"Chinese opera lives among the people; therefore, research into the art requires planning archeological investigations that take the researcher into the field in search of folk artifacts."

In contemporary academia, the name Yong-Yih Tseng earns is highly renowned. Besides opera, his research encompasses the poetry, folk literature, and performing arts of China and Taiwan.

Back when Tseng was a student in NTU's Department of Chinese Literature, linguistics and the Chinese Classics reigned as the most popular fields of study. At the time, Chinese opera drew very little interest among the students. Tseng laughs at himself for following his spirit of "taking whatever others don't want" in choosing the path of Chinese opera research. It turned out, he soon discovered, that though it remained a field that no one cared to investigate, "Chinese opera contains supremely sophisticated language and is a complete melding of elegant Chinese literature with precise performing arts. Virtually all forms of Chinese literature are embodied in Chinese opera; it could even be called the quintessential expression of Chinese culture."

When speaking of his approach to Chinese opera research, Yong-Yih Tseng emphasizes that Chinese opera is a living, three-dimensional literary form that transcends the models of pure thought and research contained within the walls of the classroom. The scholar proclaims, "Chinese opera lives among the people; therefore, research into the art requires planning archeological investigations that take the researcher into the field in search of folk artifacts, such as ancient opera stages, statues and figurines, paintings, tombs, and stage props so that confirmation can be achieved based on real cultural items and textual sources. The textual artifacts held within libraries, though fundamental, are only one part of Chinese opera research."

Contrary to the stereotypical image of a literary scholar, Tseng takes great pride in his hands-on skills at conducting field investigations, interviews, and archeological surveys. He stresses, "The subjects of Chinese opera research are usually very passive, so you must fully understand the background culture prior to setting out. Moreover, you must take advantage of influential local heavyweights― local cultural bureau officials and Chinese opera scholars― as they serve as excellent windows through which access to local theater groups can be gained."

The healthy relationships between the cultural officials and scholars in Taiwan and China alike have helped Tseng immensely. For instance, he gained introductions to local theater groups in Guizhou and Guangxi through the director of a traditional opera academy in Shanghai. Moreover, while working in wild mountainous areas of Minnan, Tseng was given an official document provided by the director of the Fujian Provincial Department of Culture ordering the local culture bureaus in each area to dispatch personnel to assist with his surveys. This granted him access to an abundance of local theater culture formerly unknown to the outside world.

While Tseng enjoys a reputation as an ardent investigator, he is also revered as a passionate and dedicated educator who has trained many of Taiwan's finest literary and Chinese opera researchers. Tseng believes in teaching students according to their individual qualities, noting, "Energetic students who interact well with others can conduct field investigations; those with physical disabilities, meanwhile, can also find their strengths in textual sources and independent research." Besides research training, he also seeks to bring out his students' talent for the performing arts in helping them develop their performance skills.

Tseng also strives to promote traditional Taiwanese arts. He notes, "Japanese colonialism, American culture, and the cultural policies of the Chinese Nationalist government all served to repress Taiwan's local folk culture. Taiwan's music and folk performances are, in actuality, highly refined and worthy of pride; therefore, it is imperative that we expand the popularity of Taiwanese art in Taiwan and promote it as a 'cultural export' overseas."

Among his promotional endeavors, Tseng co-founded the Chinese Folk Arts Foundation in 1979. To this day, the organization remains dedicated to its mission of developing the talent of outstanding folk arts performers, organizing traditional folk arts performances in Taiwan and abroad, and documenting this valuable culture for future generations.

The accumulation of wisdom

Tseng's schooling went smoothly. Never one to indulge a trend or bend with the wind, he was afforded great latitude by his parents. As to the conduct of research, he believes that when confronting an academic problem, researchers must rely primarily on their years of accumulated experience to make solid breakthroughs. Only in this way will they be able to "say what they mean to say and create what they intend to create." In all, Tseng maintains that the wisdom of each individual comes only through the accumulation of years of experience and learning.

A most troubling academic challenge: Music

Lacking an understanding of music, Tseng made extra efforts to understand the relationship between Chinese opera and music. Unfortunately, the vast majority of music scholars in Taiwan were educated in only Western music theory, and only a rare few scholars had studied and conducted research on the Chinese art form. Tseng laments, "Following the era of the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1820-1850), the Chinese people lost their ethnic pride and consequently, the subjectivity of their culture." As a result, Tseng points out, even to this day, there is an excessive inclination to focus on Western music and literatures, adding that while some professors in Chinese music departments come from Western music backgrounds, other Chinese literature researchers simply apply Western literary theory to Chinese literature. "The Westernization of scholarship has become obsessive," says Tseng.

Due to the lack of theoretical research on Chinese music combined with the overly Westernized quagmire of contemporary research, Yong-Yih Tseng had no choice but to forge his own new path. He eventually came to the realization that "Music comes from language, and in Chinese, each character has five elements that are woven together in overlapping layers. This unique feature is highly related to music." Paired with his many years of research, Tseng was gradually able to establish his own theory of traditional Chinese music, which is considered up to par for literary exchanges with music scholars from all across the world.

Major academic honors

The 7th National Awards for Arts (1982, National Culture and Arts Foundation, Literary Theory)

Outstanding Research Award (1988, 1993, 1995, 1998, Ministry of Science and Technology)

Excellent Research Award (1987, 1991, Ministry of Science and Technology)
28th Sun Yat-Sen Culture and Arts Award (1993, Sun Yat-Sen Academic and Culture Foundation)

Hu Shih Chair Professor (1997)

National Taiwan University Chair Professor (2000-2002)
Director of Specially Contracted Research Project (2000-2007, Ministry of Science and Technology)

Distinguished Specially Contracted Researcher Award (2008, Ministry of Science and Technology)

52nd Academic Award (2008, Ministry of Education)

Outstanding Scholar Chair Professor (2004-2009, Foundation for the Advancement of Outstanding Scholarship)

National Chair (2009-2012, Ministry of Education)

National Taiwan University Distinguished Alumnus (2012)

3rd Golden Pen Award (1977, Chinese Cultural Revival Council, Literary Theory)

4th Chung Hsing Arts Award (1981, Taiwan Provincial Government Culture and Arts Association, Literary Theory)

43rd Television Golden Bell Award for Best Traditional Drama Program (November 2008, "Empress Dowager Cixi and Imperial Consort Zhen," Government Information Office)

53rd Chinese Art and Literature Prize "Honorary Art and Literature Prize--Drama Creativity Prize" (2012)

24th Golden Melody Awards Best Lyricist for Traditional and Art Music (June 2013, Ministry of Culture)

Honors awarded in China

1st National Drama and Culture Award: Opera Theory and Creativity Special Contribution Award (November 2010, Chinese Kunqu Society)

Kunqu Special Contribution Award (May 2011, Beijing City Intangible Culture Heritage Center)

8th National Drama Award: Gold Medal for Historical Theory Book Editor (January 2013)