Why, then has the CCA thrown its full weight behind production of Snow in August? What are the Council's expectations for it? And how is Tchen Yu-chiou, herself an outstanding musician, coordinating with Gao Xingjian to bring it to the international stage?

Q: Could you summarize the circumstances that originally prompted the CCA to decide to support the Snow in August project?

A: Even several years ago, the CCA intended to introduce Gao Xingjian's plays to Taiwan, but it never got around to taking action. Then, in February of last year, when Gao Xingjian visited Taipei for the International Book Fair, I met with him for the first time, and-perhaps because of our common artistic interests-we immediately established a strong rapport. He related how, for so many years, he'd failed to get Snow in August staged. Listening to him, I realized where his problem lay. Production costs constitute only a very small part of the problem. The overall challenge is quite daunting because producing a play is just as much a creative process as writing it, and requires a vast troupe of cooperating artists. Those in the arts love challenges; so I decided then and there to support Gao Xingjian and immediately brought up the matter with President Chen, who in turn gave me his unreserved backing.

Q: Had you previously read the Snow in August playbook? How much did you know about it beforehand?

A: Actually, I hadn't previously read Snow in August, but I did understand what its artistic and creative merits were. The creative merit of Gao Xingjian's works is beyond question, irrespective of whether it is his novels, paintings or plays. And when he discussed with me his concept and plans for staging it, based on my own intuition as an artist I instantly concluded that this would be an epochal, never-before-seen type of theatrical work. It fuses the essence of Eastern and Western theatrical arts, additionally incorporating the various artists' personal thoughts, bodies, singing, dancing, postures and speaking to reach a new plane of creative interpretation. Each participant acts as co-creator, this feature likewise representing a challenge never before undertaken. We're going to jointly make history.

Turning back to practical considerations, there's another major reason why I'm willing to support this drama, which is that we'll be cooperating with France. French musical directors, lighting specialists and set designers will be coming as a group to Taiwan. So this is a international cooperative project. The Marseilles City Government has already proclaimed 2003 "Gao Xingjian Year," in support of which they've made a substantial budgetary commitment. Besides performances of Snow in August in Marseilles in November of next year, activities will also include painting exhibitions, films, scholarly symposia and the like. As I see it, this is a rare and invaluable experience-as well as an honor-for all of the performers involved in the production. I even hope to take part in the performance myself!

Q: We've heard that there has been quite a bit of criticism in the arts world, with people wondering why the CCA has accorded Gao Xingjian such generous treatment.

A: Over recent years, the Council has nurtured a quite diverse array of cultural activities in Taiwan, showing great openness to innovation; this is something that defines us. Nonetheless, we've indeed been criticized by quite a few people with regard to the particular case of Gao Xingjian. Many have asked me, "Why don't you use all that money to support our native culture? Why do you have so much confidence in Gao Xingjian?" The fact is, if Taiwan produces a work of comparable greatness, I'll of course give it my full backing-as when the CCA last year supported Public Television's shooting of the Cold Night series [based on Li Chiao's epic novel of the same name]. I similarly have high hopes for local theatrical productions.

The reason why the CCA is giving its full support to Snow in August is quite simply that Gao Xingjian and his works are deserving of our support. Moreover, surveying the entire world, Taiwan is presently the only country with the environment and wherewithal to be midwife to this production. I'm not talking about money here. Given Gao Xingjian's Nobel laureate halo, finding the money is no problem. What I'm talking about are human and material resources. As for people, you first of all need talented Peking opera performers; and such performers have to be able to let themselves go and to "re-create" in an unrestricted environment. And then there are the elements of choreography, traditional Chinese music, Chinese-style costume design, set design and so on. This is an avant-garde dramatic work taking as its "skeleton" the spirit of the East. Where else than in Taiwan can such a confluence of artistic elements be found? Once this "Made in Taiwan" production has been performed all over the world, I'm sure there'll be an end to nay-saying, because all our trouble will have been worth it.

In fact, this is really an extremely arduous undertaking, every detail of every step requiring consultation. With Gao presently in France, we're regularly in contact by telephone and always exchanging thoughts. I take responsibility for providing him with information in addition to seeking out and pressing forward with the various kinds of assistance he requires. While performance of Gao Xingjian's work is important in itself, of even greater importance is the process of getting there, and it may well become a model to emulate. This play's animating spirit lies in its "ongoing creation," the formative process itself constituting an art work of a unique nature-such that if you wanted to see the exact same performance in the future, it would be an utter impossibility.

Q: Can you give a concrete example?

A: I once went with Gao Xingjian to see a performance by a Taiwan choral group, during which Gao told me what sort of vocal color he hoped the Snow in August choral music would have. I asked him if more female singers were therefore needed. He said yes, after which I went about helping him look for them. Originally, we'd decided not to use a chorus in the play, but later it was put back in. Which is to say, the entire process of production is one huge uncertainty, and we're constantly experimenting, discussing, refining. This sort of uncertainty has put tremendous pressure on the two of us; but at the same time it has brought with it the challenge and enjoyment of artistic creation-a mixed sweet-and-sour, bitter-spicy experience which is hard to describe.

A: You've remarked that Snow in August is a international cooperative effort. Does it represent the international cultural exchange policy which you've been promoting so energetically? What differences are there between it and the kinds of exchange undertaken in the past?

A: As soon as I assumed the post of CCA chairwoman, I began working hard to promote to promote cultural exchange, and especially multinational joint productions. This sort of exchange isn't simply a matter of the other country's groups coming here to perform and our groups going to perform in theirs; rather, it's a matter of artists of different nationalities working together and creating something collectively.

Snow in August is a concrete example of this. French musical directors, lighting specialists and set designers will all be coming to Taiwan to work with Gao Xingjian, myself and our performers. This is why I was so excited when Gao Xingjian talked with me about Snow in August's need for an international gathering of artists to make a joint creative effort, because doing so fits perfectly with what my ideal notion of what international cultural exchange ought to involve, and such an opportunity doesn't come along every day.

Q: What sort of expectations do you have for Snow in August?

A: Snow in August represents an epoch-making new form of theater. It takes Peking opera as its core element but isn't Peking opera; it has something of the form of Western opera but isn't Western opera; it incorporates dance but isn't a dance production; nor is it conventional drama. This is a theatrical work without historical precedent-besides being one whose debut will be in Taiwan! Because of its already dazzling aura, a dozen or more of the world's better-known impresarios have heard of it and will be in Taiwan for its opening.

So we can rightly say not only that we ourselves are looking forward to its staging, but that people in the performing arts all over the world are eager to see it. When the time comes, we can also conduct an international symposium to thoroughly go into this work's production process, the performance itself, its impact, and its fusion of Eastern and Western cultural elements. I believe that in the future there'll be lots of international bookings for this production, inasmuch as it has become something of a sensation even before its debut.

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The person who finally arranged for Snow in August to be produced in Taiwan was Council for Cultural Affairs chairwoman Tchen Yu-chiou, who is an accomplished artist herself. Tchen is personally acting as producer, and giving Gao Xingjian her complete support.

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When interviewed by Sinorama, Tchen Yu-chiou admitted that producing the play was the most daunting task she had faced, but avowed that artists like nothing better than a challenge.

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Because the play is the joint creation of all those involved, rehearsals are extremely hard work. Super-producer Tchen Yu-chiou has been involved throughout, and is always ready to provide advice and help. (courtesy of National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts)