Ming Hwa Yuan's Sun to play modern-day 'crook' in new Taiwanese opera

Taipei, April 20 (CNA) Taiwanese opera star Sun Tsui-feng (孫翠鳳) will play a modern-day criminal who knows little about the traditional art form in a new comedy adaptation of the folk legend "Lord Jiaqing and the Journey to Taiwan," the creators behind the work told CNA.

In "Clan of Crooks!? Reincarnation into Another World," Sun plays a money mule who ends up in a Taiwanese opera set in the Qing dynasty's Jiaqing era after a car accident and wonders why people around him begin singing out of nowhere, director Sung Hou-kuan (宋厚寬) and playwright Tsai Yi-hsuan (蔡逸璇) said in a recent interview.

Moreover, under the identity of Liu Jiaqing in the opera, the money mule finds himself caught in a land development scam plotted by his ancestor Liu Biyu (劉碧玉), a real-life Qing dynasty criminal, they said.

Sun's character was created to ask questions like a novice who does not understand what is happening, providing comedic moments throughout the show, according to Sung and Tsai.

Traditional theatergoers will enjoy her silly performance, while audience members new to Taiwanese opera can learn about the art form, they said.

The complicated story is intentional, as the new production by Sun's family-run Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group focuses on scams, Sung explained.

"We have prepared layers of plots and twists," Sung said.

"I believe traditional theater can take on any genre -- science fiction, thriller, or the reincarnation theme popular among anime fans."

"Clan of Crooks!? Reincarnation into Another World" is a flagship production of the 2025 Taiwan Traditional Theatre Festival, organized under the theme "within/out Boundaries."

Four performances to be held at the Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center in Taipei from May 16-18 have sold out.

Sung and Tsai said they started the project with Liu Biyu's story, brought to them by Taipei National University of the Arts professor Chang Chi-feng (張啟豐), a co-curator of the festival.

Liu's story was discovered in documents in the National Palace Museum's online archive, notably Emperor Jiaqing's instructions after the criminal -- who profited from forging government documents -- was linked to an uprising against the Qing dynasty, they said.

The story ends in mystery after a ship carrying Liu to China "vanishes" upon leaving Tainan, Sung and Tsai added.

"Everyone has a 'Lord Jiaqing' in their memories -- why not create an alternative world where Jiaqing had visited Taiwan?" Sung said.

Meanwhile, Tsai highlighted Sun Tsui-feng sharing the stage with her martial arts actor brother, Sun Jung-hui (孫榮輝), for the first time in over two decades, as one of several nostalgic or intriguing aspects of the production -- alongside the memory of "Lord Jiaqing" and the reincarnation storyline playing out in a Taiwanese opera.

The reincarnation plot has sparked online discussions among anime fans and attracted younger theatergoers, Tsai said.