On November 10^th, 2004, The principal and Ms. Huang took us to the Taipei City Government to interview the Mayor Ma Ying-jiou. In the beginning, we were all very nervous and kept asking the way to the restroom from time to time. Our teachers told us to sit straight, speak politely, and raise our hands before asking questions, which made us feel even more serious. However, after the mayor entered the conference room, speaking to us with his easygoing attitude, our tense was suddenly released.
One of us asked Mayor Ma about his impressions on the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Troupe. Mayor Ma pointed out that the reason why the Ming Hwa Yuan could be so successful is because it changes with time and weeds out the obsolete and innovates. Mayor took the Ming Hwa Yuan’s libretti The Duck King, Return with Wishes, and Peng-Lai the Immoral as example. He indicated that in The Duck King, several languages, such as Taiwanese, Hakka, Mandarin, French, and English, are all used to emphasize the intercultural harmony. As for Return with Wishes, part of its plot was inspired by Shakespearean dramas and added different elements into this traditional opera. Therefore it can not only adapt to the modern society but also transcend the limits of surroundings and win the audience’s admiration.

We asked Mayor Ma when he began to see Taiwanese Opera. Mayor Ma said that he grew up in Meng-jia and got in touch with Taiwanese Opera when he was very young. However, at that time, he was too young to tell difference between Peking Opera and Taiwanese Opera, so he didn’t precisely know when he began to see the Ming Hwa Yuan’s performance. From this, we know that Mayor Ma has been a fan of traditional operas for a long time. Mayor Ma indicated that the Ming Hwa Yuan combines tradition and modernism with materialized props and stunning special effects, bringing stronger sound-and-light effects to the audience. Besides, it further impresses the audience with its characteristic persona and plot by music of voices. International metropolises worldwide identically inspire new cultural creativity though preserving their traditional cultures. Even if the Ming Hwa Yuan is a very traditional Taiwanese Opera troupe, it still seeks to innovate ceaselessly and set itself as a role model for the traditional metropolitan cultures.

One of us asked Mayor Ma about his impressions on Miss Suen Tsuei-feng. Mayor Ma said that he was deeply impressed by Miss Suen’s enthusiasm and continuous efforts for Taiwanese Opera. Miss Suen didn’t begin to learn Taiwanese Opera skills until she was already twenty six years old. In addition, before she married into the Ming Hwa Yuan family, she couldn’t speak Taiwanese at all. She learned Taiwanese and martial arts from scratch and finally made herself one of the most celebrated actress of Taiwanese Opera today. Her perseverance is touching and praiseworthy.
In the Mayor’s office today, there were three more guests, Yvonne Marie Andres, Kathleen O’Sullivan, and Karrie Dietz. They were from CyberFair 2005 Project. Besides answering our questions, Mayor Ma also translated his remarks into English to share with these foreign guests his impressions on the Ming Hwa Yuan’s performance. We not only acquired valuable experiences but also witnessed Mayor Ma’s erudition. From Mayor Ma’s remarks, we knew that he not only emphasized to preserve our local tradition, but also appreciated the spirits of innovation from traditional culture. That’s also what we are working on. The Ming Hwa Yuan’s perseverance on the traditional opera is conspicuous. We sincerely hope that through this CyberFair Project and our collaborative efforts, Taiwan’s traditional culture will earn more worldwide reputation.