The Yellow Crane Tower (黃鶴樓) of Wuhan, in China's Hubei Province, is the stuff of legend. First built during the Three Kingdoms (三國) period, over the centuries poets have waxed philosophical about it, architects have pondered its various styles, and historians have used it as a point of departure to discuss China's many dynasties.
Under the witty pen of Taiwanese comedian Wu Jau-nan (吳兆南), however, the Tower serves as part of a joke that a teacher is trying to convey to two dim-witted pupils. The dialogue is one of six taking place between a teacher and his students in Spring Sun Performing Arts Troupe's (春禾劇團) latest cross-talk performance called Wujiandao (吳間道), beginning tonight at Novel Hall.
Cross talk (相聲) is a style of Chinese comedy that employs complex wordplay in monologues or dialogues to mock a particular person or the preoccupations of society.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUMMIT BRAIN NEW PRODUCTION AGENCY
With Wujiandao, Spring Sun takes aim at Taiwan's obsession with fame, money and the Chinese classics.
In one dialogue, the teacher uses the popular television series One Million Star (星光大道) as an example to teach students how to become famous. Another discusses how classical Chinese forms are used in modern writing.
Wujiandao will be performed at Novel Hall (新舞臺), 3-1 Songshou S Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路3-1號), today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm. NT$400 to NT$1,200 tickets are available through NTCH ticketing.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at