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Music of Taiwan
The music of Taiwan reflects the diverse culture of Taiwanese
people. Taiwan has undergone several economic, social and
political changes through its cultural history and Taiwanese
music reflects those issues in their own way. The music of the
country has adopted a mixed style. As a country rich in
Chinese folk culture and with many indigenous tribes with
their own distinct artistic identity, various styles of folk music
are appreciated in Taiwan. In addition, Western classical
music and pop music in various forms are highly appreciated
by the Taiwanese population. Taiwan is an important Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony
Mandopop (Mandarin pop music) hub.[1] Orchestra on stage in the National
Concert Hall in Taipei

Contents
Background
Genres
Hakka
Aboriginal music
Bunun
Pop and rock
Metal
See also
References
Bibliography
External links

Background
With the arrival of the Kuomintang-led Republic of China government in 1949, native Taiwanese
culture was suppressed, and Standard Chinese (Mandarin) was promoted as the official language.
This led to a break in tradition in parts of the island, and ended in 1987, when martial law was lifted
and a revival of traditional culture began. (See Taiwanese localization movement.)

Instrumental music includes multiple genres, such as beiguan and nanguan. Nanguan originally
hails from Quanzhou, while it is now most common in Lukang and is found across much of the island.

Taiwanese puppetry (hand-puppet theater) and Taiwanese opera, two genres of spectacle that are
strongly related to music, are very popular, while the latter is often considered the only truly
indigenous Han form of music still extant today.[2]

Holo folk music is most common today on the Hengchun Peninsula in the southernmost part of the
island, where performers sing accompanied by yueqin (moon lute), which is a type of two-stringed
lute.[3] While the Hengchun yueqin plays only five tones, the pentatonic music can become diverse
and complex when combined with the seven tones of Taiwanese Hokkien. Famous folk singers include
Chen Da and Yang Hsiuching.
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Genres

Hakka

Taiwanese opera is popular among the Hakka, and has influenced the tea-picking opera genre. The
most distinctive form of Hakka music are mountain songs, or shan'ge, which are similar to Hengchun
folk music. Bayin instrumental music is also popular.

Aboriginal music

Of the two broad divisions of Taiwanese aborigines, the plains-

dwellers have been largely assimilated into Han culture, while the
mountain-dwelling tribes remain distinct. The Amis, Bunun,
Paiwan, Rukai and Tsou are known for their polyphonic vocals,[4]
of which each has a unique variety.

Once dying, aboriginal culture has undergone a renaissance since

the late 20th century. A full-time aboriginal radio station, "Ho-hi-
yan" was launched in 2005[5] with the help of the Executive Yuan, A-mei
to focus on issues of interest to the indigenous community.
[Listen to Ho-hi-yan (https://web.archive.org/web/200710042
22611/http://w2.radio.taipei.gov.tw/eng/radio.htm); requires Windows Media Player 9]. This came
on the heels of a "New wave of Indigenous Pop,"[6] as aboriginal artists such as A-mei (Puyuma tribe),
Difang (Amis tribe), Pur-dur and Samingad (Puyuma) became international pop stars.

The 1991 formation of the Formosa Aboriginal Dance Troupe was another major contributor to this
trend, while the surprise mainstream success of "Return to Innocence", the theme song to the 1996
Olympic Games, further popularized native musics. "Return to Innocence" was made by Enigma, a
popular musical project and sampled the voices of an elderly Amis couple, Kuo Ying-nan and Kuo
Hsiu-chu. When the couple found out that their recording had become part of an international hit,
they filed suit and, in 1999, settled out of court for an unidentified amount.[7]

Bunun

The Bunun's original home was on Taiwan's west coast, in the central and northern plains, but some
have more recently settled in the area around Taitung and Hualien.

Unlike the other indigenous peoples of Taiwan, the Bunun have very little dance music. The best-
studied element of traditional Bunun music is improvised polyphonic song. Folk instruments include
pestles, five-stringed zithers and the jaw harp.

In modern times, David Darling, an American cellist, created a project to combine cello and Bunun
traditional music, resulting in an album titled Mudanin Kata. The Bunun Cultural and Educational
Foundation, founded in 1995, was the first organization established to help promote and sustain
Taiwanese aboriginal culture.

Pop and rock

In the mid 1970s a genre of popular music known as Taiwanese campus folk song appeared in the
music scene of Taiwan. This music consisted of a fusion of elements from American folk rock and
Chinese folk music, and was very popular throughout East Asia. Until the 1987 lifting of martial law,

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Taiwanese pop fell into two distinct categories.[7]

Hokkien pop was sung in a native dialect and was
popular among older and working-class listeners; it was strongly influenced by Japanese enka. In
contrast, Mandarin pop, due to the assimilation policy of the authoritarian Kuomintang regime
(1945–1996) that suppressed Taiwanese languages and culture, appealed to younger listeners. Asian
superstar Teresa Teng originated from Taiwan and enjoys immense popularity amongst the
Sinophone world and beyond.

With the resurgence of interest in native cultural identities starting in the late 1980s, a more distinct
and modern form of Taiwanese pop formed. In 1989, a group of musicians called the Blacklist Studio
released Song of Madness on Rock Records. Blending hip hop, rock and other styles, the album
focused on the issues concerning everyday, modern people. Building on Song of Madness' success, the
following year saw Lin Chiang release Marching Forward, which kickstarted what became known as
New Taiwanese Song. Pop stars of the 1990s included Wu Bai, Chang Chen-yue, Jimmy Lin, Emil
Wakin Chau (Zhoū Huájiàn) and so on. aMEI, who is renowned for her technically skilled and
powerful vocals, is acclaimed to be the pop diva in Mandopop, and pop idols like Show Lo, Jay Chou,
aMEI, Jolin Tsai and girl group S.H.E have now become the most famous and popular singers of
Mandopop. For rock and band music, Mayday is said to have pioneered rock music in Taiwan for the
generation of youth. For latest generation of pop music in Taiwan, singing reality shows such as One
Million Star and Super idol have brought many ordinary people to fame, such as Jam Hsiao, Yoga Lin,
Aska Yang, Lala Hsu, William Wei and so on.

The 1990s and early 2000s also saw the emergence of bands and artists of more diverse genres, such
as Sodagreen, Deserts Chang, Cheer Chen, who have achieved commercial success and brought the
new "indie" era of Taiwanese pop music. Other indie bands include Your Woman Sleep With Others,
Labor Exchange Band, Chairman, Sugar Plum Ferry, deca joins, Backquarter, Fire EX, 8mm Sky,
Seraphim, and ChthoniC. The annual Formoz Festival, Spring Scream, and Hohaiyan Rock Festival
are representative gatherings within Taiwan's indie scene. Of these, Formoz Festival is notable for its
international draw, with foreign artists such as Yo La Tengo, Moby, Explosions in the Sky, and
Caribou headlining the event, while Spring Scream is the largest local band event, and Hohaiyan
draws a mixed crowd of beach side party-goers and music appreciators alike.

Other Taiwanese popular singers/bands include Rainie Yang, Da Mouth, Amber Kuo, A-Lin, Magic
Power and much more. The popular culture of the Taiwanese people has also influenced Chinese-
speaking populations in other places such as Mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore.

Metal

There are hundreds of metal bands active in Taiwan. Bands such

as Chthonic and Seraphim have drawn more attention to the
metal scene in Taiwan, with Chthonic in particular attracting
attention overseas, performing at European festivals such as
Bloodstock Open Air.

See also
Chthonic
List of best-selling albums in Taiwan
Metal bands of Taiwan
Hohaiyan Rock Festival
Mandopop
Music of China
Music of Hong Kong
Red Envelope Club
J-pop
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Enka
Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development

References
1. Andrew Khan (5 January 2012). "Pop musik: the sound of the charts in … Taiwan" (https://www.th
eguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/jan/05/pop-musik-taiwan). the Guardian. Retrieved 8 April
2018.
2. Wang (2000), p. 236.
3. Wang (2000), p. 235.
4. Wang (2000), p. 237.
5. "Ho Hi Yan Hits the Airwaves" (https://web.archive.org/web/20070314021447/http://english.taipei.
gov.tw/TCG/index.jsp?recordid=4266). Taipei City Government, May 5, 2005. Accessed 8/19/06.
6. "New wave of Indigenous Pop" (http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/20000824/20000822f3.html)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20060720224216/http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/20000
824/20000822f3.html) 2006-07-20 at the Wayback Machine. Taiwan Headlines, Thursday, August
24, 2000. Accessed 8/19/06.
7. Wang (2000), p. 238.

Bibliography
Wang, Ying-fen (2000). "Taiwan: From Innocence to Funny Rap". In Broughton, Simon; Ellingham,
Mark (eds.). World Music. Volume 2, Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific.
London: Rough Guides. pp. 235–40. ISBN 9781858286365.

External links
(in French) Audio clips: Traditional music of Taiwan. (http://www.ville-ge.ch/meg/musinfo_ph.php?
what=pays=Ta%EFwan,%20Province%20de%20Chine&debut=0&bool=AND) Musée
d'ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
Ho Yi (23 Sep 2011). "Arts & Culture: Fall moon fever" (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/arch
ives/2011/09/23/2003513949). Taipei Times. p. 13.
CHINA DAILY: Hearing the Music (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2009-04/04/content_76
48493.htm)
ISLAND OF SOUND: An Indie Music Resource for Taiwan (https://web.archive.org/web/20181124
155506/https://islandofsound.org/)
GigGuide Taiwan: A Directory of Live Shows and Reviews of Local Independent Music in Taiwan
(http://www.gigguide.tw/)
Pei-feng Chen, "Images of Multi-colonial Taiwan in Three Types of Enka: Self-reconstruction
through Highlighting Differences in Similarities," (http://www.ith.sinica.edu.tw/quarterly_03-en.ph
p?DB_Qua_MagID=81) Taiwan Historical Research, June 2008

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