“Chung Chou Troupe,” the forerunner of Taiwan BangZi Opera Company, was founded in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam, in 1949. With the assistance and support of the Republic of China Marine Corps, it was relocated to Zouying District, Kaohsiung, in 1953 and was renamed as the “Marine Corp’s Flying Horse Henan Opera Troupe.” After the troupe’s responsibility to entertain and encourage the soldiers came to an end, it was transferred to the Ministry of Education on January 1, 1996, as the Henan Opera Troupe of the National Guo Guang Chinese Opera Company. On March 6, 2008, the Company was again transferred to the Council of Cultural Affairs and given the new name, Taiwan BangZi Opera Company. For over half a century, the Company has rooted in Taiwan’s soil and Taiwan bangzi is now recognized, along with Taiwanese opera and Beijing opera, a major operatic theatre on this island.

　Led by Wang Hailing, the “Queen of Bangzi Opera,” the Company settled in southern Taiwan, bringing forth excellent younger actors and notable productions. During the past five decades, under different names and working with different organizations, Taiwan BangZi Opera Company has constantly made great efforts to improve its performance skills, to preserve precious cultural heritage, and to attract audiences from all generations and social stratum. At the same time, it was never absent from international stages. Invitations came from all over the world; the Company has toured in many countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China. The Company actively participated in cultural exchange with Mainland China, performing with troupes from China and hosting cross-strait symposiums. Because of these remarkable contributions, the Company has won the award of “Outstanding Contributions to Cross-Strait Cultural Exchanges” five times, granted by the Mainland Affairs Council respectively in 2002, 2004, 2006,2008 and 2010.

　Full of creative energy, Taiwan BangZi Opera Company makes new productions every year, crossing genre boundaries and showcasing artistic diversity. Our new productions combine traditional beauty and state-of-the-art modern theatre, boldly challenging the East/West binarism. Notable productions include Large-Footed Queen, Chinese Princess Turandot, Qin Shao-you and Younger Sister Su, Empress Wu and Wan-er, An Adventure in Dragon Palace, Rhymes of Henan Opera in Taiwan, Unofficial Biography of Caojin, Where Does the Money Go?!, Tien-chieh and Chuan Chou, Test the Wife! Murder the Wife!, The Legend of Cihuangong, Grandmom Liu, The Empress Dowager Cixi and Imperial Consort Zhen, The Pavilion of Praying to The Moon, Liu Qing-ti's Hell, and Bond. These plays exhibit the diversity of Taiwan bangzi, and were widely acclaimed. Among them, The Empress Dowager Cixi and Imperial Consort Zhen won “Best Traditional Drama” of the 2008 Golden Bell Award. Many masterpieces have gone on to tour schools, communities, villages, towns, and metropolises throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. While preserving its ancient heritage, Taiwan BangZi Opera Company has deepened its artistic message to present it to the world’s stage.

　Firmly based in Taiwan, Taiwan bangzi has crossed geographical and cultural distance to reach the world. With your support, we will continue our endeavor to create best performances, hoping to present the beauty of traditional opera and to break new ground.