Exhibition period:

From February 13^th to July 13^th, 2020/adult group and creative group

From July 18^th to January 4^th, 2021/elementary school group, junior high school group, and senior high school group

Venue: Cultural gallery of the Taiwan Hakka Museum

Philosophy curatorial:

What will it look like and what kind of artistic conception will it bear when Hakka hill songs, which are normally sung and heard in the mountains and forests, are presented through the form of calligraphy? The “Inheritance – Hakka hill songs calligraphy competition winners’ works” exhibition which is taking place at the cultural gallery inside the Taiwan Hakka Museum from February 13^th (Sky Mending Day (National Hakka Day)), introduces the custom of the Hakka people’s singing Hakka hill songs on Sky Mending Day in a calm and elegant calligraphic manner.

Combining calligraphy with Hakka hill songs, the “Hakka hill songs calligraphy competition” was held at the Taiwan Hakka Museum on December 28^th and 29^th last year (2019) to commemorate the 31^st anniversary of Taiwan's Hakka movement. A total of 555 works from all over the country were collected, with 70% of the contestants coming from cities and counties other than Miaoli County. Talented calligraphers from Yilan in eastern Taiwan and Pingtung in southern Taiwan submitted their scripts, and after rigorous evaluation in the first review round, a total of 200 finalists from the adult group, creative group, elementary school group, junior high school group, and senior high school group were left. On the day of the final round, Mr. Lai Jen-Cheng, the winner of the 2019 Hakka Contribution Award and “Master of Hakka hill songs” was invited to sing a Hakka hill song; the theme of the competition. With the Qiyan lyrical composition as follows: “The culture has been cultivated for thousands of years and lasted only for two generations. I would sell the extensive ancestral land rather than forgetting the wisdom teachings of our ancestors”, the importance of passing on your mother tongue and the Hakka spirit of never forgetting who you were was chanted and praised. After two days of fierce competition, 40 winners were selected.

To improve the visibility of and share these valuable, meaningful, and outstanding works with more people, the Taiwan Hakka Museum has decided to mount all of these winning works and launch the exhibition on February 13^th (Sky Mending Day/National Hakka Day). A total of 16 winning works from the adult group and creative group, together with the 24 winning works from the elementary school group, junior high school group, and senior high school group will be put on display in this competition winners’ exhibition. The exhibition is separated into two sections based on the different competition groups. The first section of this exhibition will end on July 13^th, followed by the second section (starting on July 15^th, 2020) which ends on January 4^th, 2021.

The layout of the exhibition venue is based on green hills, reflecting the majestic environment where lingering Hakka hill songs are sung and heard. The calligraphy artwork “God helps those who help themselves” created by master Lo Sheng-Lun, a Hakka calligrapher, using ink and brushes is the exhibition guide to manifest the spirit of perseverance and diligence delivered by both calligraphy and Hakka culture.

The winning works are exhibited one after another on walls on both sides, showing how the Hakka people live in and alongside the mountains, demonstrating the close connection they have with the mountains. Scenery simulation is also set up to allow visitors to experience the pleasure of splashing ink brushes and pens on the bricks using water.

This event transforms the hill songs, prolific in the wisdom of our ancestors, into graceful calligraphy art so that the public and descendants can learn more about Hakka culture from diverse art exhibitions. The works displayed come from all over the country, and we try to enhance the cultural experience and make it more lively and meaningful by presenting Hakka culture in diversified ways. We invite everyone to visit the Taiwan Hakka Museum to appreciate the winning calligraphy works, explore Hakka villages and have a wonderful experience.