SDG11
Rooting Opera Culture: NCKU and Chien Jen Foundation Host "Holiday Art School"
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) partnered with the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation to promote sustainable education by rooting traditional opera culture, environmental coexistence, and art in rural areas. On September 5, they visited Tainan’s Guang-Rong Experimental Elementary School in Zuojhen District to hold a "Holiday Art School" filled with artistic warmth and educational depth. Through an interdisciplinary blend of traditional opera, theater experience, and environmental education, rural children were able to connect with traditional culture through song, stylized movements, and story, while learning about the environment and caring for the land through art, cultivating sustainable thinking and confident self-expression.
This event represents a key practical outcome of an industry-academia collaboration between Associate Professor Wei-Chi Ma of NCKU’s Institute of Art Studies and the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation. Guided by University Social Responsibility (USR) principles, it integrates "cultural sustainability, environmental sustainability, and educational sustainability" into art education. Through cross-sector collaboration between university expertise, foundation resources, artistic troupes, and local schools, the university serves not only as a transmitter of knowledge, but also as an active partner in local sustainable development.
The event specially invited the "Hsin Hsieh Hsing Taiwanese Opera Troupe," with instructor Min-Ling Chen (Michelle)—an outstanding alumna of NCKU’s Master’s Program in Drama Studies—leading workshops centered on an innovative Taiwanese opera script: "Little Green’s Cloud-Chasing Umbrella: Play Taiwanese Opera with Me." The workshop began with the familiar seven-character tune "Riding a White Horse" from traditional Taiwanese opera, introducing children to the beauty of traditional opera through vocal techniques, body movements, and role-playing. The curriculum cleverly embedded "environmental sustainability" into the story arc, allowing Guang-Rong Elementary students to embody characters such as "Little Green," "White Cloud," "Toad Spirit," and "Sea Queen." Through an imaginative adventure, students were encouraged to reflect on the relationship between humans and nature, as well as daily life and the environment.
Kun-Liang Tsai, Principal of Guang-Rong Experimental Elementary School, stated that the artistic resources brought by NCKU, the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation, and the Hsin Hsieh Hsing Taiwanese Opera Troupe injected fresh vitality into the campus. Through an interdisciplinary design of "opera texts × story performance × environmental education," sustainability is no longer just an abstract concept in textbooks. Instead, through character portrayal, singing, movement, and play, it becomes a lived experience that children can understand, feel, and put into practice. From cultural heritage to environmental stewardship, sustainability begins in the hearts of children. The sustainability emphasized here encompasses not only environmental protection, but also the continuation of traditional culture and equality of educational opportunities.
Associate Professor Wei-Chi Ma noted, "We hope children can see themselves through art and understand their relationship with the land through stories. Our collaboration at Guang-Rong Elementary with the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation and the Hsin Hsieh Hsing Taiwanese Opera Troupe is not just about bringing traditional opera onto campus; it's about planting the seeds of cultural, environmental, and educational sustainability into children's minds in a way they can understand and engage with through play. When children are willing to step forward and sing out with their own voices, that is the most powerful beginning of sustainability."
This collaboration showcases the potential of universities, foundations, artistic teams, and rural schools coming together to advance sustainable education. When education steps beyond campus boundaries and art enters local communities, cultural heritage, environmental care, and educational equity become interconnected, creating an empathetic network that supports local sustainable development.
This event represents a key practical outcome of an industry-academia collaboration between Associate Professor Wei-Chi Ma of NCKU’s Institute of Art Studies and the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation. Guided by University Social Responsibility (USR) principles, it integrates "cultural sustainability, environmental sustainability, and educational sustainability" into art education. Through cross-sector collaboration between university expertise, foundation resources, artistic troupes, and local schools, the university serves not only as a transmitter of knowledge, but also as an active partner in local sustainable development.
The event specially invited the "Hsin Hsieh Hsing Taiwanese Opera Troupe," with instructor Min-Ling Chen (Michelle)—an outstanding alumna of NCKU’s Master’s Program in Drama Studies—leading workshops centered on an innovative Taiwanese opera script: "Little Green’s Cloud-Chasing Umbrella: Play Taiwanese Opera with Me." The workshop began with the familiar seven-character tune "Riding a White Horse" from traditional Taiwanese opera, introducing children to the beauty of traditional opera through vocal techniques, body movements, and role-playing. The curriculum cleverly embedded "environmental sustainability" into the story arc, allowing Guang-Rong Elementary students to embody characters such as "Little Green," "White Cloud," "Toad Spirit," and "Sea Queen." Through an imaginative adventure, students were encouraged to reflect on the relationship between humans and nature, as well as daily life and the environment.
Kun-Liang Tsai, Principal of Guang-Rong Experimental Elementary School, stated that the artistic resources brought by NCKU, the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation, and the Hsin Hsieh Hsing Taiwanese Opera Troupe injected fresh vitality into the campus. Through an interdisciplinary design of "opera texts × story performance × environmental education," sustainability is no longer just an abstract concept in textbooks. Instead, through character portrayal, singing, movement, and play, it becomes a lived experience that children can understand, feel, and put into practice. From cultural heritage to environmental stewardship, sustainability begins in the hearts of children. The sustainability emphasized here encompasses not only environmental protection, but also the continuation of traditional culture and equality of educational opportunities.
Associate Professor Wei-Chi Ma noted, "We hope children can see themselves through art and understand their relationship with the land through stories. Our collaboration at Guang-Rong Elementary with the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation and the Hsin Hsieh Hsing Taiwanese Opera Troupe is not just about bringing traditional opera onto campus; it's about planting the seeds of cultural, environmental, and educational sustainability into children's minds in a way they can understand and engage with through play. When children are willing to step forward and sing out with their own voices, that is the most powerful beginning of sustainability."
This collaboration showcases the potential of universities, foundations, artistic teams, and rural schools coming together to advance sustainable education. When education steps beyond campus boundaries and art enters local communities, cultural heritage, environmental care, and educational equity become interconnected, creating an empathetic network that supports local sustainable development.
When education steps beyond school walls and art enters local communities, cultural heritage, environmental care, and educational equity become interconnected, forming an empathetic network to support local sustainable development.
When children are willing to step forward and sing out with their own voices, it marks the most powerful beginning of sustainability.
The artistic resources brought by the interdisciplinary team injected fresh vitality into the campus.
The "Hsin Hsieh Hsing Taiwanese Opera Troupe" was specially invited to lead workshops for elementary students.
NCKU and the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation visited Tainan’s Guand-Rong Experimental Elementary School in Zuojhen District on September 5 to hold the "Holiday Art School."
This event serves as an important practice of industry-academia collaboration between Associate Professor Wei-Chi Ma of NCKU’s Institute of Art Studies and the Chien Jen Environmental Education Foundation, integrating University Social Responsibility (USR) concepts to incorporate cultural, environmental, and educational sustainability into art education.
