While Chen Ming-chang (陳明章) is no stranger to the stage of the Huashan Music House (華山音樂館) -- a venue he just happens to co-own -- adherents of grassroots folk will get a rare opportunity to catch the local music legend brewing-up a heap of very Taiwanese vibes with a couple of very special guests tonight, when he teams up with Lee Ping-hui (李炳輝) and contemporary folk songstress, Hung Fei (黃妃) for a one-off gig at the popular Taipei venue.
A major music industry mover-and-shaker -- both behind the microphone and the mixing desk -- for the past 11 years Chen has played a major role in building the careers of both of this evening's guests. Discovering Lee and his one-handed guitarist partner, the late Wang Ying-tan
Along with establishing Chen as a studio guru, the album sold a staggering 700,000 copies nationwide and turned Lee and Wang into Taiwan's most unlikely pop-stars almost overnight. After the death of his musical partner earlier this year, however, Lee's live performances have been few and far between, which makes tonight's appearance even more exceptional, as it could be some time before the accordionist returns to the stage with his hybrid brand of nakashi.
Although he has yet to repeat the huge success he enjoyed with The King of Kinmen, Chen's constant search for originality in the recording studio saw him weaving his magic once again last year, when he collaborated with Hung on her second album, Red Peach 12 (紅桃12). Under Chen's guidance Hung veered away from the folksy pop style of her chart-topping hits Very Woman (非常女) and Chase, Chase, Chase (追追追) -- both of which were taken from her euphonious 2000 debut. Now blending traditional Taiwanese folk riffs with varying forms of music including Latin, bossa nova and mild electronica, Hung has found herself in the enviable position of being one of, if not the most, unique of all the nation's female folk artists.
Chen's longtime backing group, the Tamsui River Band (淡水走唱團), will add a heap of heavy bass licks and percussion to the evening's traditional, yet diverse folksy forms.
Chen Ming-chang, Lee Ping-hui, Hung Fei and the Tamsui River Band will hit the stage of the Huashan Music House at 8pm tonight. The venue is located at 1, Pate Rd., Sec. 1 (台北市八德路一段一號2樓). Tickets cost NT$300 and include one free drink.
The small platform at Duoliang Train Station in Taitung County’s Taimali Township (太麻里) served villagers from 1992 to 2006, but was eventually shut down due to lack of use. Just 10 years later, the abandoned train station had become widely known as the most beautiful station in Taiwan, and visitors were so frequent that the village had to start restricting traffic. Nowadays, Duoliang Village (多良) is known as a bit of a tourist trap, with a mandatory, albeit modest, admission fee of NT$10 giving access to a crowded lane of vendors with a mediocre view of the ocean and the trains
For many people, Bilingual Nation 2030 begins and ends in the classroom. Since the policy was launched in 2018, the debate has centered on students, teachers and the pressure placed on schools. Yet the policy was never solely about English education. The government’s official plan also calls for bilingualization in Taiwan’s government services, laws and regulations, and living environment. The goal is to make Taiwan more inclusive and accessible to international enterprises and talent and better prepared for global economic and trade conditions. After eight years, that grand vision is due for a pulse check. RULES THAT CAN BE READ For Harper Chen (陳虹宇), an adviser
Traditionally, indigenous people in Taiwan’s mountains practice swidden cultivation, or “slash and burn” agriculture, a practice common in human history. According to a 2016 research article in the International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, among the Atayal people, this began with a search for suitable forested slopeland. The trees are burnt for fertilizer and the land cleared of stones. The stones and wood are then piled up to make fences, while both dead and standing trees are retained on the plot. The fences are used to grow climbing crops like squash and beans. The plot itself supports farming for three years.
President William Lai (賴清德) on Nov. 25 last year announced in a Washington Post op-ed that “my government will introduce a historic US$40 billion supplementary defense budget, an investment that underscores our commitment to defending Taiwan’s democracy.” Lai promised “significant new arms acquisitions from the United States” and to “invest in cutting-edge technologies and expand Taiwan’s defense industrial base,” to “bolster deterrence by inserting greater costs and uncertainties into Beijing’s decision-making on the use of force.” Announcing it in the Washington Post was a strategic gamble, both geopolitically and domestically, with Taiwan’s international credibility at stake. But Lai’s message was exactly
RSS