• 2020-08-03

In an effort to encourage continued support for artistic performances during the pandemic and to provide the public with an innovative literary reading experience, National Central Library and the Trend Foundation built a live broadcasting website called “Relax into the Arts.” They also presented to the public the opera series “Lu-Ho Explains Traditional Operas.” Each opera was planned and explained by Jenny Chen, Executive Director of Trend Education Foundation, and renowned traditional opera teacher Lu-Ho Chu.

The “Lu-Ho Explains Traditional Operas” series was held at 2 pm each Saturday in May and was broadcasted live. With the pandemic still raging, it was a way for the public to watch traditional operas and enjoy innovative literature reading experiences at home. The first three sessions were only held online due to pandemic prevention measures in place. The last two sessions, however, saw the pandemic abating. This opened the door for an audience to attend, provided they recorded their names before attending. These last two performances were also broadcast online for those who wanted to enjoy the lectures and performances safely on their computers or cell phones. After the performance, a video recording was made available for free on National Central Library’s audiovisual area and Trend’s audiovisual platform and internet streaming site.

The first session of “Lu-Ho Explains and Acts in Traditional Operas” was held on May 2 at National Central Library’s Cultural Arts Center Auditorium. It was also broadcasted live. Lu-Ho Chu, known for his role in “Meihou Wang,” was invited to be the general director of the operas and to explain what was going on. Mr. Chu is experienced in Peking opera, Taiwan regional opera, Henan opera, TV dramas, and stage plays. Each opera was performed by traditional opera actors from the young generation, imbuing the performances with a strong sense of passing on tradition. The most classic and representative operas were handpicked to be performed for the audiences.