Chen Zhaoxian posted a long article in the early morning of today (26th) to explain his last response to the Mei Art Festival. (Photo taken from Chen Zhaoxian’s Facebook)
[Reporter Ling Meixue/Reporting from Taipei] Although the "Xianmei Art Festival" has come to an end, the Minghua Garden Group declined the invitation when it was first invited, and it still attracts attention to this day. When the mother and daughter Sun Cuifeng and Chen Zhaoxian attended the press conference of the Communication Center on the 24th, they were asked about this matter again. Chen Zhaoxian later felt that it took up the time of the seniors who were jointly interviewed that day, and she felt very sorry. Therefore, she posted a long article in the early morning of today (26th) to restore the key points of the whole incident that worried her.
Chen Zhaoxian said, "From the beginning, what I cared about was not whether I could act. What I thought about was: would my sisters, my beloved family, myself, and the children who had a similar growth experience like us feel so uncomfortable? Maybe not, maybe some people don't care at all. But as long as I have this concern myself, I can't ignore it. So in the end, I chose not to participate."
Please read on...
The full text of Chen Zhaoxian’s Facebook page is as follows:
Yesterday at the press conference, the media asked me about the Art Festival again. At that time, at the Chuanyi Center, there were many directors, whom I respected very much, teachers and partners from the main troupe and Tang troupe, accepting the joint interview. I declined several times at first because it was difficult to explain the matter clearly in a few sentences, and I didn’t want it to take up everyone’s time for the interview. However, when the media continued to ask questions, I chose to give a simple reply and also accepted a separate interview.
After settling, I decided to write down my thoughts completely as my last explanation of this matter. In fact, what I wanted to express yesterday was no different from that article in August. I really find it incredible to see so many people participating in the "Ximei Art Festival" and attracting such great attention. To a certain extent, it was even like witnessing a renaissance of Gezi Opera. On that stage, there are my friends, seniors I respect, and many partners I work with. I respect everyone's choice, and I'm really happy to see the Gezaixi opera being seen by so many people.
As for why I chose not to participate when I received the first line of inquiry, the reason was actually very simple. From the beginning, what I cared about was not whether I could act. What I think about is: Will my sisters, my beloved family, myself, and the children who have had similar growth experiences like us feel so uncomfortable? Maybe not, maybe someone doesn't care at all. But as long as I have this concern myself, I can't ignore it. So in the end, I chose not to participate. This is my choice, and it doesn't mean I think others should make the same choice.
After August, I continued to pay attention to this event. I saw that the organizers continued to adjust the methods and overall planning of the event. While maintaining creation and expression, they also responded to different voices. I respect these subsequent adjustments very much, and I am very happy that so many people finally came to Gezixi because of this event. As for the initial response from the headquarters and my own initial remarks, I did not immediately think of all the people who might feel uncomfortable because of this. I apologized for this part in August.
Looking back now, I still think that I didn’t think carefully enough at that time, and I will continue to remind myself. At the same time, I also respect the freedom of organizers to hold events, creators to participate, and audiences to choose to support. Similarly, I also hope that the reason why I choose not to participate can be understood as a choice that belongs to me, rather than a negation of any participant. After these days, I am more certain that we can have different feelings about the same thing, and we can also make different choices. Not participating does not mean denying the participation of others; respecting an event does not mean that you must participate. To me, those two things never conflict.
Yesterday, because of this incident, I took up the time that originally belonged to the main group, the Tang group, and the seniors and partners at the scene. I also want to say sorry to everyone for this part.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with my choice, nor do I want to change anyone’s position. But now that I'm asked again, I hope to at least fully explain my thoughts. This is my last response to the Art Festival.
There are things I didn't do well this time, and there are a lot of things I need to learn, and I will remember them. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read these words.
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