A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Music is a big part of Taiwan's culture. The island even has its own special type of opera, which you'll hear everywhere, from theaters to temples. In one temple, a small theater troupe is preparing a special performance just for the gods. Here's NPR's Emily Feng.
EMILY FENG, BYLINE: (Speaking Mandarin).
I first notice the heat - it is baking backstage. But that's not stopping the Shengxian Opera Troupe from putting on full face makeup, wigs and embroidered Ming Dynasty-style costumes.
ZHENG XIUJUAN: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: Actor Zheng Xiujuan starts furiously powdering her face, the thicker the better, to absorb the sweat. She contours her nose, draws on bold eyeliner and thickens her eyebrows.
ZHENG: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: She says she's going to do a xiaosheng role today, meaning when a woman plays a man, a very common and popular character archetype in Taiwanese opera.
ZHENG: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: And she explains their audience for their first performance today is just a group of five gods called wu fu qian sui. Taiwanese opera, or gezaixi in Mandarin, Zheng says, is a heartfelt way to show the gods how much humans appreciate the protection they offer us each day.
ZHENG: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: What she loves about gezaixi, Zheng says, is you work within the narrative of these characters but then channel your own emotions and your own tears to tell a story.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
FENG: With 50 minutes left to go before showtime, the keyboardist and percussionist start warming up.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: But we're still waiting for the director to arrive. In consultation with the temple, he will decide what play the troupe will perform.
WU XIUHUAN: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: Actor Wu Xiuhuan explains everything is improvised - the fight scenes, the lines, the pace of the stories, which they all know by heart.
WU: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: They make this all up as they go along, Wu says, relying on a familiar rhythm the troupe has built up over years of performing together.
ZENG HUANQI: (Speaking Hokkien).
FENG: With 35 minutes left to go, the director, Zeng Huanqi, finally arrives in a whirlwind of rapid-fire Hokkien. That's one of the main languages spoken here in Taiwan, in addition to Mandarin Chinese. Taiwanese opera exclusively uses Hokkien.
ZENG: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: Zeng explains he's decided to go for a story about Koxinga. That's the real-life Ming-era pirate warlord. Zeng says he wants the gods to know he is grateful...
ZENG: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: ...Because he relies on the gods' birthdays to make a living, and there are a lot of gods in Taiwan.
ZENG: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: The earth god, the Mazu sea goddess, the Eight Generals. Every time one has a birthday, a temple will invite Zeng and his troupe to perform.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
FENG: At precisely 3 p.m., the troupe launches into their first act. They stride on stage, their headdresses quivering, limbs encased in magenta satin.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (Singing in Hokkien).
FENG: The actors are fierce, and the music is loud, but they're performing to an empty audience. No one is there - no one human anyway. Only the gods are listening.
Emily Feng, NPR News, Pingtung, Taiwan.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (Singing in Hokkien). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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