Sowing the Seeds of Art – CDF supports the Dream-making Program for school children from rural areas
Sep 3, 2018
Press Release
In order to help narrow the gap between urban and rural arts resources, China Development Industrial Bank Foundation (CDIB Foundation) has been cooperating with the National Taichung Theater since 2017 to organize activities under the Dream-making Program for school children living in remote rural areas. So far, 500 school children from remote areas of Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi have been to National Taichung Theater to see performances. This summer, 120 students and teachers from Yunlin County’s Ming-Lun Elementary School (Dongshi Township), Xin-Xing Elementary School (Taixi Township), and Lu-Chang Elementary School (Si-Hu Township) attended Feng Sheng Bao Bao Troupe’s performance of “Ming Xing Jei Du Shi”. The one-day trip included a tour bus ride, a free lunch, a guided tour of National Taichung Theater, and tickets to the show, for an educational and artful package for the lucky participants.
Feng Sheng Bao Bao Troupe is Taiwan’s first traditional opera troupe. Most of its performances are based on stories from traditional oriental culture, and this time around they related the story of “Ming Xing Jie Du Shi” (“The Star Frontier Officer”), as adapted from the eponymous fantasy fiction. Using video games as the backbone of the storyline to get kids interested, the piece also integrates modern colloquialisms into traditional opera tunes, such as the “Seven-Character Melody” and “Du-Ma Melody”. The drama was accompanied by live music by traditional Chinese bands of the more lyrical style (‘wen’) and the more exciting style (‘wu’). The school children who were experiencing traditional opera for the first time were swept off their feet and couldn’t stop applauding. Despite an almost two-hour bus ride to get to the theater, all the kids and teachers were very excited to be inside the venue for the first time. Once inside, the organizer and volunteers cheerfully showed the boys and girls around, introducing the theater building, the content of the show, and giving advice on theatre etiquette. After the show, with the performers coming out to greet the young audience, the experience ended on a high note for the out-of-town kids.
The students responded very well to the performance of “Ming Xing Jie Du Shi”. One student said, “… the story is interesting. I will want to borrow the book to read when I return home.” Another student commented, “I hope I can come again, next time with my family.” Mr. Wang Yong-you, head teacher of Ming-Lun Elementary School, said that “cultural education must begin from childhood. The younger they are, when kids are exposed to art, the more likely they will grow up to be adults who can appreciate art like it’s part of everyday life.” Seeing the kids really getting into the drama show, Mr. Xu Wang-hui, regional manager of KGI Bank, noted that “the next generation will face a very different market environment than ours today, and the ability to appreciate art is an important way to enhance competitiveness. I consider it a very good investment to see these youngsters react with so much excitement and enthusiasm!”
CDF has long been dedicated to extending art education to kids from remote and rural areas of Taiwan. This coming November, CDF will once again invite teachers and students from Nantou and Chiayi counties to National Taichung Theater to attend performances. In this way, CDF is helping sow the seeds of the arts in young lives, infinitely broadening their horizons.
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