Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Culture Group
Taiwanese opera troupe
Ming Hwa Yuan (Chinese: 明華園；Taiwanese Hokkien：bîng-huâ-hn̂g) is the largest Taiwanese opera troupe, founded in 1929 by Chen Ming-Chi (陳明吉) and theater owner Tsai Bin-Hwa (蔡炳華). The Chen family has maintained a dedicated presence in Taiwan's opera industry for over four generations. Following the passing of its founding leader, Chen Ming-chi, in 1997, the second-generation director, Chen Sheng-Fu, undertook a comprehensive restructuring of the organization.
History
Chen Ming-chi, the founder of Ming Hwa Yuan, was born in Kōshun Subprefecture (恆春支廳), Akō Prefecture (阿緱廳) in Japanese Formosa (modern Checheng, Pingtung County, Taiwan). He started Ming Hwa troupe, the predecessor of Ming Hwa Yuan, with Tsai Bin-hwa (蔡炳華), as proprietor of theater.
In the early stage, the Japanese rulers allowed the local customs to develop without much interference and Taiwanese opera continue to thrive. After the Pacific War broke out, the Japanese government implemented a Kōminka policy that encouraged Japanization. During this period (1937-1945), the Japanese government prohibited the public performance of Taiwanese opera. However, Ming Hwa troupe was one of the few groups that were allowed to perform.
In 1945, Taiwan was handed over to the Kuomintang-led Republic of China.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 24, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q11088183. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1929, 1997, 1937 and 1945.
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