Contemporary
Legacy Taipei hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. For the latest installment of The Next Big Thing on Thursday, alternative rock outfit Taipei Cases (台北公案), post-rock combo 2HRs, Taichung rockers Bike and Silverbus (銀巴士) gather together to show off their music talent and skills.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市八德路一段1號)
Photo Courtesy of Kafka on the Shore
■ Show starts at 8pm
■ Admission is NT$200. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
On Sunday, A cappella group Voco Novo (爵諾人聲樂團) sings at Legacy Mini, a spin-off of Legacy Taipei, while pop musician Chiang Sung-lin (江松霖) takes the stage on Wednesday.
Photo Courtesy of the artists
■ Legacy Mini at Amba Taipei Ximending (台北西門町意舍), 5F, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei (台北市武昌街二段77號5樓)
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ Admission is NT$450 on Sunday and NT$400 on Wednesday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Photo Courtesy of the artists
American black metal band Deafheaven takes the stage tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. Tomorrow, Hsiao-ying of the Clippers (夾子小應) and noise maker Black Wolf Nakasi (黑狼那卡西) sing about Taiwan’s indigenous people. Disco/post-punk outfit New Sunglasses (新墨鏡) celebrates the release of its new album on Sunday, with electronic rock duo No Money No Honey, No Party for Cao Dong (草東沒有派對) and FUBAR. Pop/funk group MosquiCyanide (蚊子氰化物), folk rock combo Impressionism Pencil (印象派鉛筆) and pop rockers Late Man (遲到客) form the lineup of Thursday.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm
Photo Courtesy of the artists
■ Admission is NT$1,300 tonight, free admission tomorrow, NT$400 on Sunday, NT$200 on Thursday. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Featuring celebrated turntablist D-Styles from the US, tonight’s lineup of DJs at Pipe Live Music, a main venue for indie music and parties, include Sonic Deadhorse (音速死馬), Puzzle Man and Chlcano. Young rockers The Unspoken Rules (潛規則), N.P.P and The Rivers play on Sunday.
■ 1 Siyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市思源路1號), tel: (02) 2364-8198. On the Net: www.pipemusic.com.tw
■ Show starts at 11pm tonight and 7pm on Sunday
■ Admission is NT$ for 800 tonight and NT$350 on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.walkieticket.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks and FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks
New Zealand’s folk duo The Bollands play a show tonight at indie rock club Revolver, accompanied by Taiwan’s veteran rockers Tizzy Bac. Tomorrow, dance rock outfit Kid Millionaire hits the stage with a troupe of DJs. On Sunday, two Beijing-based one-man bands, Guiguisuisui and thruoutin, join forces with Taiwan’s psychedelic noise jam band The Junk (帆人), ambient/electronic dance group Utopia (世外桃源) and hip-hop artist Aristophanes (貍貓). The lineup on Wednesday features electronic outfit Sonic Deadhorse (音速死馬) and alternative band Tunnel of Light, and it is indie rockers Black Berry Car (黑莓車) and Kimogi (一種心情) on Thursday.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Show starts at 9:30pm tonight, on Wednesday and Thursday, 10pm tomorrow, 6:30pm on Sunday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight and on Sunday, NT$250 tomorrow, NT$200 on Wednesday and Thursday
Jump Something play a variety of swing tunes, from early jazz to the standards, tomorrow at Bobwundaye (無問題), a small pub on Heping East Road (和平東路) in Taipei.
■ 77, Heping E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市和平東路三段77號), tel: (02) 2377-1772
■ Show starts at 10pm
■ Admission is NT$300, including one drink
Hip-hopsters and activists Community Service (勞動服務) take the stage at Kafka on the Shore (海邊的卡夫卡), a coffee house-cum-music and arts venue in the National Taiwan University area, tomorrow. Top indie act 1976 performs on Sunday.
■ 2F, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號2樓). On the Net: www.kafkabythe.blogspot.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm. Cafe/bookstore opens noon to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, noon to 2am Fridays and Saturdays
■ Admission is NT$400 tomorrow and NT$600 on Sunday, including one drink
Kimogi (一種心情) and pop musician Lu Chieh-ta (呂杰達) each plays a set tonight at Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area. Led by Japanese violinist Ren, Accovio shares the stage with Paiwan musician Balai (巴賴) tomorrow, followed by Chou Yan-chun (周彥君) and Ten Yu (尤騰輝) on Thursday.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Shows start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games, open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$350
Tonight’s spotlight is on Malaysian pop singer Z-Chen (張智成) at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館), and it is electronic pop group The Girl and the Robots (女孩與機器人) tomorrow. On Thursday, saxophone player and singer Ouyuchi (歐育齊) shares the stage with R&B singer Djavan.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Show starts at 8:30pm tonight, 8pm tomorrow and on Thursday
■ Entrance is NT$100 tonight, NT$550 tomorrow, NT$400 on Thursday. Tickets available through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Saxophone player Tung Shuen-wen (董舜文) plays jazz standards with his friends tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow’s lineup is formed by young pop rocker Cloud Atlas (雲圖樂團) and folk singer Lin Hui-chun (林慧君), followed by Accovio, Balai (巴賴) and funk/disco/nu-jazz combo Funky Brothers (放客兄弟) on Sunday. Thursday’s roster includes are R&B/funk group Space Cake (史貝絲考克) and acoustic solo Denis Hsu (許書豪).
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓), tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 9pm except for tonight which begins at 9:30pm
■ NT$400 on weekends, NT$350 on Sunday and Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Shunk Kikuta Blues Band appears tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. MU5A’S brings jazz and blues tomorrow, with saxophone and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Saranich as the special guest. On Sunday, sax player Klaus Bru plays with drummer Adam James Sorensen, followed by jazz trio Claude Diallo Situation on Wednesday. The Lifers plays original music on Thursday.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Shows start at 9:30pm except for Sunday which begins at 8:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$350 tonight and tomorrow, NT$200 on Sunday and on Thursday, NT$300 on Wednesday
American Gospel musicians Obie One B.A. and Chinua Hawk play a show tonight at Tiehua Music Village (鐵花村), an arts village in Taitung City that is composed of a music venue, design and crafts shops and a weekend arts fair. Tomorrow’s show is by Amis group Betel Nuts (檳榔兄弟).
■ 26, Ln 135, Sinsheng Rd, Taitung City (台東市新生路135巷26號), tel: (089) 343-393. On the Net: www.tw.streetvoice.com/users/tiehua
■ Show starts at 8pm. Music venue and crafts shops are open 2pm to 10pm Tuesdays through Sundays. Weekend arts fair opens 6pm to 10pm every Friday, 3:30pm to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday
■ Admission is NT$250 for both shows. Tickets can be purchased online through tickets.books.com.tw
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.
The breakwater stretches out to sea from the sprawling Kaohsiung port in southern Taiwan. Normally, it’s crowded with massive tankers ferrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar to be stored in the bulbous white tanks that dot the shoreline. These are not normal times, though, and not a single shipment from Qatar has docked at the Yongan terminal since early March after the Strait of Hormuz was shuttered. The suspension has provided a realistic preview of a potential Chinese blockade, a move that would throttle an economy anchored by the world’s most advanced and power-hungry semiconductor industry. It is a stark reminder of
May 4 to May 10 It was once said that if you hadn’t performed at the Sapphire Grand Cabaret (藍寶石大歌廳), you couldn’t truly be considered a star. Taking the stage at the legendary Kaohsiung club was more than just a concert. Performers were expected to entertain in every sense, wearing outlandish or revealing costumes and staying quick on their feet as sharp-tongued, over-the-top hosts asked questions and delivered jokes that would be seen as vulgar, even offensive, by today’s standards. Opening in May 1967 during a period of strict political and social control, Sapphire offered a rare outlet for audiences in