English Short Play Competition: Yuxian Junior High School Wins the Championship

(Taiwan Business News) Hsinchu Municipal Yuxian Junior High School's English Drama Club won first place in the public junior high school group at the 2014 National English Short Play Competition with "Marching Out for Love," an adaptation of Mulan. Tong Chia-yun, who played Zhu Bajie in Journey to the West last year, this year took on the role of Mulan and won the Best Actress honor.

Yuxian Junior High School principal Huang Jung-chen supports the English Drama Club, bringing together students from the language talent class, the dance class and the inclusive class, and in the national competition they were finally able to win glory for Hsinchu City. Last year, "Journey to the West" took third place in the junior high school group of the National English Short Play Competition. This year, rallying their strength again, 40 students, under the leadership of club advisor teacher Liu Yu-en, won first place with another adaptation of an ancient Chinese legend, "Mulan."

Teacher Liu Yu-en is gratified that the students worked together with one heart, studied with full concentration and shared a sense of honor. After about 60 hours of practice sessions, they brought the English play "Marching Out for Love," adapted from Mulan, to the stage with remarkable fidelity. The linguistic talent of the language talent class students and the graceful movement of the dance class students together moved every audience member and jointly delivered an outstanding dramatic effect, making it quite a representative example among the many types of performances presenting Mulan material, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign.

Tong Chia-yun, currently in Class 3 of Grade 8, played the ugly role of Zhu Bajie in "Journey to the West" when she first entered junior high school last year. This year she leapt to the leading role, Mulan disguised as a man, and through pondering the story's meanings in the Northern Dynasties folk song "Ballad of Mulan" and the American Disney animated film, plus the teacher's guidance and the script translation, her performance was natural and vivid. At the end of the competition she was selected as this year's Best Actress in the public junior high school group and was overjoyed. She is willing to dedicate this honor to all her fellow members of the drama club.