TAINAN, Taiwan—Inheritor of Tainan’s Century-old Shop, Slack Season Tan Tsai Noodles (Tu Hsiao Yueh), Hung Qgilan and her husband Zhou Yumin watched the third performance of Divine Performing Arts (DPA) in Tainan on the evening of Feb. 23. The couple greatly appreciated the show. Mr. Zhou said that he was completely taken the moment the curtains were drawn.
“When the curtains were drawn for the first program, The Five Millennia Begin, as the show was starting, I felt: Wow! It was quite powerful and magnificent,” he said.
When watching the Udumbara flower blooming on the palm of the Buddha’s hand in the program The Udumbara’s Bloom, Ms. Hung thought it was clensing the souls of people in the mundane world. It let people feel the fragrance of the flowers and Buddha’s compassion. She praised it, saying, “It’s really great!”
Ms. Hung said that the lightness and softness of the female performers were just like feathers. She could feel the graceful and gentle temperament of traditional Chinese women from the show. Regarding Dance of the Yi she said, “The program completely expressed the happiness of the girls and the pleasure of living there. I was affected by the happiness of the Yi girls when they were dancing. It’s kind of happiness from their inner hearts,” she added.
Mr. Zhou was most moved by the program Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution. He said that it moved people, because it inspired the righteousness in people’s hearts. Ms. Hung said that she was moved to tears by the program, “It’s a consolation that finally, the protagonist had a good destination.”
She also appreciated the performances of the male singers. “I think they are so marvelous! Really marvelous! They could sing such a resounding sound. It’s difficult. They sang in a clear resounding way, which was the Eastern tenor voice, completely different from the Western.”
Slack Season Tan Tsai Noodles has been run since the Qing Dynasty in 1895. It is operated by Hung Qgilan, now the fourth generation. The old pot demonstrated in the shop is 113 years old. Many celebrities such as Chiang Ching-kuo, Lee Teng-hui, and Lien Chan have eaten noodles cooked in the old pot. The shop has become a well-known cultural spot in Tainan.
For more information please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
