Taiwanese ceremonial drama and the study of its performing procedures

• Main Authors: CHANG LIEN-CHIANG, 張連強
• Other Authors: 李國俊
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/64816587914248591595

博士 === 國立中央大學 === 中國文學系 === 102 === Taiwanese ceremonial drama and the study of its performing procedures － take Beiguan Music's Immortals-playing Drama as an example Abstract The main subject of the thesis focuses on the performance of Taiwanese ceremonial drama, and the range of the research takes Taiwanese Beiguan Music's Immortals-Playing Drama as an example. The thesis coordinates the field study by three major parts. Firstly, interviewing the artists, the owners of the opera troupes and the experienced artists. Secondly, gathering the collection of the manuscripts, the scripts of dramas, the images and the recorded data. Thirdly, summarizing all the related documents. The thesis respectively discusses the definition of the ceremony, the origin of Taiwanese ceremonial drama and the analysis of the actual performing procedure. Furthermore, it explores the programmed application of Taiwanese Immortals-Playing Drama ceremony. Besides, it introduces the images of the roles in Immortals’ Drama of Immortals-Playing Drama. The thesis also expects to further organize the nonnative meaning of Taiwanese ceremonial drama profoundly. When Taiwanese Immortals-Playing Drama is performed, it emphasizes its special ceremonial properties. Especially, there are consistent rules among its performing procedures. The thesis sums up the applied parts in four ceremonial procedures for Immortals-Playing Drama and Immortals’ Drama as follows：1. Auspicious occasion and inviting all immortals. 2. All immortals’ presenting and arriving the land of happiness. 3. All immortals’ presenting treasures, making celebrations and giving blessings. 4. The end of giving blessings and returning to the heaven respectively. In addition, the Human-World Drama of Immortals-Playing Drama includes four applied ceremonial procedures as follows：1. Flaunting：making achievements and merits 2. Complimenting：lords’ praise 3. Granting rewards：granting officials and wealth 4. Being thankful for kindness：respecting and thanking for immortals’ gratitude. By summarizing and analyzing all the collected data, both the Immortals’ Drama and the Human-world Drama of Immortals-playing Drama are on the track of the above-mentioned proceeding procedure. It can say that all the presenting parts of Immortals-Playing Drama are performed according to the ceremonial procedure. The main goal of Taiwanese Immortals-Playing Drama is to pray for good fortune and to make celebrations. The major connotation of its process puts emphasis on the ceremonies and then is performed on the stage suitably. Judging from the surface, it seems that the performance of Immortals-Playing Drama has limitation on its literariness and ideology relatively, nevertheless Immortals-Playing Drama makes widespread influences on all the walks of life and is performed in folk sacrificial ceremonies. The drama is delighted to be heard and seen by the masses and is ever-lasting performed. Therefore, the cultural phenomenon of Immortals-Playing Drama is enough to illustrate the value of its academic and culture and the value of the major parts of the ceremonial drama. Key words：ceremonial drama, Beiguan Music, Immortals-Playing Drama, Tien-Guan-Sih-fu, the Eight Immortals (in the legend)