A music therapy course in Tainan. Photo by Chen Zhijiao
"The folk song "Jasmine" belongs to the Zhengtiao style of traditional Chinese music. The Zhengtiao style music is lively and cheerful, with the 'fire' nature of the five elements, making people feel happy, replenishing energy and calming the mind." This is Tainan University of the Arts. The "music prescription" prescribed by Lai Xizhong, a professor at the Conservatory of Music, for his art-assisted therapy clients.
This musician who is committed to the research of Chinese folk music auxiliary therapy believes that the "five tones" of Chinese music correspond to the "five elements" one-to-one, and are also related to the five internal organs of the human body, which can infect, regulate emotions, and promote physical and mental health. The "artistic long-term photography" work he is engaged in is a new field and career explored by many Taiwanese art workers.
Lai Xizhong, who was born in the 1960s, loved music since he was a child. When he was young, his family wanted him to work as a plumber to supplement the family income. However, he used the money he earned from hard work to study erhu and was admitted to the Department of Chinese Music at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.
After obtaining a master's degree in music, Lai Xizhong joined the Kaohsiung City Folk Orchestra and later served as its leader. In the 1990s, as cross-strait cultural exchanges boomed, he led a group to perform in many cities on the mainland.
"At that time, music scores were circulated among orchestras. We rehearsed a folk music version of the excerpt "Flying Clouds" from the Peking Opera "Cuckoo Mountain". It was very difficult. The performance was very successful at the Beijing Concert Hall and also went to Harbin, Shanghai, etc. City tour." Recalling that he was on the mainland stage, Lai Xizhong still couldn't hide his excitement. After
resigned from the orchestra, Lai Xizhong entered Tainan University of the Arts and became a lecturer. He was promoted to associate professor in the second year, but he decided to "turn back into a student" - he got a doctoral degree from Fujian Normal University, taught in Tainan during the weekdays, and studied under ethnomusicologist Wang Yaohua during the winter and summer vacations, focusing on traditional Confucian sacrificial music.
Lai Xizhong, who has been fascinated by the sacrificial music of the Tainan Confucius Temple since he was a child, told reporters that the sacrificial music of the Tainan Confucius Temple is different from other Confucius temples in Taiwan, adding the ancient Chinese instrumental tune "Shiquan Tune". "Shiquanqiang" was a ritual and music system introduced to Taiwan from Fujian and Zhejiang during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty and entered the Confucius Temple in Tainan. As a traditional music originating from Fujian and Taiwan, its compilation and recording is a common topic in the study of music history on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
For more than 30 years, Lai Xizhong has never stopped researching the ritual music of Tainan Confucius Temple. He believes that researchers with social responsibilities should step out of the ivory tower and enter the private sector. Promoting health through art is a new career he is deeply involved in.
Tainan University of the Arts is far away from the city center. Lai Xizhong found that almost all young people in the communities near the school go out to work, and the proportion of empty-nesters is very high. As a result, an "art companionship" plan was generated in his mind. "Starting in 2017, we moved music classes into the community."
"The course is divided into two parts. One is for students to teach the elderly a musical behavior, such as singing, dancing, and drumming. The other is for the elderly to teach young people. It can be local history, intangible cultural heritage production, or storytelling." He said that mutual learning is better than one-way learning.
How to help the elderly live happily and peacefully in their old age is a topic of common concern to both sides of the Taiwan Strait. "Music is a special healing force. Art companionship, art auxiliary therapy and art long-term care respectively correspond to different stages of care for the elderly." Lai Xizhong said that at the Institute of Ethnomusicology at Tainan University of the Arts, which he directs, the elderly can have "Aging gracefully" with happiness is a specialized research topic. The traditional Chinese "Five Elements" theory and classic folk song melodies have given this research important theoretical and practical support.
Lai Xizhong and his colleagues established the Art Long-term Care Association to cultivate more "art long-term care practitioners" to bring more practice to art-assisted therapy. In October last year, he also went to Fujian for an exchange visit to share his experience and thoughts in this area with local colleagues.
music is not only a performance, but also has the function of companionship and auxiliary therapy. This Baodao musician who is committed to the inheritance of Chinese folk music is "opening" traditional classics in a new way.
(according to Xinhua News Agency Fuzhou reporter Liu Chang)
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