Address:No. 1-1 Zhongzheng Road, Zhongxi District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
To commemorate legendary Taiwanese academic Hsu Ping-ting (許丙丁), the Bureau of Cultural Heritage will hold a special exhibition in Hsu's hometown of Tainan starting from Nov. 26.
A versatile artist who was good at literature, calligraphy, music and lyrical writing, Hsu was the author of the lyrics to "Diu Diu Deng,” a song depicting the sound of "diu diu” made by water dropping on the roof of the train as it drives through a tunnel.
Born in Tainan in 1900, Hsu witnessed the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the end of Japan's colonization of Taiwan and the birth of the Republic of China. He worked as a policeman and city councilor, but in his spare time he was a fervent researcher of Chinese studies and promoter of folk culture.
His writing and creations range from poetry, comic strips and song lyrics to fiction. He also funded Peking opera singer Tai Chi-hsia and renowned Taiwanese opera actress Yang Li-hua and helped them achieve fame in Tainan.
"A Dialogue between Literature and Science,” hosted by the Cultural Assets Preservation and Research Center in Tainan, will retell the legend of Hsu's life through memorabilia and old photos donated by his family, as well as showcase folk song albums, publications and historical literatures collected by the Bureau.