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Hakka Culture in Miyazaki Hsinchu County Brings Hakka Art and Music to the World
  • PostDate:2023-05-01
  • Modified Date:2023-05-22

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Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-Ke recently led a delegation of art groups to Miyazaki County, Japan, bringing precious works of art to the counties’ first bilateral exchange. On April 29th and 30th, the “Taiwan Hsinchu Hakka Culture—Miyazaki Art Exchange Exhibition” was held at the Miyazaki County Hall. Nineteen artists participated, and a total of 45 works were exhibited, giving the people of Miyazaki Prefecture a feast for their eyes and an opportunity to experience the beauty of Taiwan and Hsinchu. Hakka music groups in Magistrate Yang’s delegation also participated in the 28th Miyazaki International Music Festival, bringing traditional and innovative Hakka songs from Taiwan to the international stage.

 

At the opening ceremony, Magistrate Yang and World Hakka Federation President Chiu Ching-chun presented the ink painting “Dharma” to Miyazaki County Governor Shunji Kono and Japan–Taiwan Friendship Councilors Association Chairman Toru Hoshihara. Interpol Friendship Association Secretary-General Tsai Chun-chang, who is also an artist, presented “Blissful Tiger Brings Harvest” to Governor Kono. The two sides then cut the ribbon in the opening ceremony of an art exchange exhibition to display works that have rich cultural significance.

 

The “Dharma” work presented by Magistrate Yang to Governor Kono was created by Master Lee Teng-sheng. This painting symbolizes the deep friendship between Hsinchu County and Miyazaki County. Master Lee is a skilled portrait artist renowned for his depictions of the Patriarch Bodhidharma. His paintings are lifelike and free-spirited. The ink falls freely, and the brushwork is energetic. The painting style accurately conveys the image of Bodhidharma’s bright eyes and the monk’s extraordinary posture.

 

Magistrate Yang explained that the purpose of this trip was to bring the exquisite calligraphy, painting, and art works of Hsinchu County to Miyazaki for exhibition. The people of Miyazaki County were invited to enjoy the exhibition during Japan’s holiday week. Meanwhile, two of Hsinchu County’s Hakka music groups, Tien Wu Bei Guan Ba Yin and iColor, were invited to perform at the Miyazaki International Music Festival to promote Hakka traditions and innovative cultural elements. The Hsinchu County government also created a Japanese version of the Hsinchu County Tourist Brochure to introduce Hsinchu County’s beautiful mountains, rivers, people, and Hakka cuisine to the Japanese.

 

Governor Kono expressed his pleasure with the exhibition, which gave the people of Miyazaki County an opportunity to view the works of many outstanding artists from Hsinchu County in one place. He hopes that the exhibition will deepen the cultural exchange between Miyazaki County and Hsinchu County.

 

According to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu County, the government invited 19 people to participate in the Miyazaki County exhibition, including school principals Chuang Hsing-hui and Chiang Tian-wang; art association directors Hsieh Hsiu-ying, Chan Hsiu-jung, Tsai Chun-chang, Liu Ta-chih, Peng Hung-chin, and Lu Chao-chai; and artists from Hsinchu County. A total of 45 works were exhibited, with styles including watercolor, oil painting, ink wash, nihonga, calligraphy, and others. The exchange and exhibition of these precious works gave Hsinchu’s friends in Miyazaki an opportunity to experience an artistic feast with Hsinchu, Taiwan’s unique artistic characteristics.

 

The exhibition featured works rich in content. The 18-meter-long “Taiwan Hakka Village Festival Celebration Scroll” originally had a length of 82 meters. More than 20 artists put their efforts into making this work possible. Comprising a temporal span across the four seasons, the work shows twelve major Hakka festivals, including Hakka Day and Tung Flower Festival. Nationally acclaimed manga master Liu Hsin-chin’s “Taiwan Home Moving Scroll” depicts a homeowner leading a long procession carrying household belongings, utensils, and farming tools to relocate in early Taiwan. The scroll depicts the early life in Taiwan and faithfully presents the common people’s lifestyle and culture. This work can be seen as a Taiwanese version of the Qingming Scroll. Also on display was the painting series, “The Beauty of Hakka Houses in Hsinchu County”, which depicts traditional Hakka architectural features in painstaking detail. Works revealing Hakka culture and history, including the Pak Kung Temple, rice grinding facility (shuilong), Jingzi Pavilion, and Hakka poetry, were also on display.

 

A citizen of Miyazaki Prefecture who visited the exhibition stated that he has been to Taiwan three times, loves Taiwanese food, and thinks the atmosphere and life in Taiwan stand out among Asian countries. Although he has never been to Hsinchu County, this exhibition has piqued his interest, and he will consider arranging a sightseeing vacation in Hsinchu County in the future.

 

Magistrate Yang and World Hakka Federation President Chiu Ching-chun were also invited to attend the opening ceremony of the 28th Miyazaki International Music Festival. Meanwhile, two of Hsinchu County’s Hakka music groups, Tien Wu Bei Guan Ba Yin and iColor were invited to perform at the music festival’s opening ceremony to promote Taiwan’s Hakka traditions to the Japanese and international audience.