Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Jury’s Comments for the Jury's Special Award 

“Peach Blossom Rain” received the special award for its achievement in enacting the tense dialogue between two distinctive theater genres – the literary Kun Opera and the grass-rooted Taiwanese opera – that usually belong to separate cultural audiences.  This intended formal tension reflects the peculiar predicament of present-day Taiwan that is rooted in the socio-political, cultural, and historical uncertainty of this island. The intercultural struggle was successfully translated through the mirror-game performed by the protagonists of two different art forms.

½ Q Theatre is a small independent theater that stages epic issues through their long-term commitment in expanding the tradition of the Kun Opera into contemporary life. Their artistic experimentation brings them to a radical edge in this work, which is sophisticated and accomplished. The cross-disciplinary experiment ultimately illuminates the complex identity struggle that is common in human nature.  Committee member:LIN Chi-Ming, CHIANG Po-Shin, Sunjung Kim, Ute Meta Bauer, TCHEN Yu-Chiou, YANG Mei-Ying, Michel Vaïs, Carolelinda Dickey, ONG Keng Sen

1/2 Q Theatre is known for experimenting with traditional Kun Opera pieces. Their Peach Blossom Rain, an adaptation of Peach Blossom Fan written by Qing Dynasty playwright KONG Shang-Ren, is nominated this year for their unconventional take on a traditional story.

Comments on the Finalist

By moving and editing the original work, Peach Blossom Rain by 1/2 Q Theatre gives the classic Peach Blossom Fan, written by KONG Shan-Gren of the Qing Dynasty, a whole new storyline and life. Peach Blossom Rain depicts the situation of the intellectuals as they go through a change of dynasty and the sense of panic and loss they feel. Because of regret, hatred and desire to escape reality, the self of the Ming Dynasty intellectual HO Fang-Yu collapse and become an alternate reality, forming into two parts that cannot communicate with each other. The director of Peach Blossom Rain designed a virtual “Man in the Mirror” and put in elements of Taiwanese opera to allow the feeling of estrangement and conflict to explode to the forefront via the different types of performances. This production vividly expresses how Taiwan is a “foreign territory” to China and how Taiwan has tirelessly accepted Han culture though many hardships. This work not only exposes and reminds people of the personal experiences Taiwanese have in regards to accepting other cultures but also reflects the divided viewpoints Taiwan’s intellectuals have regarding the divide between Taiwan and China.   Committee member:LIN Ho-Yi

Artwork Introduction

Peach Blossom Rain is the seventh opera staged by 1/2Q Theater. First performed in May 2012, it is an adaptation of KONG Shang-Ren’s The Legend of the Peach Blossom Fan. The main character, HO Fang-Yu (1618-1655) appears as an illusory “man in the mirror,” and with this superimposition of illusion on reality, the opera presents the loss and confusion of intellectuals in the pursuit of love and fame, creating conflicts with their patriotic allegiances during epochs of change, and in particular, the change of dynasties.

Peach Blossom Rain is a Kun opera of an unprecedented design that incorporates aspects of Taiwanese opera. The combination of the two kinds of operas, which different in vocal styles, languages, costumes, and acting styles, presents HO Fang-Yu’s divided self during the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. The conflict between the contrasting natures presented on stage is naturally a great challenge to those familiar with Kun opera, which is refined and strictly defined, and does not contain random, uncontrolled elements. To minimize the conflict caused by presenting the two types and thus gain a new interpretation rather than seeking novelty through a collage of different kinds of drama, the script writer and the director worked closely to manage the production, focusing on various aspects such as character, acting, music, plot, and space to strengthen the contrast of the two.

An Unconventional Take on a Timeless Classic

Peach Blossom Fan, Longevity Palace and Peony Pavilion are deemed the top three "legends" of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Peach Blossom Fan is a love story, set at the end of the Ming Dynasty, between courtesan LI Xiang-Jun and literatus HO Fang-Yu. The story is also a metaphor of the then chaotic political situation - a broken romance versus a broken dynasty.

When HO was set up by villains, causing Li to be married to another man, Li threw herself against the wall and had her blood splashing on the fan - this is agreed to be the most theatrical scene in the story. It is exactly because of Li's resolution, the story is normally about the leading female character, depicting her tragedy and chastity. SHEN Hui-Ru, on the other hand, has chosen to dig into the mind of the leading male character Ho and introduce Taiwanese Opera alongside with Kun Opera to illustrate the predicament of the literati in a time of trouble.

SHEN wishes to discuss what it must be like for Ho, who is intelligent but not recognized and set up by villains. She wishes to understand his pain for losing his love and his struggle for attending the Qing Dynasty imperial examination even after the overthrown of the Ming. "Theatre is to find stories in the cracks of history. These are fascinating cracks, filled with imagination. Many characters seem too simplistic on the surface. Their inner world is the most intriguing," said SHEN.

Taiwanese Opera vs. Kun Opera - Mirror Reflections vs. Reality

In Peach Blossom Rain, playwright SHEN presents two versions of HO- one from the Qing Dynasty, represented by a mirror reflection, and the other from the Ming Dynasty, a representation of the past. They question each other in Taiwanese Opera and Kun Opera respectively. The man in the mirror is HO's present, as well as HO's repentance, mocking and forcing Ho to face the reality. This production, one may say, is the memoir of the man in the mirror.

Unprecedentedly, the production introduces Taiwanese opera into Kun opera. The difference between the two genres is to accentuate the gap and conflict between the two dynasties. It is also to illustrate the gaps within HO himself. However, the language, style, and texture of Taiwanese opera and Kun opera are so vastly different. It is a bold move, for the balance has to be stuck perfectly so that a new aesthetic can be achieved rather than just being a novice collage. The meaning of these two genres has to be planted deep into aspects such as characters, music, plot, among others, for the juxtaposition to work.

With various interpretations of Peach Blossom Fan, Peach Blossom Rain by 1/2 Q Theatre clearly stood out in its daring theatrical experiment, with its unique take on the leading male character's viewpoint, and rich layers of descriptive methods. This is no doubt the best version of a classic play!

About the Artist

1/2 Q Theatre was established in 2006. It had taken both Kunqu and theater world by surprise in 2004 through its innovative approach of combining art installation with Kunqu in “Willow Dreams of Plum,” which was selected by the Taishin Arts Award as one of the top ten performing arts productions of the year.

Production Team

Director: TAI Chun-fang

Kunqu playwright: SHEN Hui-ju, CHU Chieh-nung

Taiwanese opera playwright: SHIH Ju-fang,

Vocal composer, Kun opera: YANG Han-ru

Vocal composer, Taiwanese opera: HE Yu-guang,

Performer: YANG Han-ru, LI Pei-ying, WU Shuang, LING Jia-lin, CHEN Yuan-hung