TKU’s Ching Sheng Poetry Club seized the championship prize in “The Third National High School and College Old Love and New Joy Classical Poetry Singing Competitions” by the Center for Education and Humanity Studies, Taiwan Normal University. The title of their poetic song was “The Song of Bright and Sacred Fire” which captured the first prize and best performance award among more than 10 competing teams in the New Joy Group. They were awarded the prize of $NT15,000 and a trophy on Dec. 20.

The competition had two groups: the “New Joy Group” and the “Old Love Group.” The former composed modern music for classical poetry, the latter sang classical poetry in ancient melody or with existing modern music. Ching Sheng Poetry Club got the 4th place last year, and again they challenged singing classical poetry with their own composed modern music. Chinese PhD. candidate Fu-chun Chang composed the music for the religious lyrics of the Ming Dynasty believers in Jin Yong’s novel The Heaven-Reliant Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber. By sonorous singing without musical instrument, they developed and imposed a solemn and respectful manner. With a self-made ceremonial sacred fire pot of acrylic fabric board in the background, in pure white shirts and trousers, the representative color of the Ming Dynasty religion, they all gestured like symbolic sacred fire in their singing, and that left deep impression on the judges who praised their artistic innovation and unique style!

The president of the Ching Sheng Poetry Club, Chinese sophomore Zhi Luo revealed that on the competition day, there was a small “interlude”: their self-made sacred fire pot with a tripod was not firm enough and almost “interfered” with their performance. Luckily they consolidated it just before they started their singing so that they smoothly finished their singing performance. Smilingly Zhi Luo said, “We had really prepared very well before the singing, so if there were any emergent situation, it would not have affected our performance!” ( ~Dean X. Wang )