Kunqu Opera Museum

Kunqu Opera is known as the “Mother of All Chinese Operas.” With a long history, it embodies the beauty of literature, music, performance, and stage art, and holds profound cultural depth and artistic value. It was included by UNESCO in the first group of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

The predecessor of the Kunqu Opera Museum at NCU was the Traditional Theater Research Room established by Professor Hung, Wei-Chu in 1992. Professor Hung has long devoted himself to the collection, organization, and research of Kunqu artifacts and documents. The Museum’s collection is especially rich in materials related to modern Kunqu performers, composers, and scholars, serving as an important reflection of modern Kunqu history.

Building on years of collection and research by the Traditional Theater Research Room, the Kunqu Opera Museum at NCU opened in November 2017. Located in the Second Building of the College of Liberal Arts, it is the only Kunqu opera museum in Taiwan. The Museum houses tens of thousands of documents, more than 6,000 audiovisual materials, and rare Kunqu artifacts spanning several hundred years, preserving a rich and valuable body of Kunqu cultural heritage.

The Kunqu Opera Museum includes a permanent exhibition area, a special exhibition area, and a stage area. The permanent exhibition area presents themes such as “The History of Kunqu Opera and Kunqu Opera in Taiwan” and “The Beauty of Kunqu Opera.” The special exhibition area features rotating exhibitions that present Kunqu artifacts and research findings on different themes. The stage area serves as a venue for small-scale performances, lectures, and educational outreach activities.

Since its establishment, the Kunqu Opera Museum has centered its work on the collection, research, and exhibition of Kunqu artifacts. It continues to organize educational outreach programs and public services, publish annual reports, journals, and audiovisual outcomes, deepen research on the history of Kunqu Opera, qu studies, and the dissemination of Kunqu melodies, and collaborate with museums, theater troupes, and related institutions to promote the preservation, transmission, and exchange of Kunqu culture.