The golden age of Beiguan
Chuang Jin-tsai formed the Hanyang Beiguan Troupe at the peak of popularity of Beiguan, which is also called Luantan Opera when performed onstage by professionals. Following Taiwan’s economic take-off in the 1970s, citizens invited opera companies to perform when offering thanks to deities, when redeeming vows made to gods, and even when offering each other apologies and marking gambling wins or losses. Opera companies were booked up solid, and at their busiest could put on more than 200 shows a year.
Hanyang boasts three masters of female roles—Lee A-ji, Lee Mei-nyan, and Wong Cheng-mei—who have won admiration for the company. Lee Mei-nyan was designated a “preservation artist” for Beiguan Opera by the Yilan County Government in 2022. While applying her makeup backstage, she relates: “I joined my first opera company when I was 28, and I’ve been at it for 40 years now. For dramatic effect onstage, I’ve even hung by wires. When we did a good performance, opera fans would give money as a reward.”
Besides the rising and falling melodic singing patterns required of Beiguan artists, there are also distinctive stage movements and postures, and they must memorize the guanhua (“official language”) of Beiguan, an old-fashioned form of Mandarin that is used for spoken parts rather than modern Mandarin or Taiwanese Hokkien.
As a growing number of leisure and entertainment options became available in society and Beiguan artists aged and passed away, a serious generation gap appeared in terms of performers willing to take on the art form, while audiences also declined. Both professional troupes and amateur Beiguan clubs faced extinction, and it grew ever harder for troupe members to make a living.
Chen Yu-hwan took over the reins of the Hanyang Beiguan Troupe from Chuang Jin-tsai eight years ago in a ceremony at a shrine to Xiqin Wangye, the deity of theater. Chen has continually sought out opportunities to perform, applying the formula “Beiguan Opera by day, Taiwanese Opera by night.” She explains that Beiguan Opera is performed for the deities, while in the evenings Taiwanese Opera is staged for people. But by watching Beiguan Opera, not only can people get a chance to listen to tumultuous Beiguan music, they can also appreciate the performers’ cadences, melodies, and verve. The touching stories in these dramas, in which the characters have lofty ideals, can inculcate timeless values such as loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness in the audience, and can be a valuable asset in contemporary society.
In this picture from the 1960s, the Li Chuen Yuan Beiguan club assists the Fengniyuan opera company of Dajia, Taichung in staging a performance at a Dajia Mazu procession. (courtesy of Li Chuen Yuan)
courtesy of Li Chuen Yuan