Hakka painter spotlights glamour of Meinong in southern Taiwan

2019/12/16

Few artists can depict Meinong better than Tseng Wen-chung, a native of the district in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City. Through his paintings, the beauty of Meinong—where Hakka people represent more than 90 percent of its 40,000 population—is admired at home and abroad.
 
 Tseng’s most recent solo exhibition at National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei City again consolidated the 84-year-old painter’s position as the foremost artist dedicated to celebrating the landscape, people and traditions of Meinong. Running for nearly a month, the show displayed his 47 oil and watercolor creations themed: Meinong Old Street, Meinong River and Meinong farming life.

A teacher of fine arts for 36 years, Tseng started fully devoting himself to artistic creation around 1990. This was when he became one of the major figures in the movement protesting against the government’s attempt to build a reservoir on the upstream section of the Meinong River. The project was suspended in the end, but the movement provided a strong incentive for Tseng to focus on his hometown as the subject of his work.
 
“The incident strengthened solidarity among locals, and inspired me to paint more of Meinong,” Tseng said. “This is where I grew up and I never feel I’m doing enough to paint it.”

Although Tseng has travelled to more than 50 countries, Meinong remains his sole source of inspiration. To date, he has produced hundreds of works reliving his memories of his hometown. These range from children playing in the river and activities in a traditional Hakka courtyard house to farmers harvesting crops in the field.
 
 Tseng, who is still painting Meinong today, hopes to inspire the younger generations to express their love for their hometown via artistic expression. To this end, he funds an annual arts competition targeting local kindergarten, elementary and high school students. Participants in the contest are required to submit works on a specific aspect of Meinong, such as old residences and traditional festivals.
 
 Competition buildS stronger bonds between the youth and their ancestral land, Tseng said. “This will promote preservation of precious cultural assets, and use art as a platform to raise the visibility of our people.”

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)