The Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office has unveiled a new on-board audio guide for Alishan forest railway trains, featuring a local band and students.
The Alishan forest railway has been in operation for more than 100 years, and has the tradition of broadcasting an audio guide at each station.
Office Director Wang Chao-pao (王昭堡) said audio guides were commonly narrated by voice actors, but now many such audio services have started to be produced with artificial intelligence.
Photo courtesy of Huang Yuan-ming
However, the office has collaborated with Chiasong Ensemble, a local classical music band, and five local elementary schools to create the new audio guide, providing a more localized and heartwarming service for passengers, he said.
Students from the schools were invited to narrate the highlights and stories of the 20 stations along the railway line, making the railway the first in Taiwan to use children to voice a tour guide, Wang said, adding that it helps increase the children’s understanding of the railway’s cultural significance, as well as enhance community engagement.
Chiasong Ensemble executive director Yang Yuan-shuo (楊元碩) said the band visited Alishan and took the train to collect inspiration, and then translated the scenery and stories into melodies.
Their work was initially represented in Echoes Along the 2,421m Ascent (2421嘉頌迴聲), which was well-received when performed in Germany and would be presented in Japan later this year, he said.
The band created music for the audio guide based on the piece, Yang said, adding the band is proud of contributing their professional skills to preserving the nation’s cultural heritage.
Takao Railway Museum director Ku Ting-wei (古庭維), who wrote the scripts for the audio guide, said he revised the scripts multiple times to ensure they properly serve people of different backgrounds and provide concise, informative introductions of each station.
Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said the railway does not just link Chiayi City to Alishan (阿里山), but also seeks to collaborate with local industries and cultural resources to help promote in-depth tourism and regional revitalization.
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