Greater Kaohsiung-based recording artist Hsueh Yung-chi (薛永志) leads a simple life, just scraping by over the past 15 years as he spent about NT$10 million (US$333,400) on top-of-the-line equipment to fulfill his dream of collecting the unique sounds of Taiwan.
In an effort to capture the most beautiful sounds of Taiwan, Hsueh traveled the country for 15 years in search of distinct natural sounds and human voices.
He said his collection of recordings includes singing birds and chirping insects, annual street parades worshiping the goddess Matsu, the annual Beehive Fireworks Festival in Greater Tainan, worship songs of Aboriginals and the calls of ice cream peddlers.
Nearly every unique sound was recorded only after a long wait — meaning Hsueh had to carry mosquito repellent with him every time he drove into the mountains to collect the sounds of birds and insects.
He had to endure hot days in the sun as he held up his microphone and waited, enduring the stress of keeping his arms raised for long periods.
In recent years, Hsueh has focused on human voices.
He said he remembers distinctly a member of an Aboriginal community staring with a fixed gaze at the extensive recording equipment Hsueh carried while capturing the sounds of the Pas-ta Ai ceremony, a biannual harvest festival of the Saisiyat people living in the mountain areas of Hsinchu and Miaoli counties also known as the Ritual of the Short Black People.
The 45-year-old Hsueh, a graduate of Chinese Culture University in Taipei, said he was inspired to start his collection after accompanying a friend to collect 52 different cicada songs from around the nation, adding that he has become more enchanted with natural sounds, comparing the croaking of a frog, the chirping of a bird and the rippling of water to a concerto.
In the near future, he said he plans to travel the nation by rail to record the sounds made by trains running on the tracks and different stations’ announcements.
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