Department of Cultural Affairs

The 2025 An Encounter with Taipei Lecture Hall series marks the sixth year of Taipei Zhongshan Hall’s arts and aesthetics outreach program, which aims to nurture young talent in music and dance. Since 2023, courses have been designed around performing arts and delivered in a guided, lecture-style format that gently and clearly introduces audiences to art appreciation, with both emerging talents and established masters from across Taiwan helping people explore and experience artistic works. 

Over time, the program has become a source of inspiration for arts and aesthetics enthusiasts, a way to immerse in daily life, nourish body and mind, and experience art and culture firsthand. Set in Taipei Zhongshan Hall (Taiwan’s largest performance hall at the time of construction during the Japanese colonial period and now nearing its 90th anniversary), the program invites the public to step into a historic landmark and engage in a dialogue with the city through art and aesthetics.

Taipei Zhongshan Hall has long stood as a major postwar cultural and performance landmark in Taiwan, serving as the premier stage for artist debuts. Important art exhibitions have been hosted here, both before the war and since, including the Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition, Government Fine Arts Exhibition, Tai-Yang Fine Arts Exhibition, and May Painting Association Taiwan. 

The hall also witnessed the debut performances of renowned dancers such as Jui-yueh Tsai, Ching-kao Hsu, Feng-hsueh Liu, and Huai-min Lin. Over the years, it has held performances by National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Boys’ Choir, as well as jazz concerts and debuts of “campus folk” performances. Taipei Zhongshan Hall thus carries a deep legacy, both pioneering the development of Taiwan’s artistic and cultural heritage and preserving it for future generations.

This year’s An Encounter with Taipei Lecture Hall arts and aesthetics outreach program consists of four main themes: Performing Arts (表演藝術), Folk Songs 50 (民歌50), Urban Style (城市風格), and Everyday Aesthetics (生活美學). This will include 40 lectures, six workshops, and the Re-Meeting 1936 (再· 會1936) photo and text competition in celebration of Taipei Zhongshan Hall’s 90th anniversary next year. 

The Performing Arts (表演藝術) courses are further divided into the Classics Series (經典系列) and the Taiwan Series (臺灣系列) and will introduce attendees to Western classics as well as Taiwanese works. Yen-chiang Che will teach appreciation of Mozart operas, while Shu-si Chen will guide the audience through modern Taiwanese music. Dance appreciation sessions highlight mid-career Taiwanese dancers, including Wu-kang Chen, Artistic Director of HORSE Theatre, and choreographer Shu-yi Chou. 

The Folk Songs 50 (民歌50) series will be led by Hsiao-wen Ting and Shih-fang Ma, with a special guest appearance by Hsien Yang, “the Father of Modern Folk Songs,” who will share his music in person. 

For the Urban Style (城市風格) theme, Tsung-kuei Ling and Chung-chieh Lin will explore historical and contemporary connections between Taipei Zhongshan Hall and Rong Ding (榮町).

An Encounter with Taipei Lecture Hall weaves together urban memory and contemporary perspectives, guiding modern citizens on a cultural and aesthetic journey. More than just a course series, it is a cultural exploration, encouraging participants to discover new emotional and sensory connections with the city through a dialogue between art, aesthetics, and daily life, opening a personal window on beauty, and guiding visitors as they explore a richer version of themselves at Taipei Lecture Hall.

▍2025 An Encounter with Taipei Lecture Hall

Taipei Zhongshan Hall Arts and Aesthetics Outreach Program

Dates: Saturday, July 19 to Sunday, November 30

Venue: 3rd Floor, Taipei Lecture Hall, Taipei Zhongshan Hall

Registration: Free (Sign up on the program website)

An Encounter with Taipei Lecture Hall Website

Taipei Zhongshan Hall