ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the creative processes through which a Yunnanese community in northern Taiwan tactically uses music and dance to perform a cross-border culture to boost local tourism. This group, the “Lost Army,” originally consisted of Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) troops from the Thai-Myanmar frontier, of different ethnicities, cultures, religions, or linguistic traditions. Because of the contingency of historical events, they have been settled in Longgang, Taoyuan City, in Taiwan, since the 1950s. This study explores a transformation whereby, in recent years, the group has drawn on a sense of femininity prototyped by Dianxi’s minority women, and successfully developed a spectacular commercial zone named the “Enchanting Golden Triangle” (Meili jinsanjiao). By inventing local music and dance traditions, strengthening the discourse of cultural heritage, and developing experiential strategies, the Lost Army’s community has branded this zone as an “exotic borderland” (yiyu), which has become a sought-after destination for Taiwanese visitors. This case study will contribute to Taiwan music studies, which until now have not paid much attention to the performance activities of the island’s immigrant communities, in particular those from Southeast Asian countries.
