Art in Taiwan is alive and well in great abundance. Generally, a discussion of art can be divided into three fairly broad categories; tr...
As far as the traditional is concerned, the fact that Taiwan in home to some of the world's finest repositories of classical Chinese art ranks among the world's worst kept secrets. Chiang Kai-shek was a voracious collector of valuable items, including art. In keeping with his passion for 'collecting,' he ordered his retreating forces to collect as much art as they could get their hands on while retreating from the Mainland in 1949. These treasures were added to the already voluminous collection that had been liberated earlier from the former imperial collection housed for centuries in the Forbidden City in Beijing. Much of this collection is housed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, but amazing examples of classical Chinese art from paintings and scrolls to ceramics and bronze - can also be found in various museums throughout the island.
The storing of so many borrowed precious object d'art on Taiwan is one of many long-standing sore spots between the ROC and PRC. However, the fact that much of the art currently on display in Taiwan would very likely have been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966 - 76) had it remained in the Mainland leads most on both sides to believe that Chiang's having taken them to Taiwan turned out to be, in the long run, a good thing.
While many aspects of traditional Chinese arts can be seen in much contemporary art coming out of Taiwan today, over the past few decades, Taiwanese artists have sought to create an artistic vision that is more Taiwanese, and less connected with the themes found in classical Chinese art. This quest for a Taiwanese identity is one of the most important themes in the contemporary Taiwanese art world. Taiwanese artists have pursued this not only through traditional media such as oil painting and ceramic sculpture, but also through more modern approaches such as multimedia installations and videos, and performance art and film. Taipei's Fine Arts Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art are both must visits. Fans of sculpture should make the trek into northern Taipei County to visit the Juming Musuem, which houses a vast collection of works created by Taiwan's most revered modern sculptor.
The art of Taiwan's aboriginal people is also becoming quite popular throughout the island; quite distinctive from Chinese and Chinese-in-fluenced artwork, Taiwanese aboriginal art tends to be more earthy, and almost Polynesian. Traditional arts among Taiwan's aboriginal cultures include woodcarving, weaving and basket making. The Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines is an excellent place to learn about the arts and crafts of Taiwan's aboriginals. The Ketagalan Cultural Centre in Beitou, Taipei, features aboriginal culture exhibitions, a multimedia showroom, an aboriginal theme library, research facilities, and conference and performance space. Taitung's National Museum of Prehistory also has worthy exhibits devoted to traditional arts and crafts. Should you make it to Lanyu, you'll be able to interact with local artists from the Yami tribe who create artwork unique to their tribe.
Cinema
In the 1960s the government created the Central Motion Picture Corporation (CPM) and the movie industry finally took off. During the 1960s and 1970s, audiences were treated to a deluge of romantic melodramas and martial-arts epics and in the late 1970s a disturbing subgenre emerged called 'social realism', full of brutal violence and sex.
In the 1980s the Taiwanese grew tired of the repetitive films of the past two decades and film makers had to find a way to compete with foreign made films. During this time, two film makers emerged who would have a strong impact on how Taiwanese cinema was seen abroad, though most locally made movies from this point forward would only be seen in art houses. Hou Hsiao-hsien, considered the most important director of this New Wave movement, broke away from escapist movies and chose instead to make movies that depicted the gritty reality of Taiwan life. The Sandwich Man (1983) is one of the best examples of Taiwan's New Wave ideals, establishing it as a realistic artistic movement. The movie is an adaption of three short stories by the Taiwanese author Huang Chun-ming, which explore life in Taiwan during the 1950s and 1960s. One segment of the movie is taken from the story 'The Taste of Apples', and is about a young boy from the countryside who encounters tragedy when he moves from the countryside to Taipei.
Another of Hou Hsiao-hsien's movies, A Time to Live and a Time to Die (1985), also explores childhood in rural Taiwan during the Cold War era.
Probably Hou Hsiao-hsien's most successful film is City of Sadness (1989), which follows the lives of a Taiwanese family living through the KMT takeover of Taiwan and the 2 - 28 incident. This movie was the first to break th silence surrounding the tragedy. City of sadness won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival. Hou Hsiao-hsien has continued to produce some masterful work, including the brilliant The Puppet Master (1993), and examination of the life of 84-year-old puppeteer Li Tien-lu, who is considered a 'living treasure' by the Taiwanese. Most recently, Hou Hsiao-hsien shot Millennium Mambo (2001), a more conventional story about woman torn between two men.
By far the most famous director to come out of Taiwan is Tainan native Ang Lee. Though his megahit Grouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) made him a household name in the West, Lee and long made the A-list of Hollywood directors with the English language films Sense and Sensibility (1995) and The Ice Storm (1997). Lee's first film was Pushing Hands (1992), filmed in New York with funding from CMP, followed by The Wedding Banquet (1993), which took bold step in exploring homesexuality in American, featuring both a beautiful storyline and some of the best food scenes ever filmed. Lee's Academy Award for Best Director for the 2006 film Brokeback Mountain was cause for major celebration throughout Taiwan, especially in his hometown of Tainan.
Taipei hosts some notable film festivals every year, including the Taipei Golden Horse Festival. Attending the Golden Horse is a wonderful way to support a struggling industry and see some great films that won't make it into the general theatres. The best place to see indie movies, both local and foreign, is at the SPOT Taipei Film House.
Music
As different from traditional Taiwanese music as it is diverse, Taiwanese aboriginal music is also reaching a wide audience, both in and out of Taiwan. Though you've probably never heard of Yingnan and Xiuzhu Guo, you've almost definitely heard their voices; the polyphonic vocals of this elderly Ami couple were sampled by Enigma, becoming the backing vocals for their smash hit, 'Return to Innocence.' (When the couple discovered that their voices were being heard around the world, they filed suit against Enigma, settling out of court for an undisclosed sum). The more touristy aboriginal theme parks and villages around the island stage regular performances, and you can buy music recorded by various tribal groups all over Taiwan.
However, the most widely listened to music in Taiwan tends to be fairly generic pop. Ask most Taiwanese people what kind of music they listen to, and nine times out of ten you'll hear some variation of 'I like music that makes me feel happy.' Mainstream Taiwanese musical tastes would hardly be categorised as 'edgy'. (Kenny G albums sell well here, and the prince of saccharine-spiced sax plays to a full house when he tours around). Most Taiwanese pop music falls well within this mold, and is best avoided by those with family histories of diabetes. (The curse of a reasonably well-adjusted society? Perhaps).
There are exceptions, of course. Wu Bai, Taiwan's 'King of Live Music' is probably the edgiest of Taiwan's mainstream rockers. An excellent guitarist and lyricist, Wu Bai is among the best-known Taiwanese rockers, playing to sold-out arenas in and out of Taiwan with his band China Blue. Those who understand Mandarin or Taiwanese (the artist records equally in both) can detect a certain amount of pathos in Wu Bai's lyrics, unusual for Asian pop in general.
Another extremely popular Taiwanese artist is A-mei, a singer/songwriter from Taiwan's Puyuma tribe. A-mei is one most well-known faces on Asia's pop scene, and since 2000 her career has been flavoured with cross-strait controversy. Early in that year A-mei did a Sprite beverage commercial; shortly thereafter, she performed the ROC national anthem at the first inauguration of newly elected president Chen Shui-bian. This did not sit well with the Beijing Government, who subsequently banned the singer from visiting mainland China and banned her songs from Mainland airwaves. Though the ban has since been revoked, A-mei performances in China are often marred by protests by Chinese nationalists; to make matters worse, the singer's Taiwanese patriotism has been questioned back home (by, among others, vice president Annette Lu). Nonetheless, her career is still going strong, and her face has graced the cover of magazines such as Time and Newsweek, making her one of the most well-known Taiwanese entertainers in the world.
Of course, Taiwan's underground music scene, small though it is, is definitely flourishing; though you might not understand the lyrics, if you're a fan of underground music you'll definitely understand the sentiment if you can manage to catch a few of Taiwan's indie rock bands in full bloom. Some of our favourite Taiwanese punk bands are The White Eyes, Ladybug, Chicken Rice and Chthonic (the last would technically fall under the 'Death Metal' category). Taiwan also has a number of bands started by expatriates; Consider the Meek, Milk and the Deported being three well worth catching. There are a good number of venues for independent music around Taiwan. These include small clubs like Underworld and larger places like The Wall.
Serious indie music fans should definitely try to time their visit to catch one of Taiwan's weekend-long (sometimes longer) music festivals. Our favourite is the long-running Spring Scream Festival, currently in its 13th year. Held in Kenting during spring break, the multistage festival brings together names big and small in Taiwan's indie music scene, along with a few imported bands. Festival grounds rotate from year to year, with guests and bands alike camping out together in the fields inside the site. Check www.springscream.com for more details.
Theatre & Dance
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