A Glimpse Into Taiwanese Subculture

The UCSB Multicultural Center‘s busy schedule of events just keeps growing. The MCC will be showing two documentaries on Taiwanese culture on Friday, June 1. Beginning at 1 pm, Taipei’s Bohemians depicts seven people bit by the theater bug. Despite the economic struggles and inconveniences of their passion for acting, high standards and the utmost precision are upheld for the sake of the theater arts. Directly following the show is a refreshment break in the Multicultural Center lobby. At 2:30 p.m., a second film, titled The Rhythm in Wulu Village, will be shown. With a goal of cultural preservation in mind, Director Chun-hsiun Wang travels to Wulu Village – a remote, mountain-enclosed region in eastern Taiwan. Their he finds the indigenous Bunan people, known for their poly-harmonic choral singing. But, like many other indigenous peoples, their culture is threatened by the advancing industrial world. Through interviews with the locals about their cultural heritage, Wang’s beliefs change and he relays this moving experience to his audience.

This event is sponsored by the Center for Taiwan Studies and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles. The screening are open to the public. For more information, contact TECO’s Amy Wang by email at applewangus@gmail.com and by phone at (323) 782-8765 x210, or Karen Doehner from UCSB’s Center for Taiwan Studies at doehner@eastasian.ucsb.edu and (805) 893-5101.