More than 20 Taiwanese and Hong Kong singers, composers and other music professionals have produced a song in support of Hong Kongers opposing a proposed extradition bill, who are tomorrow to take to the streets again to demand the bill’s withdrawal.
The song, released on Friday, is titled Cheng (撐) in Mandarin, which roughly means “support” or “having one’s back.”
The character is part of the slogan Taiwan cheng Xianggang (“Taiwan supports Hong Kong,” 台灣撐香港), which was chanted by demonstrators who earlier this month rallied in Taiwan to support the Hong Kong protests.
Photo provided by Blaire Ko Music Studio
“The idea of producing the song came after some of us talked about [the protests] two weeks ago,” said award-winning Taiwanese music producer Blaire Ko (柯智豪), who oversaw the song’s production.
Ko said they came together just days after a large protest in Hong Kong on June 12.
The scale of the protests left a deep impression on him and many others, he said.
They also took action because they thought that the protests underscored the need for the world to pay attention to the suppression of freedoms, he said.
The music was composed by Poki Wu (吳永吉), the lead singer of Taiwanese rock band The Chairman (董事長樂團), and the lyrics were written by Golden Melody best songwriter award winner Wu Hsiung (武雄) and Hong Kong lyricist Albert Leung (林夕).
Others who took part in the project include Taiwanese indie band Fire Ex (滅火器), Amis singer Panai Kusui, Hong Kong Canto-pop singer Denise Ho (何韻詩) and Hong Kong singer and record producer Anthony Wong (黃耀明).
Through the song, they wanted to send the message that “no matter how small an individual is, they all aspire to have their own voice,” Ko said.
“Although it is raining now, we hope the road ahead will only be brighter and brighter,” he said.
The bill has raised concerns that it could threaten the rights of Hong Kongers, as it would allow the authorities to extradite criminal suspects to China.
The Hong Kong government on June 15 caved in to public pressure and indefinitely suspended the bill, but protesters deemed the move as a delaying tactic and demand that the bill be permanently withdrawn.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
RSS