A Taiwanese Dan

Women have traditionally been shown as subdued beings in Chinese culture. Even in modern times, this remains true for many societies across Asia. Yet, the spread of Peking opera in Taiwan is breaking this mold. Guoguang Theatre Company has deliberately been valuing female roles both on stage and off. Though they are not the first to use a female actor for a female role, this can be seen as a revolutionary act when seen through the eyes of Yu-lin Huang. In ‘A Taiwanese Dan,’ we hear from Huang, who is a renowned Taiwanese Peking opera actress. She entertains with the basics of playing a dan role (a.k.a. female roles in Peking opera). Huang also demonstrates her rendition of an iconic Peking opera character—one that is reflective instead of emotive, strong-willed but tender, ultimately conveying the importance for females like her to play a female character. It might seem natural for Taiwan to be a ground for such change in Peking opera. Especially given that Taiwan is the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, as well as its recent #metoo movement. But when considering that this art form is 200 years-old, the evolution of a so-called Taiwanese dan role is all the more impressive.