Taipei City Government

Beitou’s major annual music event “Taiwan Yueqin and Folk Music Festival” is taking place in Beitou until August 27! The traditional music galore is organized by the Taiwanese Yueqin Folk Song Association in association with the Department of Cultural Affairs.

According to Taiwanese Yueqin Folk Song Association Founder Chen Ming-chang, yueqin (a Taiwanese 2-string harp whose name literally means ‘moon lute’) is often used for Taiwanese operas, Beiguan, and other traditional performances. The association seeks to pass down the knowhow of yueqin to future generations through classes and lessons. The annual “Taiwan Yueqin and Folk Music Festival” employs Yueqin as components for art installations and organizes seminars, speeches, and concerts related to the instrument. Well-known yueqin players are also invited to stage performances to revitalize public interest in the art.

For the yueqin-themed art exhibition, the organization invites local artists to create works merging yueqin with an indigenous flower chosen as the theme for this year. This year, the selected flower is yellow water lily, and the organization invites members from the Taiwan Duobaoge Art Development Association to create yueqins displaying this theme in an exhibition.

The works are on display at the museum until August 27.

Furthermore, the posters of past “Taiwan Yueqin and Folk Music Festival” are also displayed at the venue for the “Taiwan’s Hollywood Exhibition” inside Beitou Hot Spring Museum.

On August 12 and 19, the organizers will be inviting renowned traditional play music artists and groups to demonstrate the motions and music of the respective forms. Guests include Wang Ching-ing, Ko Ming-feng, and Yunlin Hsuyang Folk Cheku Opera Troupe. The legendary Beiguan music master Chuang Chin-tsai will also lead his group Hanyang Beiguan Opera Troupe to entertain the audience to a night of Beiguan performance.

The closing ceremony for this year’s festival will include two days of performances by a new generation of yueqin players. The event will take place on August 26 and 27. The climax of the two-day event will spotlight master Taiwanese traditional arts performers such as Liao Chiung-chih, Hsu Mu-jen, and singers Christine Hsu, Lee Ping-huei, as well as foreign guests Wa Sanxian Party.

For activity registration, please call the Taiwan Yueqin and Folk Music Association (TEL: 02-2893-3088) or visit the registration website (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEcQ9z6RNR1MblR-zDyj7H7GdOfvo2_8AnKqLsWKo-JYaHDA/viewform)(Chinese). Due to the popularity of the events, registration beforehand is required.

The Beitou Hot Spring Musuem is open Tuesdays through Sundays (9 AM through 5 PM). For more information on the festival’s activities, please visit the Chinese website of the museum (http://hotspringmuseum.taipei) or its Chinese Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/BeitouMuseum1913). Participation in related activities is free of charge.