30/09 Taiwanese 'Gezaixi' opera troupe entertains quake victims

BY HIROKI MUKAI STAFF WRITER

2011/09/30

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The Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group, a Taiwanese opera troupe, performs its traditional "Gezaixi" style of opera at a hall in Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture on Sept. 28. (Hiroki Mukai)

A renowned Taiwanese opera troupe performed a dramatic "Gezaixi" tale of lost love and battle in imperial China on Sept. 28 for survivors of the March 11 great earthquake.

The performance was held in Fukushima, capital city of the prefecture where a nuclear crisis triggered by the quake continues to unfold.

The event featured the famed Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group, which was formed more than 80 years ago. The Gezaixi style of opera developed about 100 years ago in Taiwan and has recently undergone a popular revival.

Actress Sung Tsui-feng, a star of the troupe, said: "The current challenge facing the Tohoku region makes performing an opera here even more worthwhile. It will be a great pleasure for us to convey a message of perseverance to the disaster victims by meeting them face to face."

The tour was organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, which serves as Taiwan's diplomatic mission in Japan.

Admission to all performances is free. The group will also perform at Denryoku Hall in Sendai on Oct. 2.