A Lunar New Year rap written by Malaysian rapper Namewee (黃明志), or Wee Meng Chee, that criticizes “old-fashioned” Lunar New Year songs has become an online hit and struck a chord with Internet users in Malaysia and Taiwan.
In a music video created by Wee to accompany the song CNY Song by Namewee, a man in a traditional red Chinese top appears and sings a traditional Lunar New Year song.
However, he is interrupted when Wee walks in and begins to rap that the lyrics are old-fashioned and don't make sense.
“Why are you singing about winter and spring? You think I'm stupid? Other than rain, it's intolerably hot here everyday,” Wee raps. “Hasn't your teacher taught you, there's only one season called summer in Malaysia?”
When the man goes on to sing about firecrackers, Wee interrupts him again, saying the lyrics are wrong because firecrackers are illegal in Malaysia.
“You can sing a Lunar New Year song about your own culture, not just sing whatever comes out of China,” Wee raps. “You've been living here for such a long time, and you still don't know how to localize?”
Since Wee uploaded the video onto his own YouTube channel two weeks ago, the video has received more than 170,000 hits.
Explaining the idea behind the song, Wee said he could understand that some ethnic Chinese in Malaysia still harbor memories of winter snow and firecrackers at Lunar New Year.
“But how could the new generation [of Chinese Malaysians] accept the copying of a culture that is different from the local culture?” he asked. “Only New Year songs that reflect reality can be considered progressive and localized New Year songs.”
“Very well said. It's really annoying to listen to the same songs over and over every year,” a YouTube member from Taiwan “jamie842226” commented.
“Takayuki” wrote in Plurk.com that she agreed with Wee about including local elements.
“It's just like us singing ‘plum blossoms everywhere,’ but actually, lilies and azaleas are more common in Taiwan,” she said.
The song Plum Blossom that Takayuki mentioned is a patriotic song from China brought to Taiwan by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime in 1949.
Another Plurker, Jiehmei, supported Wee’s localization call.
“It's something we need to think about in the age of globalization, especially when faced with Chinese imperialism,” she said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust