A Storm in a Teacup: On the Necessity/Difficulty of Establishing a National Taiwanese Opera Troupe in Taiwan

In 1999–2000 and 2007, the Ministry of Education, Taiwan, respectively proposed to establish a national Taiwanese opera troupe in the hope of preserving this local art. A national troupe means that the government shows its will to preserve the art, and officially recognizes Taiwanese opera as a “national art.” Yet, to our greater surprise, many professionals and artists disagreed on this proposal, for they believed once a national opera troupe was established, the domestic troupes may face the crisis of survival. Competing with a national troupe with more financial and technical support from the government, local and non-governmental troupes by all means would find it hard to survive. In other words, a national Taiwanese opera troupe could be a threat to the existence of the art itself. How would a cultural policy with good intentions turn out to be a controversy and causing conflicts among all? This situation will be explored in this paper: firstly, the government’s role will be discussed when it comes to the development of Taiwanese opera. Then, the current condition of the local Taiwanese opera performing industry will be introduced and the relevant cultural policies will also be discussed. The last part will focus on the controversy over the necessity of establishing a national traditional troupe, and the significance of having a national troupe in Taiwan. The aim is to examine the role of the government and discuss the necessity of the political actions when it comes to preserving the local arts.