Taiwanese Opera show awaited for 50 years

Leader of the celebrated Holo Taiwanese Opera Troupe (河洛歌仔戲團), Liu Chung-yuan (劉鐘元or Ning Meng (寧猛)), comes from Guanghua Village in Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County. He was born in the 9th year of the Showa era (1934), and studied at Chiayi Agriculture and Forestry Public School (嘉義農校) (now National Chiayi University, NCYU). 

Growing up in such a wild mountainous region, Liu Chung-yuan was well aware that his native homeland was a literary desert. In 1950, after many years of traveling and diligent work, he started his own business, marking the beginning of the evolution of Taiwanese opera. As the years passed, in the repeated visits he made back to his hometown of Dingbenzai (頂笨仔), during casual conversations with family and friends he would often reveal his aspiration to one day bring his troupe on a tour of his birthplace.

Due to a combination of personal and external factors it has taken fifty years to realize this dream, but now at 80 years of age, with a stable career and numerous awards under his belt, Liu Chung-yuan feels it is finally time to bring his troupe home. On the 7th April 2013, Liu brought the celebrated Holo Taiwanese Opera Troupe to perform in his hometown. With stool in hand, local residents, who have long anticipated this day, made their way to the village plaza for a performance that not only touched the hearts of the people, but also displayed a great resonance with the surroundings. 

Taiwanese Opera show awaited for 50 years

URL:http://www.peopo.org/news/110246

(以下是中文對照)
一場期待50年的歌仔戲 影音

著名的「河洛歌仔戲團」團主劉鐘元(寧猛)，是道地的嘉義縣竹崎鄉光華村頂笨仔人，他出生於昭和9年(1934)，肄業於嘉義農校(今嘉義大學)，生長在深山蠻荒的劉鐘元，深知故鄉是文藝沙漠一片，歷經多年闖盪與努力耕耘之後，他於1950年自行創業，這也是台灣歌仔戲演進史的開端，其間，他多次返回成長的故鄉「頂笨仔」聚落，在與家鄉故友閒話家常中，總會不經意的透露有朝一日，希望能帶著自己的團隊返回故里表演的願望，那知道在時空相隔與主客觀條件的限制下，心願一擱就是50年，如今劉鐘元已經80歲，事業穩固、獲獎無數，心想該是實踐帶團返鄉表演的時候了，因此在2013年的4月7日，這位頂笨仔的傑出藝術家終於帶著傲視歌仔戲界的「河洛歌仔戲團」成員，踏上自己的故土，而企盼已久的村民，早就帶著板凳，到廣場準備看戲，這真是震撼人心感動山林的一場野外藝術饗宴。