，更有基督徒打破宗教藩籬，親身加入體驗。

[[八家將課程教練邱世沅]]
“這次很特別，有一個基督徒，他為了了解身體的一些動作，所以他來參加，在訓練上他們可能會比較多，比如說一些細節的部分，可能就沒辦法表現得那麼淋漓盡致，但其實我覺得這部分是無傷大雅。”

[[中山大學中文系教授羅景文]]
“我們這次有馬來西亞的學生、香港的學生，他們分為六週，從台灣的家將文化，然後吉勝堂的歷史，還有他們的臉譜特色、陣法，還有他們安堂的一些儀式跟禁忌，最後重頭戲就是我們的出軍體驗。”

即使只是課程體驗，演練的每個步驟仍步步到位，校方也希望藉由課程，讓外界更了解八家將的台灣民俗信仰，讓這項富有文化底蘊的文化，能繼續傳承下去。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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The five-day joint defense exercise kicked off on Monday, featuring simulations of enemy forces setting sail and intruding into Taiwan’s territorial waters. A key focus of the exercise is coordinating decentralized units to break the opponent’s kill chain, testing the capabilities of spread-out command and control systems. The exercise is designed to showcase the military’s high mobility.

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The exercise places each operational zone at the center of decision-making to simulate decentralized command. Even if communication is disrupted, each zone can engage with the enemy independently while coordinating air defense, sea control and anti-landing operations.

Also part of the drills was a nighttime runway repair exercise simulating damage by enemy fire. Engineering units from the Air Force deployed forklifts and lights to make rapid repairs and restore operations as soon as possible. Through these realistic exercises, Taiwan’s military aims to strengthen its defenses while reinforcing deterrence against aggression.

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Last weekend all of Taiwan was drenched by typhoon rains, and Monday this week it was raining rocks in Miaoli’s Dahu Township. On July 13 at night, a landslide of boulders came rumbling down the mountainside, pinning a truck against the guardrail of Miaoli Route 62. The lucky truck driver was somehow able to walk away mostly unscathed, yet problems remain for Miaoli County government, which still needs to fix the road.

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Voice of Mr. Luo
Truck driver
I suddenly heard the sounds of something rumbling and then everything went dark. Then it was just “boom, boom, boom,” that’s what it sounded like.

On July 13 at night, the 46-year-old driver was on his way to deliver goods when falling boulders pinned his truck against the guardrail. His vehicle’s exterior was twisted and crunched, but fortunately for the driver, he was able to walk away with just some skin abrasions.

Voice of Mr. Luo
Truck driver
I told myself then that my wife and child are at home waiting for me to come back. So I used my foot to kick open the door, and then I knew that I had to start running forward; if I didn’t start running, I was going to die.

Huang Hui-chin
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Chung Tung-chin
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Dahu Township isn’t the only place in Miaoli dealing with a blocked road; students and workers in Nanzhuang Township’s Donghe Village have July 14 off due to a collapsed section of Miaoli Route 21. The sinkhole is directly in front of Shibi Bridge.

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Traditional market becomes nightclub in Taitung Expo attraction

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All seems normal, with the trash truck playing its classical melody as people take turns throwing out their trash. But while almost everything is as usual, one unlucky victim is about to come face-to-face with a stinky situation.

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Local governments are promoting tourism by joining forces, hoping to collectively enhance the international competitiveness of central Taiwan’s tourism industry.

Chen Mei-hsiu
Taichung Tourism and Travel Bureau director
More than 70 business operators from Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, and Miaoli have teamed up to promote the region in Seoul, South Korea. Targeting travel industry professionals, the delegation aims to introduce Taichung and the major attractions across these four central Taiwan counties and cities.

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