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Leading the Parade

• Byline:KELLY HER
• Publication Date:07/01/2012

Taiwanese competitors celebrate finishing the Sahara Race in October 2011. The team included six performers from the Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe who took turns wearing a body puppet of the Third Prince, front row center. (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

A Taiwanese folk performance group has gained renown through its star turn in a hit local film.

The Sahara Race is one event in the world-renowned 4 Deserts series of footraces, in which competitors participate in four seven-day, 250-kilometer runs through the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on Earth. The most recent Sahara Race was held in October 2011 in Egypt and saw 153 participants from more than 30 countries, including a record 15-member team from Taiwan.

It was no surprise that the Taiwanese delegation included professional ultramarathoner Kevin Lin (林義傑), who has competed in many international endurance races and was part of a three-man team that set a 2007 world record for crossing the Sahara on foot. What was special about the local team in the 2011 race was that it included six young members from the Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe, and that the troupe members took turns carrying an 11-kilogram statue of Nezha, a popular Taoist deity known in Mandarin as San Taizi, or “the Third Prince.” The Sahara Race requires that competitors carry almost all of their own equipment and supplies, which meant that each member of the Chio-Tian team also lugged about 14 kilograms of gear as they raced across the wastes of the Sahara.

“The Sahara Race looked like a great event and an opportunity to demonstrate Taiwan’s spirit and the vitality of its folk culture to the world. The Third Prince is a unique feature of Taiwan’s folk religion and we thought carrying him across the desert was a good way to draw international media attention and let the world see Taiwan,” says Jason Hsu (許振榮), founder and leader of Chio-Tian. “Our other goal was to set an example for youngsters by taking on a formidable challenge and overcoming it.”

 

Jason Hsu, founder and leader of Chio-Tian (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

After coming up with the idea of participating in the Sahara run, Hsu asked for Lin’s help and signed up six coaches to train troupe members and support them along the grueling course.

The Sahara ultramarathon was merely the latest of Chio-Tian’s endurance expeditions. Each year from 1996 to 2003, troupe members walked around Taiwan, a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. In 2004, the performers carried their heavy drums along as they climbed to the top of Jade Mountain, Taiwan’s highest peak at 3,952 meters. “Challenging training can cultivate strength, willpower and team spirit,” Hsu says. “It’s also a way for us to gain media exposure and market ourselves.”

Media coverage is important for Chio-Tian because it leads to more performance opportunities. Over the years, the troupe has been invited to perform in various art and cultural festivals in Taiwan as well as in Burkina Faso, Canada, the Czech Republic, Japan, mainland China, South Korea and the United States.

Hsu established Chio-Tian in 1995 in Taichung, central Taiwan to train performers to take part in a type of religious procession known as din tao in Holo, or Taiwanese, and in Mandarin as zhen tou. The term means “leader of the parade in a temple festival.” The religious purpose of din tao processions is to provide a way for Taoist gods to inspect the area they are in charge of and hear the grievances of passing spirits.

Hsu explains that din tao performances primarily feature drumming, huge body puppets of various gods and the Bajiajiang, or Eight Generals, who walk with an exaggerated swagger called “tiger steps” and wear gaudy, embroidered clothing, fierce face paint and straw sandals. The Eight Generals serve as “hell’s policemen” and are tasked with capturing and punishing evil spirits.

 

Chen Kuan-ying says the training she has received as a member of Chio-Tian has helped build her strength and confidence. (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

Temples, especially those in Taiwan’s rural areas, have long been popular gathering places for the unemployed, homeless and high school dropouts. Hsu is a Taoist priest and came up with the idea for Chio-Tian as a means to help the troubled teenage dropouts he has met at Taichung’s temples. The troupe’s 20 members range in age from 16 to 25, while its longest-tenured member has been with the group for 12 years.

Hsu reaches out to those who have left school in Taichung and offers them meals, shelter and the opportunity to learn how to play drums and perform din tao. “Our society generally dislikes and even despises adolescents who don’t love studying,” Hsu says. “I want to help them acquire useful skills and create a platform where they can show off their talent or find hope or a dream. Young people have such great potential. They should have options for developing their own interests and be given chances to prove their abilities.”

Although Hsu is intent on providing his charges with an alternative path for self-development, he still requires troupe members to complete high school and uses money earned from performances to pay for their school expenses. He also urges his performers to pursue university studies, with four troupe members currently doing so. “They can choose whatever university courses they like,” he says. “My idea is that by getting an education, they can broaden their knowledge and perspectives. That’ll make them better performers.”

To set a good example, the 46-year-old Hsu is now studying for a master’s degree in business administration at Ling Tung University in Taichung. In Chio-Tian’s early days, Hsu says he had great ambition but poor financial management skills, which led him into debt. Learning business management principles and skills in graduate school has given him confidence in his ability to lead his troupe in a positive direction. His education goals extend beyond just earning a master’s degree, however, as he aims to one day become Taiwan’s first din tao troupe leader to hold a doctoral degree.

 

Chio-Tian drummers wear face paint as they perform din tao, a traditional feature of Taiwan’s temple festivals. (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

Chen Kuan-ying (陳冠瑩), 21, joined Chio-Tian formally in 2009 and is the troupe’s only female member to date. When Chen was 16, she was arrested for being involved in a gambling ring. She was ordered by the court to participate in Chio-Tian, which then had an agreement with the National Youth Commission to provide juvenile counseling and vocational training.

“Din tao wasn’t strange to me when I started learning it,” Chen says. “I’ve enjoyed watching the traditional performances during temple festivals ever since I was little.” That familiarity, however, did not do much to prepare her for Chio-Tian’s rigorous training. “I ran away after one week because the training was too hard,” she says. “But I came back because I love drumming and I wanted to lead a new life.”

Chen says living with other troupe members gives her a feeling of family warmth and belonging. She is also enthusiastic about being part of a long folk tradition. “Din tao performances are really unique and I feel proud to be a performer,” she says.

Meanwhile, the training has not only built up her strength and confidence, but also transformed her approach to life. Her biggest change has been learning to embrace challenges. “When I learned about the chance to participate in the Sahara Race, I begged our troupe leader to let me sign up. After I’d gone through intense physical training for half a year with other members, I was so excited to get the go-ahead!” she recalls.

 

Choreographer Zheng Kun-yong, kneeling at right, instructs a Chio-Tian member. (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

Running for Days

Pre-race excitement is one thing, but running for days on end in the Sahara is quite another, even for the best of athletes. “During the first few days of the race, I kind of regretted being there,” she says. “My ankles and feet got seriously swollen after hours of running and the extreme weather—it was scorching hot during the day but freezing cold at night—was nearly unbearable.”

Now that she is able to look back on the Sahara Race, however, Chen sees participating in it as a great experience, one that taught her she can overcome any problem that comes her way in the future. “It was my willpower that got me to the finish line,” she says.

One of the biggest obstacles din tao troupes face is their members’ historical association with gangs, crime and drugs, which are strong temptations for impoverished dropouts and the unemployed. To change that perception, Hsu holds Chio-Tian members to high standards of behavior and performance. “To gain recognition, we need to demonstrate our professionalism,” he says. “That’s what I always tell my team members and it’s why I rely on strict training and discipline. It’s my hope that by acquiring performance skills, din tao performers can gain professional status and their social position can be raised.”

Another problem is that din tao is sometimes viewed as a type of “low-end” performance, given its association with folk religion and that it takes place on the street, Hsu says. Consequently, many view din tao performances as simple and unrefined. “Din tao performances can be seen in Taiwan wherever there are temples,” Hsu says. “Because it’s rooted in Taiwan’s folk religion and grassroots culture, din tao isn’t recognized as a performing art and it isn’t given its due respect. That’s why, in addition to helping troubled teenagers, my other aim for Chio-Tian is to revamp traditional din tao and upgrade it to the level of an art like theater.”

 

A poster for Din Tao: Leader of the Parade. The film was produced with a small budget but became a box-office hit and has earned Chio-Tian a measure of fame. (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

To do that, Hsu focuses on refining the troupe’s skills and presentation. He admits that in the past, Chio-Tian’s performances sometimes lacked sophistication. In those days, the troupe did not generate much income from performing, which resulted in low pay for performers and a high turnover rate that seriously impeded training. Since then, improved finances have not only led to better pay and a more stable group of performers, but also enabled troupe members to receive training from dance instructors, music teachers and martial arts specialists. Chio-Tian now has the resources to work with outside choreographers as well as costume and stage designers. By collaborating with professionals in different fields, Hsu hopes that his troupe will be able to deliver highly skilled performances that appeal to a wider audience.

One of those professionals is Zheng Kun-yong (鄭琨永), a full-time Chio-Tian choreographer who graduated from the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts in Taipei with a major in acrobatics and dance and went on to study in the Graduate School of Dance at National Taiwan University of Physical Education and Sport in Taichung. Zheng trains troupe members in the martial arts and instructs them in how to move and dance, an effort that includes teaching his young performers to read musical scores. He is also the driving force behind Chio-Tian’s rigorous physical training schedule, which includes running, push-ups, sit-ups and weight training.

Keeping It Fresh

Zheng says that innovation is the key to standing out among the multitude of din tao performance groups in Taiwan. To keep Chio-Tian’s stunts and action sequences fresh, he sets them to music ranging from Western pop to traditional Chinese melodies and highlights the programs with modern technology like laser lights and 3-D digital projection. Zheng’s goal is to help the troupe deliver exquisite, fascinating performances similar to those of Cirque du Soleil.

 

Chio-Tian performs in New York in 2007. The troupe will take the stage at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York in August this year. (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

Hsu’s endeavor to improve the image of din tao received a boost with the release of the locally produced film Din Tao: Leader of the Parade earlier this year. The film marked the big-screen debut of veteran television director Feng Kai (馮凱) and is based upon actual events involving Chio-Tian. While the movie features thrilling din tao performances, it also examines generational differences and illustrates the difficulties traditional arts groups and performers face in modern society.

Although Din Tao: Leader of the Parade was produced with a small budget of NT$45 million (US$1.5 million) and lacked big-name stars, the movie was wildly popular and grossed more than NT$310 million (US$10 million) at box offices around Taiwan. Distribution for the film also began in May and June this year in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

“When I was doing the planning for Din Tao, my original thought was to make a film that had commercial value and could impact society in a positive way,” Feng says. I would’ve been satisfied if the movie had just broken even, but it ended up being far more popular than I ever expected. The feedback I received from audience members on how the film had touched and inspired them delighted me more than the [high] box office sales.”

Feng says he spent two years writing the script for the film and surveying several din tao groups at temple festivals around Taiwan. That research eventually led him to Chio-Tian. “Taiwan doesn’t have many troupes like Chio-Tian that have good discipline and are working to upgrade what’s essentially a type of street performance to the level of a performing art,” he says. “And I continue to be impressed by the troupe’s powerful and intense drum music. When you put the music together with Chio-Tian’s martial arts-like choreography, the group really stands out.”

 

Chio-Tian members during one of their walks around Taiwan, a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. The troupe performed the circumnavigation each year from 1996 to 2003. (Photo Courtesy of Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe)

The director says that he also admires Hsu’s commitment to helping high school dropouts and juvenile offenders get back on the right track by providing them with career development opportunities and encouraging them to acquire a university education. Hsu’s endeavors have enabled those youths to become productive members of society and eliminated some social problems, he adds.

Feng echoes Hsu’s observation that many people still look down on din tao troupes and performances even though they are an important part of Taiwan’s religious fabric. The director saw such attitudes in his initial efforts to raise funds and search for actors for his movie. “Some of the investors and big stars I contacted were reluctant to participate. They came right out and told me that din tao was very ‘low,’” he says. “The indignation I felt made me want to produce a good din tao-themed film to counter that kind of prejudice. I’m glad that I made it.”

Hsu says the film’s success put Chio-Tian in the spotlight, which has led to many more invitations to perform. His ultimate goal, however, is staging a performance at the National Theater in Taipei. Although that day has yet to come, earlier this year Hsu got something else to rejoice about. Thanks to the recommendation of Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), founder of the prestigious Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Chio-Tian received an invitation to perform at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City in August. “I’ve got full confidence in our troupe’s ability to perform on the world stage and engage an international audience,” Hsu says. “I think that’ll take us one step closer to making din tao culture the pride of Taiwan.”

Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw