Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
The Village
The Village (in Chinese Mandarin with English subtitles), written by Stan Lai and Wei-zhong Wong, and produced and performed by the Performance Workshop Taiwan, is a tragicomedy recounting the story of the post-civil war migrations between China the Mainland and Taiwan.
Where
In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek and his government brought with them a tide of migrants in retreating across the water to Taiwan. These expatriates started new lives in shared tenement courtyards, dreaming of the day when they could finally return home. Over time, the endless conflicts among them caused by many different dialects, cuisines, and pasts eventually bonded these homesick people together as a family. Their dream came true forty years later when the closed connection of the Cross-Straits was reopened. Returning home with both joy and sorrow, these migrants experienced another emotional turmoil while reacquainting and re-losing their loved ones, now for the ambiguous relationship they had built with the two places both of which they had once called “home”. The Village was performed 170 times throughout the Chinese-speaking territories since its premiere in 2008. This year it will be introduced to the audience in the US with a tour of 8 performances taking place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York.
Featured Articles
We note the passing of many prominent individuals who played some role in U.S.-China affairs, whether in politics, economics or in helping people in one place understand the other.
Events
Ying Zhu looks at new developments for Chinese and global streaming services.
David Zweig examines China's talent recruitment efforts, particularly towards those scientists and engineers who left China for further study. U.S. universities, labs and companies have long brought in talent from China. Are such people still welcome?