A well-known performer in the Hakka opera world, Tseng Hsien-chi masters various roles, such as the clown, the painted face antagonists, and the elderly. He has integrated the daily slang of the Hakka and the beauty of the folk songs onto the stage. He has also opened a new vision for Hakka opera, and invested in the cultivation of opera talents, laying a solid foundation for Hakka opera to be passed on to younger generations. In 2017, he won the Hakka Contribution Award for outstanding achievement in performing arts.

At the age of 11, Tseng began to learn opera under the tutelage of his uncle. At the age of 16, his uncle began to teach him the Hakka Three-character Tea-picking opera. He studied the Siping Opera at the age of 18 and joined Xin Sheng Yuan Opera Troupe (新勝園) to learn from Tsai Mei-fa (蔡梅發). At the age of 21, he joined the Zhu Sheng Yuan Opera Troupe (竹勝園) in Zhudong township of Hsinchu and became good at playing the tea-picking clown roles.

At the age of 28, he began to sing folk songs and roam around Taiwan selling medicine for a living with his old acquaintance Chen Huo-tian (陳火添) and Chen’s wife. After marriage, Tseng and his wife, Lai Hai-yin (賴海銀), co-organized the Yong Chang Opera Troupe (永昌歌劇團) to spread the beauty of Hakka opera with solid performances all over Taiwan. After that, the couple joined the Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe (榮興客家採茶劇團). They worked as scriptwriters, directors, and actors, and were also responsible for training and teaching.

Many of the big plays performed by the Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe were written or adapted by Tseng Hsien-chi. After reaching a consensus with troupe founder Cheng Rom-shing (鄭榮興), Tseng added the playful style of the Three-character Tea-picking opera and the Hakka slang to the tea-picking operas, which preserved the essence of Hakka opera culture.

In June 1998, Tseng, Cheng, Hsieh Yi-ru (謝一如) and Lai were invited to compile the textbook book titled “Hakka Opera Talent Incubation Program - Hakka Opera Basic Movement and Skill” for the Cultural Construction Committee of the Executive Yuan, which was considered as standard guidelines.

Tseng has been on the Hakka opera stage for more than 60 years. Throughout his life, he has spared no effort for Hakka opera performances, creating operas and teaching students, so that Hakka operas can be passed on through generations. Tseng’s continuous performances of the operas, writing of Hakka-style scripts, and teachings of the Hakka culture, allows the lifeblood of the Hakka culture’s tea-picking operas to be passed on.