Today’s Enlightening Entertainment will be presented in Formosan (Taiwanese), with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Spanish.

Today we have the opportunity to interview Ms. Tang Mei-Yun, famed award-winning opera artist, as well as teacher, director and producer of Ge-zai opera.

Being the daughter of well-known opera artist Ms. Tang Yan Qiu and “prince of opera” Mr. Jiang Wu Tung, Ms. Tang Mei-Yun grew up with Ge-zai opera as it was passed in her family lineage for generations. Having been performing on stage since the age of 15, she preserves this great artistic legacy and develops and enriches it, meanwhile introducing the art form via television, film and other media.

This opera originated in the coastal regions of Fujian, but it was in Formosa (Taiwan) where people have truly spread it and enriched it. So in the early days, these operas were performed in theaters. Each opera might be performed for a week or up to ten days. (An opera series.) Right, right. They were opera series. They were performed in Taipei and central and southern Formosa (Taiwan). Later they broadcasted Formosan opera on the radio, and they made these operas into movies.

Like the old days, these operas are performed on a stage, but the difference is that in terms of selecting the script and production, it's different from the past, meaning it's more advanced than in the past.

Ge-zai opera music is mostly adapted from popular folk songs. Its dramas usually blend in teachings of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and other virtues into the everyday life stories of ordinary people. The artistic goal of the Ge-zai-xi opera is to touch people’s heart: If the audience cries and laughs together with the performer and experiences the world and events within the drama as if it were real, then the performance is successful.

My dear!

I have informed mother about my promotion. And then she sent me a letter saying that she was coming to the capital city soon.

That’s great! Then we can fulfill our duty as loving children.

Our three generations will be so happy together.

What do you mean by three generations?

Because mother wants to have a grandchild soon!

So what's the proper way to appreciate Formosan opera?

To enjoy the opera, the singing part is the first thing we need to talk about. "No singing, no opera," enjoying the singing part is the most essential. Also, one characteristic of Formosan opera is that the male characters are usually played by female singers. Therefore, the operas performed in the coastal regions of Fujian or their stage shows are centered on the female characters. But in Formosa (Taiwan), our operas are centered on the male character. This is unique in our area.

What I did was wrong, but I tried to justify myself. I took advantage of the weak and the poor for selfish reasons. What’s the use of reading all these books by sages? What’s the use of reading all these books by sages? No, I can’t continue to hide the truth. I must confess to my mother and Yu-Lian.

Gracious viewers, we will return shortly as Ms. Tang Mei-Yun shares with us more of her thoughts on art and life. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to Enlightening Entertainment. In 1998, Ms. Tang Mei-Yun founded the Tang Mei-Yun Formosan Opera Company, with the goal of bringing the beautiful Ge-zai-xi art to new frontiers. Due to the high quality of their innovative performances, many of the newly created repertoires have become the classics of Ge-zai-xi, which is now formally considered to be the Formosan (Taiwanese) Opera.

All I had to rely on was my enthusiasm toward the Formosan opera. Also, it was because my father was a teacher, too. Yes, teaching Chiang.

The older generation of singers worked so hard, and they steadfastly promoted this art.

So, I was thinking, since I'm an actress, shouldn't I do something for my father and Formosan opera? So, with such an enthusiasm, I started the troupe. Since then, I discovered that I was just beginning to learn, and that I was truly starting to learn. I had so much difficulty and so many problems. But I took them all as my test or my experience. After more than a decade, I feel that this has been truly a precious experience.

When I first started to establish my own troupe, I kept reminding myself and my troupe members that our motto was: "Continue the tradition and innovate." Continue the tradition and create new things. This was what I wanted to do in a different age. I hoped to create different works, and I hoped to use my works as a record to record each stage, each feeling, and each struggle.

I just want to live every day to its fullest and make the plays perfect. Some people commented that I don't worry about the future, but I responded that future hasn't come yet, and maybe I'll pass away before anything happens, so I don't have to worry about anything. If I don't want to have any regrets, then I should do what I have to do right now.

Later on, Ms. Tang Mei-Yun came across the Buddhist teachings. They have changed her in both her artistic creation as well as her valuing of life.

I have to thank my father for my affinity with Buddhism. After my father passed away, I started to think about a silly question; that is when people died, where did they go?

I wondered where he went and whether he was fine.

And then I started to read some Buddhist scriptures.

Of course, after my father passed away, we kept a vegetarian diet for a period of time. Once I played a role in an opera "Earth Store Bodhisattva." I played the Earth Store Bodhisattva. At the opening of this play, I prayed for the smooth running of the show, so I started to eat vegetarian again. Later on, many incredible things happened. I should say that I sensed certain things. (Your spiritual experience.) That's right! Several times I encountered danger, and I got saved in the nick of time.

As an artist who chooses to forego nearly all kinds of animal products, Ms. Tang Mei-Yun also encourages others to change toward the vegetarian diet along with her.

I got sick and had an operation. I started to understand things better.

In my own experience, when we are doing filming, we have to stay up at night, and it requires a lot of physical power, so people say that they have to eat meat. I would say, "You don't have to." I say that eating vegetarian keeps my brain clearer.

Normally after a surgery when one wakes up and the effect of anesthesia is gone, the incision would hurt. While I was lying on the bed, I suddenly realized something. I have always been afraid of pain, so before I was moved to the operation room, the doctor said he would give me half-body anesthesia, but I requested for whole-body anesthesia, so that I wouldn't feel any pain.

Then while I was lying in bed, I was thinking that I was feeling so much pain already, yet those animals were cut open alive without any anesthesia. How painful that must be. So I instantly started to repent. I kept thinking I shouldn't have eaten meat. Why did I ever do that? So, I thought, "It's not too late! It's not too late!" I kept reminding myself, "Luckily, it's still not too late."

So, later I would tell people and encourage people to eat veg. Actually, if we think about it from another angle, we know that we'll be fine even if we don't eat animals. If we don't eat meat, we'll still be healthy, so why should we eat meat and cause the animals to hate us all their lives?

Also, from the point of view of all sentient beings and of the environment, global warming is getting worse, so if we truly love our planet, and if we truly love ourselves, our family and people around us, like friends or relatives, we have to eat vegetarian.

When the Earth starts to change, it doesn't just affect you or put you in danger. All your loved ones will be in danger, too. So we have to start with changing ourselves, and then we'll influence people around us, and then together we'll love our planet and love everybody. So, we have to eat vegetarian.

After you started to study Buddhism, have you experienced changes when you create your plays?

Yes, I feel that in a play, I've changed my viewpoints, my methods of expression, and my message to the audience. I really want to help my audience understand that among worldly people there are many kinds of human nature. Human nature, aside from love among family, partners and friends, there is also kindness.

I feel that I can observe from a different point of view to look at the ancient stories and modern people's personalities. Since I've started to study Buddhism, I hope to help people clearly understand what human nature truly is. I hope to help them understand that if we open our hearts and accept people, then people will also accept us. We shouldn't just sit there and wait for people to accept us.

Do you have any plans on passing on your leadership? Do you have any plans to develop new plays?

I do have hopes. I hope I can realize my father's dreams. I hope in every corner of Formosa (Taiwan,) from north to center to south, as long as there is a theater, people can come and watch good quality Formosan opera. I hope more and more people can enjoy these operas. Finally, I hope we can introduce the beautiful local Formosan (Formosan) art to other countries and to people who love performance art. I would love to introduce Formosan opera to them, so they can understand it.

Indeed, art is one beautiful way to manifest the greatest love and unity of life. We appreciate Ms. Yang Mei-Yun for uplifting the spirit of the world with her elegant performances and artistic innovations, as well as through her advocacy of a plant-based diet.

For more information about the Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Company, please visit

Gracious viewers, it was a pleasure to have you with us today. Up next is Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News, here on Supreme Master Television. May the joys within life’s precious moments be yours.