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Title |
The Discovery of Nativist Literature: The Transformation of Taiwan Intellectuals' Opinions towards Gua-á-hì during the Japanese Ruling Period |
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Author |
Pai, Chun-Yen Lu, Cheng-Kuan |
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Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Theatre Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts Institute of Taiwan Literature, National Tsing-Hua University; Chinese Teacher, Gukeng Waldorf Experimental High School |
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Abstract |
During the Japanese ruling period in Taiwan, Gua-á-hì (Taiwanese opera) experienced rapid development in the 1920s, becoming widely popular among the folks, particularly women in commercial theater. However, Taiwan intellectuals and the colonial government regarded Gua-á-hì as an obscene drama, and proposed banning it. The theater scholar, Hsu Ya-Hsiang, in The history of Taiwan's Classical Theatre During the Colonial Period argues that new intellectuals exhibited an anxiety related to "belated modernity", while the traditional intellectuals reflected the patriarchal mentality to maintain social morality in the discussion of banning Gua-áhì. The labeling of Gua-á-hì as "obscene" was primarily due to the interpretative performances of its practitioners, a perception that can be traced back to "class difference." This divide led intellectuals, who wielded significant influence over cultural discourse, to reject the Gua-á-hì milieu, resulting in a rift and antagonism between the intellectual elite and the common populace. However, the intellectuals' opinions toward Gua-á-hì evolved over different periods, and by the 1930s, they began to accept it conditionally. This paper examines the transformation in intellectuals' perspectives on Gua-á-hì, attempting to explain the process of opposition to acceptance within the context of the rise of nativist literature. And we thought that the intellectuals’ acceptance of Taiwanese opera originated from their "discovery" of nativist literature. As assimilation policies permeated society, intellectuals developed cultural anxiety and began to "discover" their native heritage. Influenced by the principles of nativist literature, they shifted their focus to the "people" and revised their critique of the "folklore," gradually adjusting their judgment and approach to Gua-á-hì. Ultimately, they integrated Gua-á-hì into the realm of native art that they acknowledged. |
