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Taiwanese opera troupe prepares a lavish, multi-day performance for the gods

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

Music is a big part of Taiwan's culture. The island even has its own special type of opera, which you'll hear everywhere, from theaters to temples. In one temple, a small theater troupe is preparing a special performance just for the gods. Here's NPR's Emily Feng.

EMILY FENG, BYLINE: (Speaking Mandarin).

I first notice the heat - it is baking backstage. But that's not stopping the Shengxian Opera Troupe from putting on full face makeup, wigs and embroidered Ming Dynasty-style costumes.

ZHENG XIUJUAN: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: Actor Zheng Xiujuan starts furiously powdering her face, the thicker the better, to absorb the sweat. She contours her nose, draws on bold eyeliner and thickens her eyebrows.

ZHENG: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: She says she's going to do a xiaosheng role today, meaning when a woman plays a man, a very common and popular character archetype in Taiwanese opera.

ZHENG: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: And she explains their audience for their first performance today is just a group of five gods called wu fu qian sui. Taiwanese opera, or gezaixi in Mandarin, Zheng says, is a heartfelt way to show the gods how much humans appreciate the protection they offer us each day.

ZHENG: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: What she loves about gezaixi, Zheng says, is you work within the narrative of these characters but then channel your own emotions and your own tears to tell a story.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

FENG: With 50 minutes left to go before showtime, the keyboardist and percussionist start warming up.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: But we're still waiting for the director to arrive. In consultation with the temple, he will decide what play the troupe will perform.

WU XIUHUAN: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: Actor Wu Xiuhuan explains everything is improvised - the fight scenes, the lines, the pace of the stories, which they all know by heart.

WU: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: They make this all up as they go along, Wu says, relying on a familiar rhythm the troupe has built up over years of performing together.

ZENG HUANQI: (Speaking Hokkien).

FENG: With 35 minutes left to go, the director, Zeng Huanqi, finally arrives in a whirlwind of rapid-fire Hokkien. That's one of the main languages spoken here in Taiwan, in addition to Mandarin Chinese. Taiwanese opera exclusively uses Hokkien.

ZENG: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: Zeng explains he's decided to go for a story about Koxinga. That's the real-life Ming-era pirate warlord. Zeng says he wants the gods to know he is grateful...

ZENG: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: ...Because he relies on the gods' birthdays to make a living, and there are a lot of gods in Taiwan.

ZENG: (Speaking Mandarin).

FENG: The earth god, the Mazu sea goddess, the Eight Generals. Every time one has a birthday, a temple will invite Zeng and his troupe to perform.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

FENG: At precisely 3 p.m., the troupe launches into their first act. They stride on stage, their headdresses quivering, limbs encased in magenta satin.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (Singing in Hokkien).

FENG: The actors are fierce, and the music is loud, but they're performing to an empty audience. No one is there - no one human anyway. Only the gods are listening.

Emily Feng, NPR News, Pingtung, Taiwan.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (Singing in Hokkien). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Emily Feng is NPR's Beijing correspondent.