Return from Exile: On Ming Hwa Yuan Gezaixi Company's Survival in the New Century.

Within a decade, Ming Hwa Yuan (MHY) built its fame by setting up a new image of gezaixi, Taiwanese "song opera." MHY is acutely aware of the visual possibilities on stage, the utility of stage technology, and the company's promotions and marketing are a classic example for commercial theatres in Taiwan. In the first half of this paper, a brief history of gezaixi is the axis on which is sketched the transformation of MHY; in the second half, an outstanding MHY production, The Legend of the White Snake, provides an example for further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]