The 11th Anniversary of National Creative Songjiang Battle Array Contest

The 11th Anniversary of National Creative Songjiang Battle Array Contest, was joined by students from senior high schools and vocational senior high schools for the first time. All of the teams are fighting for the prize of NT$1M   (News from Kaohsiung) The annual National Senior High School, Vocational Senior High School, Colleges, and Universities Creative Songjiang Battle Array Contest has approached its 11th anniversary this year. It was also joined by students from senior high schools and vocational senior high schools for the first time. Allowing the battle array to take root in schools at different levels, from elementary schools to universities, the folk art will be passed on from the bottom to the top without any interruption.   The National Battle Array Contest was announced to commence with the debut of “The King’s Seal III”, the representative of Kaohsiung City Government and past winner, accompanied by Hsu Chuan-sheng, the Director of the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau. Director Hsu quoted from “The Legend of the Warlords,” from Water Margin in saying that the six teams were taking oaths to become brothers by writing with red ink and ink brushes on the pact. They all vowed to compete as friends with their battle arrays with chivalry in the contest. After it began, new winners would come to emerge in the competition between these teams.   Hsu Chuan-sheng noted that the battle array culture has been cultivated in Neimen for more than 200 years. Over the past 11 years, with the sponsorship of the National Creative Battle Array Contest, it has provided opportunities for young students to learn and continue the legacy of this folklore and folk art. They not only laboriously practiced their battle arrays, but also conducted them with creative ideas. They performed battle arrays with a touch of the modern so that the folklore continued to shine. As the home of battle array in Taiwan, Neimen, Kaohsiung was illuminated by these young people who participated in the contest. This year, the sponsor offered the greatest amount of prize money, NT$1M, in the history of the contest. The fight for NT$1M made this competition more exciting than ever.   There were also activities and performances of different kinds during the two-day preliminary contest in the National Creative Sonjiang Battle Array Contest, including the performance of the traditional literary battle array and the Maopu Songjiang Battler Array – the renowned show of Pingpu Songjiang Battle Array Group, interviews of elders in Neimen, and “Songjiang Practice Hard”—a battle array exercise, and more. In the quiz game of cultural and religious sightseeing businesses, many valuable prizes were given to enthusiastic visitors. When they watched the performance of battle array shows, they could also obtain a better understanding of the essence of local culture and tourism.      After the red hot preliminary contest, eight teams passed the trial and were allowed to enter the final on April 4th. The eight teams were the University of Taipei, National Jhuo-Lan Experimental Senior High School, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, National Silou Agricultural Industrial Senior High School, I-Shou University, National University of Tainan, Shih Chien University, and Chung Hwa School of the Arts. We welcome all to cheer and give support to the championship team of your dreams.   In 2015, there are various kinds of shows and activities in the Kaohsiung Neimen Songjiang Battle Array Activities Series, including literary and martial art battle array parade, Songjiang Practice Hard – Kungfu Exercise Contest for All on April 5, Welcome the Buddha’s Pilgrimage Procession at Lohan Men with participation certificates and free T-shirt give away, Mini Guided Tour of the Literary and Historic Scenes of Neimen, Roadside Banquet prepared by Master Chefs, and more. For further information, please visit the official website of the “Kaohsiung Neimen Songjiang Battle Array 2015” (http://www.who-ha.com.tw/).