廟埕
Collection
Temple Courtyards of Taiwan
In Taiwan, the square in front of a temple is a stage. Opera troupes, puppet companies and gong-and-drum bands perform there as offerings to the god, and passers-by are welcome to stop and listen.
Nearly everything here was recorded by the sound-mapper Wu Tsan-cheng between 2012 and 2023, often binaurally, so headphones help. It opens with nanguan, the slow chamber music of southern Fujian, played in ritual at Tainan's Temple of Heaven. Then come outdoor Taiwanese opera (gezaixi) in Beitou and Luzhou, a glove-puppet show in Xinzhuang, morning chanting at Longshan Temple and a City God festival procession in Taipei. It closes with nearly fifty minutes of a Taoist jiao, the community rite held only once every few years.
These are not concert recordings. Traffic, firecrackers and conversation are part of them, as they are part of the music's life.
- 天壇南管祭儀Tiāntán nánguǎn jìyí — Nanguan and ceremony at the Temple of Heaven, Tainan16:00
- 北投歌仔戲（午場）Běitóu gēzǎixì — Taiwanese opera in Beitou, afternoon8:25
- 蘆洲廟埕歌仔戲Lúzhōu miàochéng gēzǎixì — Taiwanese opera in a temple square, Luzhou5:15
- 保元宮前的偶戲Bǎoyuán gōng qián de ǒuxì — Puppet show at Baoyuan Temple, Xinzhuang4:16
- 奮起湖廟前的偶戲Fènqǐhú miào qián de ǒuxì — Puppet show in front of the temple, Fenqihu3:58
- 龍山寺早課Lóngshān sì zǎokè — Morning service at Longshan Temple, Taipei14:40
- 省城隍廟廟會Shěng chénghuáng miào miàohuì — City God festival in Taipei, with nanguan15:20
- 淡水鑼鼓Dànshuǐ luógǔ — Gongs and drums in Tamsui4:28
- 北投歌仔戲（夜場）Běitóu gēzǎixì — Taiwanese opera in Beitou, evening9:14
- 番薯厝建醮法會Fānshǔcuò jiànjiào fǎhuì — Jiao rite of renewal, Fanshucuo47:16