welcome to National Central University

Located in Liberal Arts Building II at National Central University (NCU), the first Kunqu Opera Museum in Taiwan presented its Grand Opening on 2017 Nov. 23th. Among the waves of pine trees, a winding corridor flows Kunqu’s artistic beauty. The museum houses tens of thousands of documents, more than six thousands of audio-visual materials, and Kunqu treasures that are hundreds of years old with great historical value. All collections above were collected by Dr. Hong Weizhu, Professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, who has spent decades in collecting the collections that make the museum a national pride.

Kunqu has an elegant title as “the Mother of 100 Chinese Operas.” With its long history, cultural profundity, and artistic value, Kunqu was listed in the first batch of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization). The Research Center for Chinese and Opera at NCU has devoted itself for many years to the collection of and research on Kunqu’s artifacts and documents, especially those of recent Kunqu artists, musicians, and scholars. The preservation epitomizes the contemporary history of Kunqu.    

The special exhibition has four sectors: “Elegance and Talent on Stage” displays the precious mantles and the theatrical charms; “The Treasures of the House” displays the only four costumes left by the renowned actors including Zhou Chuanying, Yu Zhenfei, Han Shichang, and You Caiyun; “Masters’ Pieces” exhibits Kunqu musicians’ paintings, calligraphy, and manuscripts; “Retrospect and Prospect” travels through time and feels the past, present, and future of the museum.       

The opening ceremony invited Dongning Kunqu Society from Tainan to perform “Crying to the Statue” from “Disaster Strikes, The Palace of Eternal Life.” Through their performance, the participants experienced the beauty and elegant style of Kunqu. Owing to Professor. Hong’s boundless vision, the treasures of Kunqu can be preserved in Taiwan. Because of his selfless contributions, the precious collections are now open to the public.