Popular spoof serves up political satire in big doses
By Ho Ai Li 29 October 2008
Last Tuesday, newspapers ran the incredible story of a 16-year-old boy who duped former president Chen Shui-bian by pretending to be a tarot card reader.
The same day, TV news channels ran footage of visiting Beijing official Zhang Mingqing being surrounded by an angry crowd in southern Taiwan.
That same night, the three top newsmakers of the day all appeared as guests on the same television show.
Except that they were not the real McCoy, but comedians imitating them.
Asked about the con job at a mock press conference, the fake Mr Zhang told reporters: ‘Very funny. Taiwan’s most formidable swindler has been conned by a 16-year-old imp.
‘The small con artist pretends to be a Sheraton executive, the big con artist pretends to himself that he is an incorrupt ‘Son of Taiwan’!’
Welcome to Party, a popular spoof that is to the Taiwanese what Saturday Night Live is to the Americans.
And if SNL’s Tina Fey has become a star on the back of her impersonation of American vice- presidential contender Sarah Palin, much the same can be said of Party’s cast, whose uncanny impersonations of political figures including ex-president Chen have brought them fame.
The show, which is more commonly known as Quan Min Zui Da Dang, was first created in late 2004 by veteran producer Wang Wei-chung.
The show - aired during the evening prime-time slot - is a parody of Taiwan’s ubiquitous political talk shows, which gather a panel of ‘famous mouths’ to discuss hot issues of the day.
Party follows the same format, with half a dozen or so guests played by comedians talking about current affairs.
Interspersed with the mock talk show are skits spoofing personalities, from mud-raking media mogul Jimmy Lai to former opposition leader Shi Ming-teh.
There were fears after Mr Ma Ying-jeou was elected President in March this year that Party would face a lack of material, because of his squeaky clean image.
But the entanglement of former president Chen and his family in a web of corruption accusations has continued to provide fodder to the show’s producers.
In fact, the show’s recent resurgence earned it a cover story in regional Chinese news magazine Yazhou Zhoukan, which put Bacy Tang or ‘Chung Chung’, the comedian playing former president Chen, on its front page this month.
Party is unparalleled when it comes to political satire, the magazine notes, as it runs every weekday night, instantly riffing on the news events of the day.
A unique Taiwanese creation that is a by-product of its freewheeling democracy, the show is hard to replicate in other Chinese-speaking societies, it noted.
That is one reason why Chinese audiences across the globe, from Singapore to the United States, are fans. Tourists from China visiting Taiwan reportedly hole up in their hotel rooms just to catch the show.
But Professor Huang Tsin-shan, a media expert from Shih Hsin University, says the show just reflects an age when politicians go over the top to get maximum publicity.
‘The speeches and actions of these political figures have reached an almost unimaginable stage. Their lives are played out like public performances for us to watch. There’s no difference between what’s real or reel,’ he said.
The show sets trends too.
When it parodied Mr Chen’s daughter-in-law, who had scoffed at money-laundering allegations by declaring, ‘That’s too over!’, this became one of the hottest catchphrases in Taiwan.
The show caricatures these public figures by exaggerating their most distinctive feature or mannerism.
‘It’s like if someone has a 20cm beard, they’d make it 40cm,’ said Associate Professor Hsu Chih-chia, chair of the journalism school at Ming Chuan University.
And by doing so, it holds up a mirror to the inanities and insanities of their actions.
But political analyst Shih Cheng-feng believes that the CTiTV show often comes down harder on those from the pro-independence green camp.
Other scholars say the show may encourage the ridiculous behaviour of those who court fame - or infamy.
But whatever the possible effects of the show on real-life politics, Party provides an escape for Taiwanese seeking relief from a spate of bad news.
As civil servant Charles Tsai, 39, put it: ‘It relieves boredom. It reflects our sense of hopelessness towards the current political situation.’
The success of the show also has to do with just how much the Taiwanese love to talk politics, said Prof Huang.
‘I think we are probably the most passionate about politics among Asians.
‘If you don’t believe me, you just have to go round the corner and you’ll see small groups of people discussing politics. Sometimes they even quarrel as a result!’
But Prof Hsu notes that whether or not the show can stand the test of time depends on how closely it continues to monitor the pulse of Taiwan society.
With politics becoming stranger and stranger in Taiwan, however, it seems a fair bet that the producers can count on an endless supply of quarrels, fights and ridiculous behaviour to lampoon.
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Welcome to Taiwan’s Party
Popular spoof serves up political satire in big doses
By Ho Ai Li
29 October 2008
Last Tuesday, newspapers ran the incredible story of a 16-year-old boy who duped former president Chen Shui-bian by pretending to be a tarot card reader.
The same day, TV news channels ran footage of visiting Beijing official Zhang Mingqing being surrounded by an angry crowd in southern Taiwan.
That same night, the three top newsmakers of the day all appeared as guests on the same television show.
Except that they were not the real McCoy, but comedians imitating them.
Asked about the con job at a mock press conference, the fake Mr Zhang told reporters: ‘Very funny. Taiwan’s most formidable swindler has been conned by a 16-year-old imp.
‘The small con artist pretends to be a Sheraton executive, the big con artist pretends to himself that he is an incorrupt ‘Son of Taiwan’!’
Welcome to Party, a popular spoof that is to the Taiwanese what Saturday Night Live is to the Americans.
And if SNL’s Tina Fey has become a star on the back of her impersonation of American vice- presidential contender Sarah Palin, much the same can be said of Party’s cast, whose uncanny impersonations of political figures including ex-president Chen have brought them fame.
The show, which is more commonly known as Quan Min Zui Da Dang, was first created in late 2004 by veteran producer Wang Wei-chung.
The show - aired during the evening prime-time slot - is a parody of Taiwan’s ubiquitous political talk shows, which gather a panel of ‘famous mouths’ to discuss hot issues of the day.
Party follows the same format, with half a dozen or so guests played by comedians talking about current affairs.
Interspersed with the mock talk show are skits spoofing personalities, from mud-raking media mogul Jimmy Lai to former opposition leader Shi Ming-teh.
There were fears after Mr Ma Ying-jeou was elected President in March this year that Party would face a lack of material, because of his squeaky clean image.
But the entanglement of former president Chen and his family in a web of corruption accusations has continued to provide fodder to the show’s producers.
In fact, the show’s recent resurgence earned it a cover story in regional Chinese news magazine Yazhou Zhoukan, which put Bacy Tang or ‘Chung Chung’, the comedian playing former president Chen, on its front page this month.
Party is unparalleled when it comes to political satire, the magazine notes, as it runs every weekday night, instantly riffing on the news events of the day.
A unique Taiwanese creation that is a by-product of its freewheeling democracy, the show is hard to replicate in other Chinese-speaking societies, it noted.
That is one reason why Chinese audiences across the globe, from Singapore to the United States, are fans. Tourists from China visiting Taiwan reportedly hole up in their hotel rooms just to catch the show.
But Professor Huang Tsin-shan, a media expert from Shih Hsin University, says the show just reflects an age when politicians go over the top to get maximum publicity.
‘The speeches and actions of these political figures have reached an almost unimaginable stage. Their lives are played out like public performances for us to watch. There’s no difference between what’s real or reel,’ he said.
The show sets trends too.
When it parodied Mr Chen’s daughter-in-law, who had scoffed at money-laundering allegations by declaring, ‘That’s too over!’, this became one of the hottest catchphrases in Taiwan.
The show caricatures these public figures by exaggerating their most distinctive feature or mannerism.
‘It’s like if someone has a 20cm beard, they’d make it 40cm,’ said Associate Professor Hsu Chih-chia, chair of the journalism school at Ming Chuan University.
And by doing so, it holds up a mirror to the inanities and insanities of their actions.
But political analyst Shih Cheng-feng believes that the CTiTV show often comes down harder on those from the pro-independence green camp.
Other scholars say the show may encourage the ridiculous behaviour of those who court fame - or infamy.
But whatever the possible effects of the show on real-life politics, Party provides an escape for Taiwanese seeking relief from a spate of bad news.
As civil servant Charles Tsai, 39, put it: ‘It relieves boredom. It reflects our sense of hopelessness towards the current political situation.’
The success of the show also has to do with just how much the Taiwanese love to talk politics, said Prof Huang.
‘I think we are probably the most passionate about politics among Asians.
‘If you don’t believe me, you just have to go round the corner and you’ll see small groups of people discussing politics. Sometimes they even quarrel as a result!’
But Prof Hsu notes that whether or not the show can stand the test of time depends on how closely it continues to monitor the pulse of Taiwan society.
With politics becoming stranger and stranger in Taiwan, however, it seems a fair bet that the producers can count on an endless supply of quarrels, fights and ridiculous behaviour to lampoon.
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