Hsi-kang Village, Tainan, at about 5:00 AM. A cool breeze and fragrant incense smoke intertwine. Sedan chairs in which images of deities sit patiently and chen-t'ou, or more simply chen (literally "columns of troops," but referring here to groups or units of processionists who perform en route) from 78 communities surround the Ching An Temple, home to the divinity Wang Tieh. When the auspicious moment arrives, a several kilometer long stream of teams sets out, doing a complete circuit of Wang Tieh's "jurisdiction"-- the 78 communities--asking for the avoidance of disease and disaster, and for local tranquility. Along the path, the "Eight Family Generals," with colorfully painted faces, straw shoes, and with the implements of worship in hand, are responsible for sweeping away evil and demons and protecting the divine entourage. The Centipede chen and the Golden Lion chen, with similarly divine capabilities, take the left and right points, clearing a path for Wang Tieh.

As noon approaches, the hot sun pounds on the processionists. But local farmers have already set out incense and offerings to welcome Wang Tieh, and have prepared chilled towels and water for the "attendants." Because each chen-t'ou is organized by a different community, going to other villages to "pay respects to the local deity" is a sign of consideration and esteem. It is interaction between gods, yes, but also the occasion for building bonds of sentiment between communities. At this time, the young and old of the village take their places in the square before the temple waiting for the chent'ou to arrive one after another, after which there are performances. The elders are most delighted with rare performances of traditional nan-kuan opera stagings, while the youngsters prefer the raucous bull fighting chen or belly-dancing chen.

You've got this kind of chen and that kind of chen-but what exactly is a chen- -t'ou anyway? As far as the characters are concerned, it's classic "Taiwanized Mandarin." In Taiwanese, these terms are like the numeraries for "team" or "rank." "Among the people of Taiwan, the groups that put on performances during religious processions are all called chen-t'ou, though right now the word has no fixed scholarly definition," say Lin Mao-hsien, executive secretary of the Chinese Folk Art Foundation.

If you go back to the roots, chen-t'ou arise from temple meetings. In order to thank the gods for their protection, believers arranged an escort for the divinity as it made its rounds, and also increased the number of places to visit, creating a bustling, vibrant event. In order to enhance the allure of the event, some struck upon the idea of borrowing techniques and vignettes from tradition which could be performed while walking along, or even creating some new visually appealing activities, and incorporating them into the procession. From old skills come the Stilt chen, the Lion chen, or the Dragon chen; from drama come "Song of the River Crossing," the Cart Drum chen, and the Ox Plow chen.

In the course of the deity's route, there is another type of display which is not done while walking, but rather on a small truck. A platform is set up, with a backdrop. On it are real people, costumed according to a poem or story from Chinese history. This is known as a shih-yi-ko ("poetry platform") or yi-ko ("arts platform"). This type of display and the chen-t'ou are jointly referred to as yi-chen for short.

Common yi-ko include "Tung Han Looking For His Mother" and "The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid." But while the themes are different, the form is identical.

There are a number of classifications for chent'ou. Among the people there is a general distinction between "literary" chen and "martial" chen. Those which are mainly song or graceful dance are "literary" (such as the Ox Cart, "The Impoverished Beggar Passes the Official Exam," or the "Song of the River Crossing" chen), those with flashing weapons and combat are called "martial" chen (such as the Eight Family Generals, the Stilt chen, or the Sung Chiang chen).

Primary school teacher Huang Wen-po, who has made a vocation out of surveying yi-chen, has done field research on chen-t'ou large and small across Taiwan. He divides them into: religious, vignettes, humorous, incense, music, and funereal. Religious chen-t'ou are those with religious functions or of significance to believers, such as human transmogrified into the Centipede chen, or the pathclearing Eight Family Generals. Vignette chen-t'ou are those with prepared roles, stories, or vocal stylings, like the Cart Drum or Ox Plow chen. In fact, "vignette chen-t'ou are often breeding grounds for the development of opera," points out Lin. For example, old Taiwanese opera from Ilan County borrows heavily from themelodies and gestures of the Cart Drum chen.

Humorous chen-t'ou are purely to give the audience something fun and fresh. For example, there are the belly dancing, bull fight, or "Husband and Wife on the Town" chen. The latter is a chent'ou created by professional artist Shih Wen-chan. It describes a group of couples from the countryside going to the city, on the one hand twisting and pushing through the crowds, and on the other marvelling at city life with their country bumpkin airs and outrageous makeup and expressions.

Incense chen-t'ou are non-performing types, but describe the bell and drum teams, the flags, and the sedan chairs of the deities which are interspersed in the procession. Music chen-t'ou naturally mainly play music, but are further divided, for example into nan-kuan, pei-kuan (both styles of Chinese opera) or Western music chen. Funereal chen are not part of processions for deities, but are strictly for the dead, and include things like the "Linking with the Deceased" or "Five Sons Crying at the Grave."

Lin Mao-hsien also has a category for "special feats of physical skill," including the Sung Chiang (a famous Robin Hood type bandit) chen, or the Stilt chen, which require a great deal of skill or physical activity.

Chen-t'ou are all organized by local people. Through them, the young come to learn camaraderie and attachment through the practice and preparation, the elders get to swap nostalgic anecdotes, adults in the peak of life take charge, while the women make snacks to make the work go easier, and invisibly the villagers coalesce. For example, the Sung Chiang chen derives from collective training for self-defense in the early period of Taiwan's development. It's not only great exercise, it also has a great spirit of togetherness.

Today, the rehearsals by the villagers are even more important as fun and recreation in increasingly busy lives.

The 78 communities around Tainan began preparing as early as three months ago, then hastily assembled the young people "to enter the hall" to begin practicing. During the training period, the sponsoring temple would dispatch people to "visit the hall" and check up on progress and to bring good wishes. When training is complete, the "opening of the hall" formally takes place on the eve of the temple meeting, with a complete performance before the residts and deities. Because one can only get splices of the performances along the route, this is the only chance to revel in the complete content.

Currently 90% of the processional activities in the Chia-nan Plain are arranged by the communities themselves. Only a few districts which have had severe outmigration have to resort to paying to bring in a "professional chen" to stand in for them. If the average person wants to see yi-chen, there's no other way but to follow the deity. And the best way is to Wait for a god's birthday at a "major temple." A "major temple" refers not to one with the biggest buildings, but an ancestral temple founded by the forefathers in the early settlement period. Thereafter followers spread all over, building new temples of their own, and creating a common "congregation" of sorts.

The Ching An Temple in Tainan County is a case in point. Its jurisdiction extends over 78 surrounding "marketplaces" (i.e. rural communities). Each time the triennial worship of Wang Tieh comes around at Ching An Temple, each of the villages sends its deity sedan chair and chen-t'ou to take part. There are also performances at a number of lesser events throughout the year, but since it is hard to find the exact timing, it's still best to take advantage of a large collective procession in order to enjoy the chen-t'ou.

Besides this, you have to head south. Whether you're talking about quantity or variety, "compared to the south, the north doesn't even have this much," says Huang Wen-po, holding up his little finger in illustration.

If residents of the north happen to see a procession on the street, they won't see more than a peikuan music chen-t'ou, or the Eight Family Generals. At most there might be a few tens of teams. But in Tainan, for example, the five major temples get upwards of a hundred chen-t'ou (see accompanying chart). The main reason for this difference is that the north is relatively urbanized, and chen-t'ou are an accoutrement of rural society, brought together by a central temple or clan. It is hard to find geographic or blood ties of this strength in the city.

Further, there are a vast number of temple meetings in the south. Besides the improvement of the economic environment permitting more activities, it is even more important that there is broad space for bustling activities. Not only does each type of yi-chen have room to compete, given their mutual interaction and stimulation, it is even more important that they bring forth new types of yichen. With all these reasons put together, the Chianan Plain has become a "paradise" for yi-chen.

Because the chen-t'ou performances are lively, even raucous, but more economical than bringing in traditional drama troupes, chen-t'ou have established a foothold beyond temple meetings in weddings, funerals, and birthdays.

Besides the broadening of occasions for performances, because the performance time for yi-chen is not extended, any kind of activity which can be taken in while passing by can include chen-t'ou, without limiting the possible content. As a result, it is easy for new yi-chen to be developed in the trail of changes in society. For example, in the 1950's, "Su Lan Is Getting Married" appeared, developing out of a popular Japanese song of the immediate post-retrocession era, which reflected the coming together of a different culture with local society. Non-Taiwanese traditions--like the Aboriginal Song chen, or the Hakka "Tea Leaf Harvest Dance" chen--can also be seen in religious processions. Others like the "Aquatic Life" or "Belly Dance" chen have all been created under the drive for innovation by artists and villages, and remain unique to Taiwan.

Of the new chen, some are rich with traditional content, but some are criticized as being of questionable taste. Thus "Su Lan Is Getting Married" was criticised as being "too Japanese."

Huang Wen-po has other ideas: "No matter whether the artistic status is crude or refined, these new style chen-t'ou are all products of a given era, have social significance, and deserve to be recorded. As for whether they can survive in the future, that's for the market to decide." He continues, "These type of chen-t'ou are refreshing, and at the very least are lots of fun, so there's no point in attacking them."

But the recent "commercial chen-t'ou" which have appeared in north Taiwan are an exception.

Commercial chen-t'ou have arisen because there are few community or professional chen in north Taiwan, yet the temples hope for a powerful presence in their processions-and businesses want to take advantage of the crowds to do a bit of advertising. With both sides profiting, now new scenes appear amidst the deities' sedan chairs and the ranks of believers: the Wedding yi-ko, with an attractive young woman, dressed in white, the wedding march playing, and a signboard with advertising for wedding photo studios; or the Motorcycle chen, with twenty or thirty bikes flying brand name flags.

The entry of business into popular activities can be of salutary assistance. These days, in Japanese ceremonies, there are often performance teams sponsored by business. They wear uniforms with the company logo, and there's a sense of competition among different companies, so that the teams go all out for good reviews. But these companies participate as one element in society, and aren't purely in it for advertising as in Taiwan.

Of all the new chen-t'ou, the most numerous and most criticized are the "Flower of the Keyboard" vehicles.

"Flower of the Keyboard" vehicles first appeared in the Chia-nan Plain around 1980. At first they were mainly for funerals, but later entered temple processions, and have become the main trend of chen-t'ou.

The "Flower of the Keyboard" is a remodeled truck, jammed full of sound and light equipment, with extravagant, even gaudy decoration. There is an electronic keyboard inside the truck, or perhaps a karaoke (sing-along) box. The back of the truck is an open platform for the singer, who appears wearing "something a little more comfortable," which becomes increasingly comfortable (and scarce) as she gyrates and sings her way along, until she is "threadbare." This free stripper act is popular among villagers, and always overwhelms other types of chen-t'ou.

You can see something of the magnitude of the dominance of the "Flower" vehicles from two recent events: More than 100 took part in the funeral of the famous gangster "Black Ox," and Changhwa County magistrate Chou Ch'ing-yu--unwilling to put up with the sexual pollution of young people-- has set up a special commission to look into a twotrack policy of banning or redirecting these performances.

Currently, except for a few larger temples which have banned "Flower" trucks in order to preserve some "pure land" for yi-chen, "Flowers of the Keyboard" have already made inroads into small temple, marriage, and funeral events. "The reasoning is simple. For the same twenty thousand, you can get a Cart Drum chen or a 'Flower of the Keyboard.' Undoubtedly the latter will attract more attention. So the smaller the temple, the larger the number of 'Flowers,' in some cases up to 90%," says Huang Wen-po.

The flexibility of yi-chen performances allows them to be rich and varied. But with market conditions being what they are, not only have some of the new chen-t'ou gotten a little off the track, even some older chen-t'ou have been "transformed."

For example, the most interesting thing about the "Dance Drum" chen has always been the sprightly rhythm and powerful gestures. But now most "Dance Drum" chen have neither dancing nor drumming, but have become feats of twisting over backward to pick up money with one's teeth, body contortions, human pyramid building, or tumbling, with the audience throwing money as encouragement. "By making the customer king, the dancedrum part just can't be seen at all anymore; it would be more appropriate to call this 'miscellaneous tricks,'" says T'sai Hsin-hsin, whose master's thesis covered this topic, with a touch of regret for the immoderate changes that artists have undergone.

There are many examples of this type. Because the "martial" performances are more spine-tingling than the "literary" ones, some literary dramas have had to add some new techniques just to get a response from the audience. With most of the audience cheering for the thrilling fight scenes, some more clear-headed observers can't help but mutter, "How in the world are there scenes of the Immortals duking it out in 'Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea'?" Also, to save money or for convenience sake, some vignette chen-t'ou have been "mechanized." For example, the Bullfight has a tape deck and PA broadcasting the singing parts. And if they're too lazy to do the singing bits, you needn't even wonder whether there's live musical accompaniment. "The main point of the vignettes is in the singing and dancing; if there's only action but no singing, then they've already lost touch with their original nature," sighs Lin Mao-hsien.

"The yi-chen are changing too much, too fast! If the old ones haven't disappeared, then they've been altered. The new chen-t'ou are continually appearing, but there's fear that 'bad money forces out good money.' If you don't start surveying and organizing the material now, there won't be time," says Huang Wen-po, explaining the reason why he has begun to do a survey of yi-chen.

At the same time as popular culture aficionados are taking steps to preserve yi-chen, the Tainan County Cultural Center has already written up a formal plan for yi-chen preservation through a written record. However, no concrete steps have been taken yet.

Preservation through a written record is, however, no match for providing some space for survival. In this respect, it is conscientious temples which hold the key. Currently there is a consensus among major temples in the south to reject "Flowers of the Keyboard" in their processions. Thus the "Taiwan Province Folk Arts Yi-chen Competition" sponsored jointly by the Taiwan Provincial Government and the Temple of Kindness and Fortune in Hsueh Chia, Tainan County, clearly specified that it would not include "Flowers." Without this distraction, there was a little more space for chen t'ou, which has an encouraging impact to stimulate the artists to perform with more commitment.

In a commercialized society, with temple meetings in south Taiwan increasingly large, yi-chen are still not without a way out to survive. But with the gradual outmigration of the rural population, the trend of waxing and waning among community and professional chen cannot, it seems, be altered.

However, today, with greater attention being given to Taiwan's popularculture, chen-t'ou performances may just find other stages. Among the traditional yi-chen, some which have particularly compelling singing, genuine religious significance, or functions of bonding people orbuilding healthier bodies, have been promoted in primary and middle schools. For example, the Sung Chiang chen, which stresses unity, and the Cart Drum chen, with its athletic movements, are both being passed on in a number of schools. And the Cloud Gate dance company, which is highly respected if Taiwan's arts community, is relying on the Ox Plow chen and the Cart Drum chen--which have traditionally been used to pray for good harvestsand many offspring--for its first performance since reforming. For rehearsals, Cloud Gate has asked Chen Hsueh-li, a winner of the National Heritage Award, to come north from Tainan to instruct them.

In addition, wonders Lin Mao-hsien, with all the marches and demonstrations since the lifting of martial law, "What would be the harm in inviting a few popular arts chen to join in amidst the intense clamor of protest?" In fact, this has already gone beyond speculation: In protests which place emphasis on grass roots participation, one can already find chent'ou mixed in among the yellow banners. An "Eight Family Generals" chen-t'ou participated in an anti-naphtha cracker environmental protest in Ilan County.

If yi-chen participate in demonstrations, for one thing they can give urbanites a chance to come in contact with folk culture, and for another they can increase opportunities for artists to perform; but most importantly they can bring a more relaxed mood into the tense protest atmosphere.

But it is not every type of chen-t'ou which deserves promotion--if the Sung Chiang chen with its "weapons of war" or the Eight Family Generals get into the marches, the more they "help," the more confused everything will get!

[Picture Caption]

(Left) There's no need to go to Spain to see bullfights: The Bullfight chen at temple meetings is full of fun and revelry. (photo by Huang Lili)

(Right) To thank the gods for their benevolence and to have a bit of fun along the way, is the function of the Dance Drum chen.

The Twelve Sisters in-Law chen was part of the Taipei Lantern Display to celebrate Lantern Festival. The religious significance is already absent from the performance. (photo by Diago Chiu)

Bright and colorful yi-ko steal the show in a night parade. But in order to save trouble, electronic music has already replaced traditional live musical accompaniment. (photo by Huang Lili)

It is popularly believed that yi-ko can bring tranquility to the sickly child, so all of the performers are children. (photo by Huang Lili)

Although there is no extravagant makeup, the nan-kuan accompaniment and singing by the "Children of Heaven" is st ill quite agreeable.

The Ox Cart chen, a chen-t'ou of the "vignette" type, uses exquisite singing to depict the joys of planting for farmers.

There are a large number of the demon defying "Eight Family Generals" which can be commonly seen in temple meetings north and south.

The Seven Barbarians was brought over to Taiwan from Fukien 100 years ago by the Chi Ying Temple of Lukang Township. Derived from the tale "Chao Chun Is Betrothed to a Barbarian," it is the only chen of this type on the island. (photo by Diago Chiu)

A bamboo shield is an indispensable weapon for the Sung Chiang chen, revealing its origins as part of local self- defense training against enemies.

The White Crane chen, which grew out of the Sung Chiang chen, shares with the latter the traits of powerful athletic movements and an ability to unify the commun ity that performs it.

Under the pressure of competition for audiences, the Dance Drum chen now has neither drumming nor dancing, but commonly includes showing off of body bending tricks by picking up money with one's teeth.

A small pushcart with loudspeakers has taken the place of live musical accompaniment traditionally part of "vignette" chen. (photo by Huang Lili)

By adding too many gimmicks, chen-t'ou have lost their original natures. (photo by Diago Chiu)

Some of the chen which involve beautiful singing or challenging physical activity have already been included in extracurricular activities for primary and middle school students. (photo by Huang Lili)

In the south and center of Taiwan, where temples are numerous, chen-t'ou still have a future. Professional chen like the "Flying Eagle Folk Arts Association" will grow in number.

（Right） To thank the gods for their benevolence and to have a bit of fun along the way, is the function of the Dance Drum chen.

The Twelve Sisters in-Law chen was part of the Taipei Lantern Display to celebrate Lantern Festival. The religious significance is already absent from the performance. （photo by Diago Chiu）

Bright and colorful yi-ko steal the show in a night parade. But in order to save trouble, electronic music has already replaced traditional live musical accompaniment. （photo by Huang Lili）

It is popularly believed that yi-ko can bring tranquility to the sickly child, so all of the performers are children. （photo by Huang Lili）

Although there is no extravagant makeup, the nan-kuan accompaniment and singing by the "Children of Heaven" is st ill quite agreeable.

There are a large number of the demon defying "Eight Family Generals" which can be commonly seen in temple meetings north and south.

The Ox Cart chen, a chen-t'ou of the "vignette" type, uses exquisite singing to depict the joys of planting for farmers.

The Seven Barbarians was brought over to Taiwan from Fukien 100 years ago by the Chi Ying Temple of Lukang Township. Derived from the tale "Chao Chun Is Betrothed to a Barbarian," it is the only chen of this type on the island. （photo by Diago Chiu）

The White Crane chen, which grew out of the Sung Chiang chen, shares with the latter the traits of powerful athletic movements and an ability to unify the commun ity that performs it.

A bamboo shield is an indispensable weapon for the Sung Chiang chen, revealing its origins as part of local self- defense training against enemies.

Under the pressure of competition for audiences, the Dance Drum chen now has neither drumming nor dancing, but commonly includes showing off of body bending tricks by picking up money with one's teeth.

By adding too many gimmicks, chen-t'ou have lost their original natures. （photo by Diago Chiu）

A small pushcart with loudspeakers has taken the place of live musical accompaniment traditionally part of "vignette" chen. （photo by Huang Lili）

Some of the chen which involve beautiful singing or challenging physical activity have already been included in extracurricular activities for primary and middle school students. （photo by Huang Lili）

In the south and center of Taiwan, where temples are numerous, chen-t'ou still have a future. Professional chen like the "Flying Eagle Folk Arts Association" will grow in number.