70 Years of Taiyupian: UK Screenings and Symposium Celebrate the Ingenious Fusion of Taiyupian and Taiwanese Opera

Marking the 70th anniversary of the release of Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan—the first locally produced 35mm Taiwanese-language film (Taiyupian)—the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK has partnered with King’s College London for the third time to launch the "Taiyupian 70th Anniversary Screenings and Symposium." The UK tour introduces British audiences to this unique chapter of Taiwanese cinematic history, highlighting its deep-rooted connection to Gezaixi (Taiwanese Opera), a performing arts genre exclusive to Taiwan.

The tour features two seminal works: Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan (1956), directed by Ho Chi-ming and recovered and restored by the Tainan National University of the Arts (TNNUA), and The Wandering of Three Siblings (1963), directed by Shao Luo-hui and restored by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI). Like many of the thousands of Taiyupian produced between the 1950s and 1970s, Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan was long considered lost. It was not until 2013 that TNNUA faculty and students discovered a Hakka-dubbed print in Miaoli, commencing a restoration that allows global audiences to witness the foundational spark of the Taiyupian golden age. Both films feature actors from the legendary Mailiao Gongle She Taiwanese Opera Troupe. The Wandering of Three Siblings, which seamlessly blends martial arts, folklore, religion, and family melodrama, shattered box office records upon its release, exemplifying the mesmerizing synergy between early cinema and traditional opera.

On June 12, the London leg of the tour and symposium took place. The day commenced at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, with a screening of The Wandering of Three Siblings. Hsu Hsiu-nien, who starred as the elder brother in the film, joined the audience online for a post-screening Q&A and a live performance of the film's theme songs.

The afternoon symposium, themed "Starting from Music: 70 Years of Taiyupian," opened with remarks by Yao Chin-hsiang, Taiwan's Representative to the UK. The academic forum featured presentations from Associate Professor Tseng Ji-shian, Director of the Graduate Institute of Sound and Image Studies at TNNUA; Nancy Guy, a musicologist from the University of California, San Diego; and Liu Nan-fang, Associate Professor of Taiwanese Literature at National Cheng Kung University. The scholars engaged in a lively dialogue with attendees, exploring topics ranging from the loss, discovery, and restoration of Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan, to the diverse musical styles embedded in Taiyupian, and the distinct performance techniques and set designs adopted during the operatic film boom. The evening concluded with a near-capacity screening of Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan at London's The Garden Cinema, preceded by an introductory lecture by Professor Chris Berry and Professor Liu Nan-fang.

The UK tour also enjoyed enthusiastic receptions across regional universities. On June 11, The Wandering of Three Siblings was screened at the University of Leicester, while Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan was presented at Cardiff University. The tour will conclude its run on June 15 with a screening of The Wandering of Three Siblings at the University of Sheffield.

"This project marks our third collaboration with Professor Chris Berry of King's College London and Dr. Tsai Ming-yeh, Research Associate at the SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies, following successful iterations in 2017 and 2020–2021," stated a representative from the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK. "The research generated from our previous collaborations culminated in the 2024 publication of Taiwanese-Language Cinema: Rediscovered and Reconsidered, the first English-language monograph dedicated to this film history. Building upon this academic foundation, we hope to introduce local audiences to a facet of Taiwanese cinema that differs entirely from the New Wave and contemporary commercial films, while showcasing the unique charm of Taiwanese Opera to foster deeper cultural exchange and discourse."

臺語片70週年英國巡迴放映暨研討會 重現歌仔戲與臺語片的巧妙結合

在文化部駐英國代表處文化組支持下，藉臺灣首部自製35釐米臺語片《薛平貴與王寶釧》公映70週年之際，第三度與倫敦國王學院（King’s College London）合作推出「臺語片70週年英國巡迴放映暨研討會」，除向英國民眾介紹臺灣電影「特有種」外，也藉此介紹臺灣特有戲曲表演形式─歌仔戲。

本次放映影片為國立臺南藝術大學尋獲並修復的《薛平貴與王寶釧》（1956，何基明執導），以及國家電影及視聽文化中心修復的《流浪三兄妹》（1963，邵羅輝執導）。其中《薛平貴與王寶釧》如同許多1950年代至1970年代製作的上千部臺語片相同，長期以來被認為佚失，直到2013年才由南藝大師生於苗栗尋獲客語版並進行修復，讓世人得以重新感受臺語片盛況的起點。這兩部影片不僅皆由臺灣歌仔戲傳奇劇團麥寮拱樂社的演員為班底演出，《流浪三兄妹》更結合武打、民俗宗教與親情的故事內容更打破當時臺語片票房紀錄，呈現早期臺語片與歌仔戲結合的迷人面貌。

6月12日進行倫敦放映暨研討會，上午在倫敦大學亞非學院放映《流浪三兄妹》，並邀請在影片中飾演哥哥的許秀年，在放映結束後與觀眾線上交流，並獻唱電影曲目。下午的研討會以「始於音樂：臺語片70年發展」（Starting from Music: 70 Years of Taiyupian）為主題，由駐英國代表處姚金祥大使致開幕詞，並邀請南藝大音像紀錄研究所副教授兼所長曾吉賢、加州大學聖地牙哥分校（UC San Diego）音樂學者Nancy Guy，以及成功大學台灣文學系副教授劉南芳，分別從《薛平貴與王寶釧》的佚失、尋獲與修復，臺語片中豐富的音樂種類，以及歌仔戲臺語片發展過程中所採取的表演技巧與佈景設計，分享臺語片與歌仔戲的特色，與觀眾熱烈討論。晚間於倫敦花園電影院（The Garden Cinema）放映《薛平貴與王寶釧》，吸引接近滿場觀眾觀影，並由Chris Berry與劉南芳擔任映前導讀。

本次2部影片的巡迴放映，6月11日在萊斯特大學（University of Leicester）放映《流浪三兄妹》、卡地夫大學（Cardiff University）放映《薛平貴與王寶釧》，獲得觀眾熱烈迴響；後續也將於6月15日在謝菲爾德大學（University of Sheffield）放映《流浪三兄妹》。

文化部駐英國代表處文化組表示，這是繼2017年以及2020-2021年後，第三度與倫敦國王學院教授Chris Berry及倫敦大，不僅向本地觀眾介紹臺灣有別於新浪潮與當代商業電影的不同面貌，更藉此介紹歌仔戲的獨特魅力，促進文化交流與討論。