Isle Formosa: "Beautiful Island"

Musical Demonstrations of 二胡 (erhu) and 籥 (yue)

2009-10-04T01:31:00.017+08:00

An instructor of traditional Chinese instruments came to our university (DungHai University in Taichung, Taiwan; I enrolled here for summer Chinese and Taiwanese language courses) and gave a few short demonstrations of playing two classical Chinese instruments: 二胡 (erhu) and 籥 (yue).

Video 1: Instructor playing the 二胡 (ㄦˋㄏㄨˊ) "er4 hu2":

"Erhu"

Video 2: Instructor playing the erhu

A closer look at the parts of the erhu:

(Image taken from this site)

Video 3: Instructor playing the 籥 (yue), which was described earlier in the follow-up report to the Confucious celebration:

Classical Chinese Folk Songs

2009-09-30T08:17:00.029+08:00

The following are some traditional Chinese folk songs from a CD of my dad's. I couldn't figure out a way to post the songs directly, so I converted each song into a "video," which really just has the picture of the album cover on it...

Zi Zhu Diao Purple Bamboo Melody

Yu Ge (Yu Tian You) (Song of the Fisherman)

Jiang He Shui (Rivers and Streams)

Wu Bang Zi (Fen Zi Cuen)

Sai Ma (Horse Races)

Springtime on the Tianshan Mountains

Gu Xiang (My Home Town)

Huan le Ge (Happy Song)

Liang Xiao (Beautiful Evening)

Chun Dou Xiang Jiang (Ning Bao Sheng) (Spring Comes to Xiang)

Er Quan Ying Yue (Spring Water Reflects the Moon)

Er Quan Ying Yue (Spring Water Reflects the Moon)

Flowing Water from the High Mountain

Feng Shou (Bumper Harvest)

Visit to Cambodia! Cambodian Traditional Dances

2009-08-10T15:59:00.018+08:00

During a visit to Cambodia (the temples of Angkor in Siem Reap), we had dinner at a restaurant-theater, where they performed traditional Cambodian dances. Each dance was kind of like a story, the first perhaps having to do with a royal couple, the second to do with harvest season, the third with butterfly images, and the fourth a partner dance between a beautiful female and a monster/creature. It was interesting to compare Cambodian dance to Taiwanese - needless to say, very different (much of Cambodian culture - eg. clothing, dance, language - has roots in India).

Dance involving Royal Couple (Part 1)

Dance involving Royal Couple (Part 2)

Harvest Dance - Male and Female Group

Butterfly Dance (Part 1)

Butterfly Dance (Part 2)

Partner Dance - Female and Monster

Aborigine Dances in Hualien, Taiwan

2009-08-09T18:49:00.021+08:00

During a visit to Hualien on the Eastern coast of Taiwan, I had the chance to attend an aborigine dance performance. Taiwan's aborigines are well-known for their ability to dance and sing, and these dancers certainly exhibited their physical talent quite well. The tribe that predominantly lives in Hualien is called the A-Mei tribe, which is also the largest aborigine tribe.

Male Group Dance

Harvest Dance - Female Solo

Harvest Dance - Female Group

Group Dance with Sticks

Group Dance with Sticks - Ending

五月天 - "垃圾車" Taiwanese Song

2009-08-07T16:02:00.011+08:00

Mayday is a Taiwanese pop group that sings songs both in Mandarin as well as Taiwanese. (They performed during this past New Year's celebration at the Taipei 101 building!) This song, called "Trashcar," is sung in Taiwanese and has two versions: a "friends" version as well as a "lovers" version. Both versions actually have the same lyrics until the last stanza of the song. The background music is the same. Below is the "friends" version of this song.

垃圾車曲：阿信詞：阿信編：五月天

雖然你脾氣壞

對待朋友又差

凸槌又更愛牽拖
佳在你遇到我

不愛計較的我

算你壞人有好命

我走路你坐車

你吃飯我洗碗

你被欺負我拚命
若為了爽到你

可以艱苦到我

因為咱緣分不可散

有你我才未孤單

有你的陪伴

我才有靠山
你若不爽

我是你的垃圾車

每天聽你的心聲

有你我才未孤單

有你的陪伴

我才有靠山
你若歡喜

我是你的垃圾車

每天聽你唱歌

感情若想要滿

杯底就要呼乾

這杯就愛飲呼乾
這杯你飲呼乾

這杯我飲呼乾　

咱這箱攏飲呼乾

攏飲呼乾

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

English translation:

“Trashcar” by Mayday

(Also, this song is sung in Taiwanese, not Mandarin!)

Even though you have a bad temper

And you treat your friends badly

And you often make stupid mistakes and blame other people for them

But you still happened to come across me

Modest me

You really are quite fortunate

I walk when you get a ride

You eat and then I wash the dishes

You get bullied and I risk my life fighting for you

If it’s in order to make you happy,

It’s ok if you burden me

Because our fate cannot be scattered

With you

I am not lonely

With your company

I have protection

If you are not happy

I am your trashcar

Every day

Listening to the sound of your heart

With you

I am not lonely

With your company

I have protection

If you are not happy

I am your trashcar

Every day

Listening to you sing

If our relationship is real

Then bottoms up

This glass has to be drunk empty

You drink this one

And I’ll drink this one

Let’s drink these all dry

Drink these all dry

Mayday's "Trashcar" music video

Confucius Celebration Videos and Pictures

2009-08-07T11:53:00.021+08:00

Before the opening ceremony

Scene #5 - Ceremonial Attendants Take Their Positions

Bayi dancers on stage

Musical performers

Scene #11 - Burying the Sacrificial Remnants

Scene #16 - Initial Principal Presentation

Scene #25 - Blessings from the President

Follow Up Report: Traditional Chinese Instruments Used in the Annual Confucious Celebration

2009-07-30T20:32:00.051+08:00

Tainan is a city in the southernmost part of Taiwan that is perhaps the most well-known city in Taiwan in terms of preserving the culture of ancient buildings, architecture, streets, and other remnants of the past. During a visit to my uncle's house in Tainan, my uncle took me to see the Confucius Temple, where they happened to have a collection of antique traditional instruments (both musical and non-musical) used during each annual Confucius celebration. After composing my first report on the Confucius Celebration, I thought this would be an good follow-up to give a better understanding of some of the traditional musical elements as well as other ceremonial vessels used during the procession.

The following photographs, unless otherwise stated, were all photos that I took during my visit to the Confucius temple. The instruments also had signs next to them indicating the name of the instrument (in both Mandarin and English) as well as a brief description of its structure and use.

籥 (ㄩㄝˋ) "yue4"
A pipe made of bamboo. Short versions have 3 holes, long versions have 6-7 holes.
(Photograph: http://www.cntca.com/qiyi/Print.asp?ArticleID=8771)

籊 ( ㄊㄧ　ˋ) "ti4"
Bamboo poles used by the BaYi dancers, held in the right hand. The handle is carved like a dragon's head, and a long peacock feather is placed in the dragon's mouth. The peacock feather represents wisdom.

特磬 (ㄊ　ㄜˋ ㄑㄧㄥˋ) "te4 qing4"
Special Musical Stone: A type of drum made of polished jade. The two flat sides are beat with a wooden handle to conclude the orchestra.

著尊 (ㄓㄨ　ˋ ㄗㄨㄣˉ) "zhu4 zun1"
Wine Vessel: A vessel made of bronze that is used to hold wine for the sacrificial ceremony. It has no ears or legs.

鉶 (ㄒㄧㄥˊ) "xing2"
A brass vessel that is round in shape with two ears and a tripod, used to hold soup during the sacrificial ceremony. Three humps protrude from the lid.

爵 (ㄐㄩㄝˊ) "jue2"
Wine Pitcher: A bronze wine pitcher used during the sacrificial ceremony. There is a tripod at the bottom of the pitcher, and the two protrusions on the top of the pitcher are present to prevent the wine from being drunk directly from the pitcher, as this vessel is used only for pouring the wine.

編鐘 (ㄅㄧㄢㄓㄨㄥ) "bian1 zhong1"
This instrument is comprised of two different sets of bells: the Group Chimes and the Group Musical Stones.
Group Chimes: This group of bronze chimes comprises the top two rows of the pictured instrument. Each row contains 8 sets of rectangular bells. The pitch of the sound produced when the bells are struck depend on their thickness. In all, there are 16 tones that are produced, one for each set of bells. The bells are struck with a wooden handle once for each sentence of the poem that is recited during the ceremony, and each strike is concurrently harmonized by the Group Musical Stones.
Group Musical Stones: Arranged identically to the Group Chimes, but are placed on the lower two rows of the instrument. There are also 16 tones produced, one for each set of bells. The bells are made of jade and are struck with a wooden handle the same time the Group Chimes are struck.

帛 (ㄅㄛˊ) "bo2"
Silk: Pure white silk fabric that represents currency offered to the gods.

簋 (ㄍㄨㄟˇ) "gui3"
An ancient food vessel made of bronze, used for holding grains in ancient offerings or feasts. It is round in shape with two ears and four round protrusions on the lid.

柷 (ㄓㄨ　ˋ) "zhu4"
A ancient wooden percussion instrument shaped like a tapering box, narrow near the bottom and wide near the top. It is struck from the inside with a wooden drumstick to announce the beginning of the ceremony and to start the orchestra. The sides are decorated with images of mountains and rivers.

敔 (　ㄩ　ˇ) "yu3"
A hollow wooden percussion instrument in the shape of a tiger. A wooden drumstick is run across the back, which has three rows of wooden protrusions, in order to produce the sound.

These are definitely not all of the musical and non-musical instruments used during the procession in their entirety, but just the ones that I happened to find in the collection of traditional instruments in the Confucius temple. The artifacts and their descriptions certainly help in better understanding the details of the ceremony.

周杰倫: 說好的辛福呢? (Jay Chou: "What About That Promised Happiness?")

2009-01-04T15:24:00.004+08:00

Here is another one of Jay's new songs. It is much sadder (and sappier!) than the last one I posted. Jay's known for his movingly emotional lyrics, but unfortunately after I translated them they kind of lost their feel. But, I hope that you can at least watch the MV and still enjoy ^_^ Jay's piano accompaniment in this song is beautiful!

周杰倫: 說好的辛福呢

妳的繪畫凌亂著在這個時刻
我想起噴泉旁的白鴿甜蜜散落了
情緒莫名的拉扯我還愛妳呢
伴妳斷斷續續唱著歌假裝沒事了

時間過了走了愛情面臨選擇
妳冷了倦了我哭了
一開始的不快樂妳用卡片細寫著
有些愛只給到這真的痛了

怎麼了妳累了說好的幸福呢
我懂了不說了愛淡了夢淹了我都還記得
開心與不開心一一細數著妳在不捨
那些愛過的感覺都太深刻我都還記得
妳不等了說好的幸福呢
我錯了淚乾了放手了後悔了
只是回憶的音樂盒還旋轉著要怎麼停呢

x2

English translation:

"What About that Promised Happiness?"
Jay Chou

Your painting is in chaos, in this moment
I think the white dove by the fountain sprinkles sweet honey
The pull of this indescribable feeling, I still love you
You sing on and off, pretend there’s nothing wrong

Time goes by, love is confronted with choice
You’re cold, tired, I cry
The beginning of sadness, you use a card to write finely
Some kinds of love only give until here, it truly hurts

What’s wrong? You are tired, what about that promised happiness?
I understand, you don’t have to say it, the love faded, the dreams have been submerged
Happy and not happy, one by one I count them, again, you don’t give up
That love feels a little too profound, I still remember it
You don’t wait, what about that promised happiness?
I made a mistake, my tears are dry, I let go, I regret
I only remember that the music box still whirls, how can I make it stop?

x2

"What About that Promised Happiness?" Music Video

周杰倫: 稻香 (Jay Chou: "Rice Fragrance")

2008-12-31T19:39:00.006+08:00

Jay Chou's new CD came out a few months ago, entited "Capricorn" (yes, Jay is a Capricorn!). Jay Chou is one of Taiwan (and Asia's) hottest singers, noted for the originality and sophistication of his lyrics and musical composition. Here is my favorite song from the CD, entited "Rice Fragrance." I also translated the lyrics from Mandarin to English, included below. At the end is also a Youtube link for the MV.

稻香(Rice Fragrance)

[稻香] 詞：周杰倫曲：周杰倫

對這個世界如果你有太多的抱怨
跌倒了就不敢繼續往前走
為什麼人要這麼的脆弱墮落
請你打開電視看看
多少人為生命在努力勇敢的走下去
我們是不是該知足
珍惜一切就算沒有擁有

還記得你說家是唯一的城堡隨著稻香河流繼續奔跑
微微笑小時候的夢我知道
不要哭讓螢火蟲帶著你逃跑鄉間的歌謠永遠的依靠
回家吧回到最初的美好

不要這麼容易就想放棄就像我說的
追不到的夢想換個夢不就得了
為自己的人生鮮艷上色先把愛塗上喜歡的顏色
笑一個吧功成名就不是目的
讓自己快樂快樂這才叫做意義
童年的紙飛機現在終於飛回我手裡
所謂的那快樂赤腳在田裡追蜻蜓追到累了
偷摘水果被蜜蜂給叮到怕了誰在偷笑呢
我靠著稻草人吹著風唱著歌睡著了
哦哦午後吉它在蟲鳴中更清脆
哦哦陽光灑在路上就不怕心碎
珍惜一切就算沒有擁有

還記得你說家是唯一的城堡隨著稻香河流繼續奔跑
微微笑小時候的夢我知道
不要哭讓螢火蟲帶著你逃跑鄉間的歌謠永遠的依靠
回家吧回到最初的美好

English translation:

Rice Fragrance

Lyrics and music composed by Jay Chou

If you have too many complaints about this world

When you fall you don’t dare to continue walking forward

Why do people have to be so weak and morally depraved

Please turn on the TV and watch

How many people, for the sake of life, bravely strive to keep walking

Aren’t we supposed to be content with what we have?

Cherish everything, don’t worry about what you don’t possess

I still remember when you said that home was the only castle, with the fragrance of the rice and the flowing river you continue to run

Smile, I know your childhood dreams

Don’t cry, allow the fireflies to bring you escape, the eternal dependence of the countryside chant

Go home, go back to your first happiness

Don’t give up so easily, it’s just like I said

The dreams that you cannot reach, just change them for another and it will be alright

Put some color into your life, first smear a color that you like on love

Com’n and smile, fame and fortune aren’t the goals

To let yourself be happy is what really matters

The paper airplane from my childhood finally flies back to my hand now

That so-called happiness, barefoot in the fields, chasing dragonflies ‘til I’m tired

Stealing fruit and getting stung by bees until I was scared, who’s laughing now?

I lean against the scarecrow, the wind blows, I sing a song and fall asleep

Oh, oh, in the afternoon the guitar sounds even crisper among the buzzing of the bugs

Oh, oh, when the sunshine sprinkles on the road I won’t be afraid of a broken heart

Cherish everything, don’t worry about what you don’t possess

I still remember when you said that home was the only castle, with the fragrance of the rice and the flowing river you continue to run

Smile, I know your childhood dreams

Don’t cry, allow the fireflies to bring you escape, the eternal dependence of the countryside chant

Go home, go back to your first happiness (x2)

"Rice Fragrance" Music Video!

Essay: Confucius Celebration

2008-12-12T02:10:00.010+08:00

Confucius Celebration in Taipei, Taiwan

December 11, 2008

Tina Chen

September 28, the birthday of Confucius, is the designated date to celebrate Teacher’s Day in honor of the late Confucius, the first and most important teacher in Chinese culture. From childhood, students in Taiwan begin learning and memorizing Confucius’s teachings. His greatest emphasis was on the importance of study and thus this date is set aside to honor all teachers. On Saturday, September 27, my CIEE group attended the dress rehearsal of the annual celebration of Confucius’s birthday at Taipei Confucius Temple in Yuanshan, Taipei, at 4:00 in the afternoon. The actual celebration was to be held on September 28 at 6:00 AM, but unfortunately Super Typhoon Jangmi was headed on a crash course for Taiwan and postponed the ceremonies until the following Sunday. I would really have enjoyed attending the real ceremony as well, but unfortunately only the first 100 people are allowed to attend the real ceremony, so we chose to attend the dress rehearsal out of convenience. Nevertheless, the ceremony was still very insightful and I was able to capture a few good shots, both on camera and video, from the front of the crowd. The ceremony included traditional music and dance with performers wearing traditional Chinese robes and playing various classical instruments, all of which have significance to the content of the ceremony.

In observing this performance, I used Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model as a basis for my research, which is a model we used in Professor Templeman’s “Women and Music: A World Perspective” Honors Special Topics Spring 2008 course. To summarize briefly, Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model is a guideline for how to observe and analyze a performance. It states that there are three components to a musical performance: behavior, sound, and concept. The model also states that these three aspects are fully related in contributing to the successful production of music. During a performance, an artist attempts to accomplish the exhibition of certain concepts, whether created by his or herself or created by society itself, and does so by physically carrying out certain behaviors. These behaviors cause the artist to create certain sounds, which should reflect the concepts that he or she wishes to exhibit. If the sound produced does not create the desired effect, then the artist will alter his or her behaviors and sounds until they reflect the desired concept.

During this ceremony, I studied the behaviors and sounds of both the performers and audience. The performance was taken place in the inner courtyard of Taipei Confucius Temple, in front of Dacheng Hall, which houses the main alter. Above the alter hangs a plaque that reads, “Education knows no class distinction,” one of Confucius’s famous quotes. Dacheng Hall is surrounded on all four sides by a row of connected buildings, in traditional Chinese architecture, so that the performers were directly in front of Dacheng Hall and the audience stood off to the sides near the East and West side buildings as well as on either side of the Dacheng Gate, the entrance leading to Dacheng Hall. However, no one is allowed tos stand directly in the middle of Dacheng Gate because the center entrance is reserved only for the spirit of Confucius himself.

The ceremony began when two Masters of Ceremonies dressed in traditional purple Chinese robes walked to the front of the stage and initiated the opening ceremony. As a brief overlook, to depict the organization of the entire ceremony, I will list all of the 37 events that are included in the Modern Confucius Ceremony, as written by the 2008 Dalongtong Cultural Festival brochure:

The Ceremony Begins
First Drum Roll
Second Drum Roll
Third Drum Roll
Ceremonial Attendants Take Their Positions
Ceremonial Supervisor Takes His Designated Position
Assistant Sacrifice Officers Take Their Designated Positions
Collateral Presentation Officers Take Their Designated Positions
Principal Presentation Officer Takes His Designated Position
Opening the Gates
Burying the Sacrificial Remnants
Welcoming the Spirit
All Bow Three Times in Respect
Presenting the Sacrificial Feast
Offering Incense
Initial Principal Presentation
Initial Collateral Presentation
Chanting the Blessing
All Bow Three Times in Respect
Second Principal Presentation
Second Collateral Presentation
Final Principal Presentation
Final Collateral Presentation
The President Offering Incense
Chanting the Blessing from President
All Bow Three Times in Respect
The Sacrificing Officer Offering Incense
The Drink of Good Fortune and Receipt of Sacrificial Meat
Removing the Remnants of the Sacrificial Feast
Escorting the Spirit
All Bow Three Times in Respect
Sending the Silk Spirit-Money and Prayer Inscription
Look After the Incinerator
Resuming Positions
Closing the Gates
Withdrawing Positions
The Ceremony Concludes

The ceremony was quite easy to follow because the Masters of Ceremonies flipped a yellow tablet of paper that indicated the number of each current stage. This made the ceremony much easier to understand because I could follow the performer’s actions with each stage of the performance. The ceremony began with three series of drum rolls, and the MC on the right of the yellow tablet announced in Mandarin each step that took place. There seemed to be a distinct pattern to the drum roll sequences: upon studying my video recordings, I observed the following: one strike of a higher-pitched drum, then four beats of a lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into a roll, slows down, strikes once again, and then a gong strikes once. The second drum roll begins with two strikes of the higher-pitched drum, then three beats of the lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into triplets and a roll, decelerates, ends with two strikes, and then two strikes of a gong. The third and last drum roll begins with three lower-pitched drum strikes, then 5 strikes of the lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into a roll, decelerates, and then three slow beats, ending with three strikes of a gong. Although I was able to decipher this pattern, I am unsure of whether or not this pattern has a certain meaning.

After the three drum roll sequences, the ceremonial participants took their places by walking to the beat of a drum in a single file line: walk five beats, rest one beat, beginning with the musicians and dancers. As the higher-level attendants came on stage, they walked to the front of the stage and washed their hands before taking their places. After everyone was in place, the gates that comprise the front wall of the temple were opened to allow the spirit of Confucius to enter the temple. This process was accompanied by a drum sequence. It is common in temples for people to offer the spirits food and burn incense as they pray, and so in this ceremony such offerings were prepared for the spirit of Confucius, as well. Each step of this process was very slow and purposeful, and the music that accompanied was also slow and simple to create a solemn, dignified atmosphere.

The Initial Principle Presentation was the stage in which the Ba-Yi Dance was performed, which consists of the most important movements during the ceremony. It is a classical Taiwanese dance reserved only for this sacred day. It comprises of 8 rows of 8 people (“ba;” Chinese for “eight”) It is actually routine for the Ba-Yi Dance to be replaced with the Liu-Yi Dance (“Liu;” Chinese for “six”), so for the Ba-Yi Dance to be performed this year was a rare occasion, and actually a controversial topic because many locals believe that the temple purposely choose to perform the Ba-Yi Dance to give an unnecessarily exaggerated welcome to Taiwanese President Ma Yin-Jeou, who is the first president to attend the Confucius celebration. In any case, the Ba-Yi Dance is a classical ceremonial dance and was performed by 64 local schoolchildren. The dance comprises of 16 different movements, each having their own different meaning, but all movements meant to show offering and blessing to the Confucius spirit. The dancers direct their movements in all four directions, making sure to acknowledge any fellow spiritsin all directions as not to leave any out. Each dancer carries a long peacock feather, which represents wisdom, following the theme of “education.” The same dance movements were repeated throughout the ceremony in steps 20 and 22 (Second Principle Presentation and Final Principle Presentation).

During the Ba-Yi Dance (as well as throughout the ceremony), only traditional Chinese instruments are used as musical elements, because this music has been handed down throughout dynasties. Formal and solemn, it is based on an ode to Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty who ruled from 1368-1398. In order to play the music properly, instruments made of eight different elements are required: pao (匏: gourd), tu (土: clay), mu (木: wood), ge (革: leather), shi (石: stone), jin (金: metal), si (絲: strings), and zhu (竹: bamboo).

During the opening of the gates (step 10), the spirit of Confucius is greeted by slow drum beats, and after the spirit has been welcomed, he is offered food and incense. In Taiwan, incense is only burned when praying to gods or ancestors, and is not used for an aromatic purpose, as it is used in American culture. After the spirit has been fed and properly blessed, the spirit is escorted out of the humanly world again with slow, deep drum beats, and the gates into the temple are closed.

The audience during this ceremony was mostly on a bystander level. They did not try to participate in the actual ceremony itself, and mostly just took pictures and videos, respectfully staying in one place the whole time as not to cause disturbance. People towards the back of the audience walked around and sometimes talked in low voices, but only because the ceremony took place outdoors and their dis

tance would not disturb the solemn, still atmosphere of the procession. The only movement that really occurred from the audience took place when it started to rain, and then people merely brought out their umbrellas and continued watching the procession.

There was no singing throughout the ceremony, only dance and musical accompaniment. The overall pace of the music, as well as the movement of the participants, was very slow, and the steps of the participants were often march-like, following the steady beat of the drum. This created a solemn, formal atmosphere that would have been appropriate for an emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and also can be explained by the fact that the music originated from an ode. In Taiwanese culture, it is custom that respect comes with age. Thus, the most honored are those who have already passed away; in no way should a deceased person be negatively referred to, and ancestors are believed to return as ghosts who can do harm to mortal beings if not pleased. The formal, solemn atmosphere reflects this cultural custom of the importance of worshiping ancestors, because it contributes to the sincerity of the procession, so that the performers can show their greatest honor and respect to the ghost of Confucius.

This procession also reflects the enormous importance of worshiping the deceased in Taiwanese culture; many Taiwanese, even if they do not claim to be Buddhist or even follow any religion at all, still worship and pray to their own ancestors. Some of my Taiwanese friends who attended this ceremony claimed to be atheists, but still burned incense for the sake of Confucius’s ghost. They believe that ghosts of the dead do exist and that they can influence the living world. Although this might seem contradictory, I have speculated over the relationship of worshiping the dead and religion in Taiwanese culture, and have come to the conclusion that there is no connection, which is unlike the Western notion of praying as solely a religious act. Further evidencing this idea, my own relatives in Taiwan are not religious but still pray at temples, whereas I still cannot make myself pray at Taiwanese temples because I feel that I am contradicting my atheism if I make such an action.

Furthermore, the traditional dress and instruments used in this performance reflect Taiwanese culture’s emphasis on the importance of history and heritage. There is a Chinese proverb, “飲水思源” (yin3 shui3 si4 yuan2), which can be translated to, “When you drink a glass of water, you must remember where the cup came from.” This proverb reminds us that we must remember our roots and the ancestors from which we came, which is a very important concept in Taiwanese culture. The ceremony’s music and dance has been passed down since the Ming Dynasty, and so the continuance of using traditional instruments and clothing indicates that we should remember where the custom’s roots.

The honoring of Confucius himself reflects the tremendous importance Taiwanese culture places on education. Taiwanese students, from the very beginning of their education, are under a tremendous amount of pressure to do well in school. From elementary school it is expected that after school, students also attend cram schools, so that a typical school-aged child will attend classes from morning until late night, six or even seven days a week. During junior high school, the pressure increases even more, as students must compete in high school entrance exams, and then later also in college entrance exams, which hugely influences their future chances of finding a stable career. In my own Chinese Language classes this past quarter, there was an entire chapter dedicated to explaining the process of entrance exams, and compared the examinees to “熱鐹上的螞蟻” (re4 guo3 shang4 de5 ma3 yi3), or, “ants on a hot pot,” with no where to seek safe refuge.

From the successful interpretation of these concepts, I can conclude from this report that Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model was a useful model as a basis for this study, because I was able to isolate certain behaviors, actions, and sounds that reflected specific concepts of the society in which it took place. I agree that society can shape the actions and behaviors of its people, and this case-study is a clear example. The ceremony was a success because the participants executed their concepts during the procession, and the crowd (as well as I) was sufficiently satisfied with the performance. Also, because the song and dance have remained the same over centuries, the participants knew how to carry out their actions and behaviors as to create a successful production. Thus, I conclude Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model accurately theorizes the production of music because it successfully acted as a guide that I could use as a basis for my study.

Essay: Taiwanese Aboriginal Music

2008-12-05T16:04:00.017+08:00

Taiwanese Aboriginal Music

“When you lift your head to look at the moon, do you still feel moved? The words your ancestors spoke, are they still in your heart?”

-Biung (王宏恩), Moonlight (月光)

Throughout eons of change on this planet Earth, the moon’s daily path has remained a constant element in the night sky. The moon has thus in many societies become a symbol of eternity and solidarity – a constant, heavenly cycle that occurs regularly, regardless of the changes that mortal men inflict upon this Earth. For the aboriginal people of Taiwan, the greatest change in the past few centuries has been the influx of Europeans and mainlanders since the 1600’s. Since then, native Taiwanese aborigines have faced harsh discrimination and have struggled to preserve their traditional culture and identity. In the above lyrics, Biung, a Taiwanese aboriginal singer of the Bunan tribe, asks the people of his tribe to remember the importance of their own aboriginal identity by looking at the moon, because it is one timeless object that has passed over the Bunan people every night since they first appeared on Earth. It is an action that symbolizes that the memories of their past ancestors and traditionals will never be forgotten, and thus, their people’s identity will never perish.

Taiwanese aboriginals today face a society that considers them as low-class citizens. Their extent is now limited to the mountains and least-accessible portions of Taiwan, and few aborigine traditions and practices are existent in mainstream Taiwanese culture. However, as Taiwanese aborigines over the ages have been best known for their singing, creation of music, and dance, their performance of music has played an important role in the struggle for preservation of aborigine identity. From traditional aborigine to modern popular music, aborigines today use what they are best known for, song and dance, to spread knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of their culture to others.

To begin this discussion, a brief history of Taiwanese aborigines must be explained. The island of Taiwan is separated by the Fujian Province of mainland China by the Taiwan Strait. From 10,000 – 6,000 B.C., the ancestors of the people who are now considered Taiwanese aborigines immigrated to the island and settled in the western plains and central mountains, becoming the “lowlanders” and “highlanders,” respectively. These people spoke a language that is considered to be the very first Austronesian language, and began migrating to other Southeast Asian countries as well, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Polynesia, and others. It is speculated that before arriving in Taiwan, these people originally came from mainland China, but since no traces of the Austronesian language have been found in the mainland, it has not been completely accepted that China is the original homeland. Therefore, the people who settled in Taiwan during this time are considered the original inhabitants of the islands, or aborigines (Wikipedia “Taiwanese Aborigines”).

In the 1600’s, the Han Chinese began migrating to Taiwan as a result of a rebellion in China leading to the overthrow of the Ming Dynasty (Wikipedia). About the same time, the Dutch reached Taiwan and opened a branch of the Dutch East India Company in what is now Fort Anping, Tainan. Later, the Spanish also opened a trading fort in what is now Danshui, Taipei. This influx pushed many lowland tribes up into the mountains, and also many tribes began assimilating Han and European elements into their culture, both voluntarily as well as by force. Intermarriage and the desire for aborigines to be accepted in this new mixed society caused the sinicization of many aborigine languages, some of which are completely extinct now. The lowland tribes were the first tribes to become assimilated because of their accessibility by the foreigners, but the highlands tribes did not begin to become heavily influenced until the 1900’s, under influence of the Japanese rule and the KMT (Wikipedia “Taiwanese Aborigines”).

Under the influence of the foreign governments, the aborigine people were pushed further and further back both geographically and in terms of social status. They were referred to by the name of “番” which means “barbarians.” Many different discrimination techniques were used to force the aborigines to gradually assimilate Han and European cultural practices. For example, from 1946-1995, there was an official ban on aboriginal surnames, and it was necessary for aborigines to marry and take on a Han surname in order to become a “legitimate” member of society. This is because in Chinese culture, a Han surname is a credible link to the Yellow Emperor, the emperor who is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese (Wikipedia “Yellow Emperor”). Most of the western lowland tribes are now nonexistent or reduced to a minimal population with no surviving spoken language. Aborigines today are still treated as low-class citizens, and only take part in a minimal percentage of Taiwanese governmental seats. Furthermore, in order for each tribe to gain official recognition by the Taiwanese government, they must go through an extensive petition to the Council of Indigenous Peoples, and so far only 14 out of 25 tribes have been successful. These restrictions and discriminations create hardships for the aborigine people in terms of every aspect of daily life. Recently, in the Taipei Times, there was an article describing A-mei aboriginals who had been forced to construct their homes out of abandoned materials outside of Taipei City because they could not afford to live in the city, only to be told by the government that their village must be demolished because it proposed a possible “flood threat” to other parts of Taipei (Iok-sin 1). Their people are constantly pushed to move from place to place, never able to settle into one stable lifestyle, and are merely seen as obstacles that can be gotten rid of if need be. Facing such societal discrimination, it is no wonder that the aborigines feel a need to educate others and spread an understanding of the importance behind their cultural identity.

However, the entire world is now facing an era of globalization and Westernization. How, in this drastically changing world, can the aborigine people conserve what their ancestors have passed down for generations? This is where their best-known talents, singing and dancing, come into play. In Taiwan, aborigines are considered the best singers and performers. Music and dancing is widely used during traditional celebrations and festivities, where all of the inhabitants participate, which is likely one reason why their talent for song and dance is so strong. Despite their discrimination, several aborigine pop singers have even managed to emerge as some of Asia’s hottest stars. Within their struggle to conserve their cultural identity, aborigines on one end of the spectrum try to preserve the traditional elements by continuing to perform traditional dances and music, educating others about the meanings, process, and stories behind these celebrations. On the other end of the spectrum, some aboriginal artists create a fusion of traditional and modern elements to create an aborigine-pop-fusion that appeals the younger mainstream society.

To clarify, the terms “traditional” and “traditional aborigine” music in Taiwan as used in this paper must be first explained to differentiate the two. It must be made clear that “traditional” and “aboriginal” music are not synonymous. Generally speaking, “traditional” Taiwanese music was created by people of Han descent, including sounds, structures, and instruments from mainland China or from the Han who first settled in Taiwan. This “traditional” music would be music passed on throughout the Han people for generations until the present. In contrast, “aborigine” music is created by people of aboriginal descent, and “traditional aborigine” music has been passed down by their ancestors (as opposed to the Han people). In addition to traditional aborigine music, there is also a classification of “pop aborigine” music, which comprises of a fusion of traditional aborigine sounds as well as Han or Westernized sounds. Popular aborigine music originated from the influence of outside cultures on aborigine sounds, and currently is used as a means of gaining ground in the mainstream Taiwanese culture in terms of social acceptance and appreciation.

Perhaps the most famous type of traditional aborigine music in the world of musicology is the eight-tone improvised polyphonic music of the Bunun tribe, “ba bu he yin” (八部合音) in Mandarin (literally, “eight-part combined sounds”). With respect to other aborigine tribes, the Bunun tribe has very few different types of dance and music because they have no unique instruments of their own, but their tribe’s musical specialty is an improvised harmony of eight different pitches sung at once to create one giant, complex chord. Each singer listens carefully to the pitches of the singers around him, and sings his or her own tone so that it best matches the tones of others. This type of singing is completely unique to the Bunan tribe. The Bunun people originally lived in the northwestern plains of Taiwan, but were pushed further and further east across the mountains and into the eastern coasts of Taiwan, and their people have diminished to such few numbers that their unique polyphonic singing is close to extinction. However, because this music is such a popular topic of study for musicologists, hopefully with their efforts as well as our own efforts to appreciate their singing, the Bunun people will continue to carry on this rare and unique musical tradition.

Because aborigine festivals in their purest, most traditional forms are relatively rare and difficult to come across, I interviewed my roommate, who is a native Taiwanese, about a celebration that she had attended and taken part in. The celebration took place in the far-eastern part of Taiwan where the largest aboriginal tribe live, the A-mei tribe (阿美族). The interview questions (which were translated from Mandarin) are as followed:

What are some major aborigine festivals or holidays?
Where and when do they take place?
What stories are connected to these celebrations?
How are these celebrations carried out?
Are these celebrations related to religion?
What kind of music and dance accompany these celebrations?
Are there any types of special instruments used in the music and dance?
How often do you listen to aborigine music?
Are there any particular aborigine artists that you listen to?

My interviewee ended described in detail the Harvest Festival (豐年祭) of the A-mei tribe, which took place in the summer of last year. Generally, the festival can take place anywhere from July to September, usually lasting for about three days. The festival is an annual celebration to offer food and goods to gods that once plagued the land with unfortunate circumstances, in order to please them so that they may have an abundant year of fish and millet to harvest. The festivities that my interviewee participated in consisted of dancing, singing, and drinking alcohol, for three days and three nights.

The members of the tribe wore traditional clothing, the main color being red, with shells and bells sewn onto the cloth, and often having very brightly colored decorations. Also, a person having a higher status would have more elaborate outfits with more decorations. The tribe performed a group dance with all members forming consecutive rings, with the oldest and most important members closest to the center. This arrangement reflects the importance of hierarchy in their society. The tribe leader as well as the oldest tribe members sat in chairs, comprising the innermost circle, and in general men comprised the inner circles while women comprised the outer circles. However, this arrangement seems to contradict the tribe’s matriarchal society, for it seems that the women would stand closer to the center. There must be an alternate explanation for this arrangement. Also, the men and women were divided by age, with the older people standing closer to the center and the younger people standing further out. The participants hold hands with the two people on either side of them to form rings of people. Other participants standing outside this dance formation play drums and other forms of percussion (although specific types of instruments were not mentioned).

When the music first began, the tribe leader acted as the lead singer and the rest of the participants would echo his melody, and the dancers swung their hands back and forth while stepping to one side in order to make the circle of people rotate. The call-and-echo structure of the songs also reflects the hierarchical society of the tribe, with the tribe leader having the first and most important voice. The tempo of the songs was moderately fast and carried a steady, unchanging beat. Additionally, one or two other people would move throughout the dance formation offering dancers alcohol that they poured into the same cup, and if offered, the dancer would have to immediately drink the entire cup in one gulp. There were many different songs performed, but mostly each song was composed of the same repeating melody. Finally, the men wear bags on their shoulders that they can offer to the women. The offer is seen as a sign of marriage proposal, and the woman can decide whether to accept or decline. My interviewee herself was able to participate in the dancing, but because her clothes were not traditional, the participants preferred that she stood in the outermost ring.

Song and dance such as the Harvest Festival celebrations and the polyphonal music of the Bunun tribe are such examples of traditional music that aborigines are attempting to keep alive. The recent movements to conserve aborigine practices such as these have caused traditional musical performing groups to form. These groups cater to the Taiwanese majority, performing in concert halls that are far from the traditional villages and landscapes in which they originally took place. Currently, the most successful aboriginal performing musical group is the Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe, comprised of young aborigine dancers and singers who perform traditional dances of their tribes such as tribal legend dances, love dances, rite of passage dances, war dances, daily work dances, and so on, striving to show people what has been passed down by their ancestors for thousands of years (Yi 1). The Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe was created in 1991, and since their debut has gained so much success that they have been invited to perform in countries all over the world.

Additionally, my interviewee expressed that she does not listen to aborigine music on a regular basis, but does listen to aborigine pop stars such as A-mei (阿美) of the Puyama tribe and Biung (王宏恩) of the Bunan tribe. A-mei sings in Mandarin, whereas Biung sings in the Bunun aboriginal language. There are also several aborigine music radio stations available; however, my interviewee expressed that she would “probably not” listen to the radio stations on a regular basis because she does not understand aborigine dialects; thus, another question that comes to mind is the difficulty in preserving an aborigine culture when their dialects are not practical for mainstream societal use. However, with Biung’s popularity, he has obviously overcome this barrier, although it seems that A-mei’s name is more widely recognized than Biung’s, especially among the high school and college populations.

Aborigine-pop-fusion style music provides a medium in which people of the mainstream society can more easily appreciate aborigine sounds and elements but still enjoy the style of popular music that they are more accustomed to. To many, pure aboriginal chants and songs may sound too foreign to their ears to completely accept. However, by combining styles, the end result is a set of sounds that might feel more comfortable to the listener. For example, in Biung’s Moonlight, he combines his own vocal melody, sung in Bunun dialect, with guitar accompaniment, a Western instrument. Also, most aboriginal chants tend to repeat the same phrase or phrases, but Biung’s Moonlight is in an AAB₁B₂A song format (sung twice, separated by a bridge), which is the most common format for Western pop songs.

In Biung’s Moonlight, he sings about needing to hold on to memories of the past in times of loss or despair. The original lyrics of the song were translated into Chinese in the album booklet, which I have translated into English below:

Even though we have lost our dependence

We must still feel happy

Because we still have the moon.

Even though we lost the place where we have a foothold

We must still feel comfort

Because we still have hope.

In you heart there is still some meaning.

In your heart there is still a slip of memory.

When you lift your head to look at the moon, are you still moved?

The words your ancestors spoke, are they still in your heart?

Biung’s words are a message to his people, that in these times of drastic change, they must not forget the roots and history from which they come. They must cherish their traditions, their cultures, their dignity, for it is what makes up their very being. They must not forget their ancestors and the practices that have been handed down for millennia. His words encourage a sense of pride in their aboriginal heritage, in opposition to the harsh discrimination against their identity that they may receive. His words are also a message to the rest of the Taiwanese population, as well as to the rest of the world, that no matter how much oppression and discrimination they have received, they will not forget the roots from which they came. Biung’s song is made of simple melody and composition, but yet, its meaning is deep with the pain and struggle of the aborigine people.

In conclusion, music, which is naturally an essential element in the lives of Taiwanese aborigines, has now become a medium for promoting the preservation of aborigine identity. It is not only an inherited tradition, it is also means for communication to the outside world. The aborigines have applied this method successfully to a certain degree, as evidenced by the influence of aborigine music in Taiwanese pop culture, as well as the success of cultural performance groups such as the Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe. However, the most important lesson that we can glean from this study is that the responsibility does not solely rely on the aborigine population to preserve their culture, but on each non-aboriginal as well, for we must learn to look past the stereotypes and negative images that are created. Instead of looking down on differences from what we know, we must learn to appreciate and understand them, and only then can the aborigine population achieve success in their endeavor for self-preservation. The duty lies on each and every one of us.

Bibliography

“Taiwanese Aborigines.” 19 Nov. 2008. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. [Accessed 31 Nov. 2008] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_aborigine>.

“Yellow Emperor.” 30 Nov. 2008. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. [Accessed 31 Nov. 2008]

Iok-sin, Loa. “Aborigines Protest Demolition Notice.” Taipei Times. 13 Nov. 2009.

Yi, Ho. “Preserving the Bounty of Taiwan's Tribal Heritage.” Taipei Times. Oct 20, 2006. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2008] <http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/10/20/2003332645>

Video Links:

Polyphonal music of the Bunan tribe

Harvest festival of the A-mei tribe in Hualien, Taiwan

Music video of Biung's "Moonlight"

改變自己

2008-10-05T02:11:00.013+08:00

I am posting one of my absolute FAVORITE Taiwanese songs here! It is called, "改變自己," or "Change Me," by 王力宏 (Wang Li Hong). I translated the lyrics from Chinese to English myself... it doesn't sound quite as good in English, but I think it still gets the message across... a little bit of change can go a long way, and if we each try a little to improve ourselves, together, we can make a change in this world for the better. I think it is an awesome song. Here are the Chinese and English lyrics, as well as a link to the youtube music video!

Click here to see the music video!

改變自己
詞曲:王力宏

今早起床了
看鏡子裡的我
忽然發現我的髮型睡的有點KUSO
一點點改變
有很大的差別
你我的力量也能改變世界

最近比較煩
最近情緒很Down
每天看新聞都會很想大聲尖叫
但髒話沒用
大家只會嫌兇
我改變自己發現大有不同
新一代的朋友我們
好好的加油
大家一起大聲說
Na Na Na Na Na~

我可以改變世界
改變自己改變龜毛改變小氣
要一直努力努力永不放棄
才可以改變世界
C'mon 改變自己

今早起床了
覺得頭有點痛
可能是二氧化碳太多氧氣不夠
一點點改變
有很大的差別
你我的熱情也能改變世界

只能代表自己
沒有政治立場
即使這世界讓我看得十分緊張
要調整自己
恩~
沒想到一點就能畫龍點睛

English translation:

“Change Me”

by Wang Li Hong

Today when I got out of bed

I saw myself in the mirror

And suddenly discovered that when I slept my hairdo got a little funny

A little bit of change

Makes a lot of difference

Together, our strength can also change the world

Recently times have been bad

Recently my feelings have been down

Every day when I watch the news I feel like screeching out loud

But bad language doesn’t have a use

Everyone only criticizes

I changed myself and discovered that I became totally different

The new generation’s people

We must work harder

Everybody shout together

Na Na Na Na Na~

I can change the world

Change myself, change my perfectionism, change my stinginess,

Must continuously strive and never give up

In order to change the world

C’mon, change yourself

Today when I got out of bed

My head was in a little bit of pain

It was probably too much carbon dioxide, not enough oxygen

A little bit of change

Makes a big difference

Our passion can also change the world

We are obligated to represent ourselves

There is no political position

Even if this world makes me completely anxious

You have to revise yourself

Yeah~

You never thought that a little bit change could make such a difference.

---------------------------------------------------------------

I find Wang Li-Hong especially amazing because like me, he is an American-born Taiwanese (aka ABC). Although he was fluent in Taiwanese since a young child, he did not begin learning Mandarin until he was 18 (last year I could not tell from his singing voice that he is an ABC, but I can tell the difference now... I think his dancing style is also much more Western). He was a musical prodigy and attended Williams College to pursue music academically. He signed his first record label in Taiwan while visiting relatives in 1995, and this particular song (改變自己) came out July 13, 2007. Wang Li-Hong is a great inspiration because he began learning Mandarin so late in life, and now, he is completely fluent, writes his own songs, and is one of the big singing stars all throughout Asia. The fact that he started studying Chinese so late in life ~ and is still so successful ~ gives me much motivation to study hard while I am here!

演講稿: Speech Competition Essay

2008-10-04T02:10:00.008+08:00

I am participating in the 2008 Annual Speech Competition at ChengDa, here is my final speech as revised by my Chinese Language teacher. I am in the process of memorizing it, the speech is to be held on October 15. Here are both the Chinese and English versions of my speech:

各位評審、各位現場的來賓大家好，我是來自政治大學的陳明珠。
今天我要演講的題目是:我為什麼想要學中文。

我是一個美國的華僑，從小在美國出生、長大。我的雙親是台灣人。當年，他們在美國相識、相戀，結婚以後，生下了我和哥哥。

在我小的時候，每個星期天，媽媽都帶我到中文學校去學中文，當時的我非常討厭到中文學校去。我無法理解為什麼我的同學們只需要說英文，他們週末時可以安排自己的活動，我不但要學二種語言，而且還要犧牲我的週末時光。再加上，我當時的中文老師就是我的媽媽，如果我在課堂上表現得不好的話，媽媽會非常生氣。我明白媽媽要我學中文的用意，但是當時的我，每週都在課堂上畫圖，一回家就把書包丟在角落。完全無法吸收任何的內容。

我今年20歲，頭腦也不像以前一樣那麼好了，為什麼我卻在這個時候選擇了學中文呢?(停頓)當我第一次來台灣的時候，當時我就深深地感受到中文的重要性。我有許多親戚是土生土長的台灣人，我去年造訪台灣時，我居住在台南的舅舅家中，每天沉浸在中文的環境裡，除了每天必須說中文以外，我還體會出一個道理，那就是身分與認同的問題。我是美國的台灣人，我認為雖然我在美國出生、長大，但我的身上流台灣人的血，我的身體裡有台灣人的基因，我和所有的台灣人一樣，我們都有相同的膚色、頭髮。所以我也要努力地學會中文才行。

當我在海邊散步時，我走在媽媽年輕時所走過的路，當我坐火車旅行時，我看到爸爸年輕時所看過的風景，在回憶過往的同時，我看到了爺爺奶奶、我看到了爸爸媽媽，我也看到了我自己。

家人之間的凝聚力，對我來說有種特別的意義，雖然跟台灣的親人真正相處的時間不多，但他們所給予我的卻是滿滿的愛，讓我覺得台灣才是我真正的家。美國是我成長的地方，那裡雖然有著我熟悉的一切，卻沒有爸爸媽媽成長的痕跡。我覺得自己像是一片漂流在外的葉子，隨時等待著落葉歸根。

雖然我有雙重身分，但這不曾對我造成任何困擾，我反而珍惜這樣一個特別的機會，讓我能夠學習兩種語言、兩種文化。我最大的願望是，能讓我的下一代在所有親人的關愛中成長，家人彼此能夠凝聚在一起。現在我一個字一個字慢慢地學，一個句子一個句子慢慢地練。過程雖然辛苦，但是鐵杵也能磨成繡花針，相信總有一天我一定可以把中文學好，到那個時候，我就可以用流利的中文跟我的孩子介紹這個美麗的寶島，台灣。

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English Translation:

Prompt: Why do you want to study Chinese?

I am here in Taiwan for one year studying Chinese. It was not my parents who sent me here, nor my school. I myself made the conscious decision to travel halfway across the globe and dive into a country for an entire year in which the language, culture, climate, and way of life are all different from what I am used to back in my own country of the United States. So why, might you ask, did I make the choice to come here? Yes, it is because I want to study Chinese. However, it is not just the language that I seek. I came here also to go on a discovery, on a journey to discover my own cultural heritage and become closer to my cultural roots.

I am a Taiwanese-American. My parents were both born and raised in Taiwan, went to the States to study, met there, married, and had my brother and me. When I was a young child I was sent to Chinese Language School every Sunday afternoon, and I hated it. I wondered, why when all of my classmates and teachers and neighbors spoke English, and even my parents spoke English to me, I had to go to this class every single week and listen to some teacher rant in a language I hardly understood. And furthermore, for two years my own mother was my teacher, which meant that if I didn’t do well in class I would get twice as much scolding: one during class, and one when I got home. I know that my parents meant well to send me to Chinese School, but as a second-generation growing up in America, it was much easier for me to drift towards my American side. And so, every Sunday I would go to Chinese School, draw in my notebook for three hours, go back home, and throw my books into a corner.

So why now when I am already 20 years old and my brain has already lost its plasticity for language am I only finally beginning to study Mandarin? What made me change my mind about learning Chinese? I guess my feelings really started to change when I came to Taiwan for two months last summer. It was the first time I had come to Taiwan since elementary school, and this time, I traveled alone, and I was really able to see the importance of learning Chinese.

My father has two brothers here in Taiwan, and my mother’s side is just a teeny bit more extensive: she has 15 brothers and sisters. So regardless to say, I have lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews on this tiny little island. While I was here last summer, I stayed for the most part with my uncle in Tainan and took a short Chinese language class, but I also was able to see lots and lots of relatives as well. It was the first time I was really immersed in a Chinese-language setting, and also, the first time I really got a good picture about what it meant for me to learn Chinese. As a Taiwanese American, I must remember that though I was born and raised in America, I am Taiwanese by blood, by genes, by heart. The relatives that I have here share the same skin, teeth, hair, and blood as me. When I walk on the beaches of Fangliao in my mother’s hometown, I am walking the same path she walked on when she was a college student, my own age. When I take the train from Taipei Main Station, I am riding the same rail that my father grew up riding on. When I see my grandparents, who still live in Taipei, I see my father, I see myself.

The strength of family bond is an interesting one. Though I have been separated from my relatives my entire life by distance, it only took a short period of time for me to feel like Taiwan was my real home. Yes, I grew up in America, but America is a relatively new place. It does not contain the sand that my mother played in or the soil that my ancestors are buried in. It does not have the mountains and oceans that my father passed by when he rode his motorcycle down the highway. Now that I am mature enough to understand, I long to know it all, to see it all, to be with it all, because for me, Taiwan is everything that I came from. I am but a mere leaf falling from this giant family tree, and the longer I linger in the air, the closer I am to reaching my roots.

In the end, I must not rest on this issue of which place I belong or what country suits me best: for me, I should appreciate that I have both worlds to live in. I can live and function in American culture and have no problem, and also, I can come to Taiwan and be with my relatives and be accepted here because I am from the same place they came from. I am American by birth, so of course I will always feel a connection my own birth country; I am Taiwanese by blood, of course I love my own homeland. What I should focus on now is not so much an identity crisis, but on learning as much Chinese (and Taiwanese) as I can so that I can truly have the best of both worlds. My greatest wish is that when I have children, they can grow up even closer to the relatives that I was so far from as a child. To be surrounded by family is a feeling more comforting, heartwarming, and moving than anything in the world, and every character, phrase, and grammar that I learn is one step closer to reaching my goal. Though it is hard work now, it will pay off, like the woman who ground the iron pole into an embroidery needle (Chinese proverb). I believe in myself that one day I will be able to use my own fluent Chinese to describe to my own children this beautiful island, Taiwan.

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It's a little bit nervewracking memorizing a speech in Chinese... I've never done this before, but I think it will be a good experience!

Click here for a Youtube link of my performance in the national competition at Sun-Yut Sen Memorial Hall.
Click here to see results of the competition in the National Chengchi University online newspaper.

TYPHOON!!!!!!!!

2008-09-28T16:16:00.004+08:00

The typhoon is starting... the wind gusts are REALLY crazy, it looks like it's raining horizontally!!! I was just out on the dorm porch (there is a big overhang) looking watching the weather... but apparently it's not THAT bad yet (although I am slightly terrified), people are still venturing out to 7-11 to stock up on food. The poor little dog that always sleeps on our dorm porch is just hanging out there, maybe by the end of the day he will come inside.

Crazy Weather!

2008-09-27T14:06:00.005+08:00

So many typhoons! This weekend there is supposed to be a very severe typhoon coming, tomorrow is supposed to be the worst. My cousin said that if the typhoon directly hits Taiwan, it might be the second worst typhoon Taiwan has seen in decades... I hope it is not... although parts of Taipei are already flooded. The weather here is crazy... although none of the locals seem to think anything of it. Also, yesterday while my cousin and I were eating dinner, he suddenly said, "Oh, I think there's an earthquake!" Although, I couldn't feel anything. Strange weather they have here...

Today my CIEE group is going to a Confucius temple to see a very special ceremony. My program director, Christie, said that it is supposed to be extremely special because President Ma will be attending... how cool! Maybe I can catch a glimpse of him... Also, Christie said that there are some interesting religious musical procedures that go on, so I hope to document some of it to let you guys see. Today is also the day of the 2008 Taipei Gay Parade, and I really wish I could have attended ,but there is just not enough time.

Several of our CIEE members and our Taiwanese roommates went out last week for KTVing... it really is so much fun! Now I can see why it is so popular here, people are not shy when it comes to singing, no matter what quality their voices are (although, I feel that Taiwanese overall are better singers than us Americans... perhaps because they have had much more practice??) So, my first KTV-fest ended up turning into a giant party because there were so many people. Finally, during a Taiwanese pop song called "Bad Boy," all of our CIEE ambassadors just went totally wild and blasted their hearts out. It was SOOO much fun, I wish that we had this same hobby back in the states. I'll post the video so you guys can see how excited everyone got!

Well, we are about to leave for the temple soon, so I'll have to stop here. Also, one last thing, we are signing up for school clubs and I am very excited that they have a guitar club and also a Gu-Tzin club (a traditional Chinese instrument), which, if I am able to attend, will do so. And so will become part of my musical journey here in Taiwan. Ok, I'm off to the temple, I'll update again soon! ^^

-Tina

PS. Also, my address here in Taiwan (in case anyone wants to send me mail... hint hint... lol! Just kidding ^^)

Tina Chen
CIEE Taipei
Room 340202, Ji Tao Lou
National Chengchi University No. 64, Section 2, Zhi Nan Rd.
Taipei, Taiwan 116

加油! 加油!

2008-09-19T01:22:00.011+08:00

Hello all! Sorry it has been so long since I have last updated. It has been a crazy few weeks, but I am finally feeling like I am settling into the pace of life here, especially since Taipei is like the New York of Taiwan -- fast, efficient, and never sleeps. After a week of trying out different level language classes we are finally in our appropriate places, and I must say that as much time as it takes me to write a 600-word essay in Chinese, I am grateful for every minute I put into it because I know it will mean one more step in this long process of learning Chinese. Also, all three of my roommates finally moved in, and their classes began yesterday. My room has a very interesting situation -- we are all Taiwanese by blood, but we all grew up in different countries. One of my roommates lives here in Taiwan, one grew up in Korea, one in Paraguay, and me, from the States. Although, all three of them speak and read fluently and are attending normal classes so at times I find myself slightly frustrated that I still struggle with the language, but then I remind myself that I am lucky to be here and just need to, as they say, "add more oil!" (加油: (jia you) literally means, "add oil;" a phrase that means, "good luck," or "Go! Go!")

My aunt (my dad's younger sister), who lives in America with her husband, also visited Taiwan for two weeks, so I also spent a lot of time with them while they were here. Together, we visited my grandparents (who also live in Taipei) and my other uncles, and also made a weekend trip to Tainan to visit some beautiful historic sites. It has been great seeing my aunt in Taiwan, since I have never been here with her before. Also, it has been great seeing so much family! Someday I will have to post my family tree so that I can better explain my extensive, complicated relative situation...

I am overall still doing very well here, and very happy with everything. My roommates, new classmates, and teachers are all amazing! I think that this weekend (this will be the second weekend I will have spent actually staying here at ChengDa instead of traveling to another city...) I will probably spend hanging out with my roommates, I hope to get to know them better. And also, next weekend I think I will be visiting my uncle and aunt (my dad's brother) in Taoyuan because I have never been to their house before and I have not seen my cousins since I was in 3rd grade!!!!!! Also, I am signing up for a speech contest that will be held in mid-October. It is a 5-6 minute speech on several different choices of topics. I am already nervous -- this is my first Chinese speech!!!

I hope everyone is doing well, I know school starts soon. Enjoy the last few days of summer vacation before it's time to hit the books again! ^^

My New Home

2008-08-23T14:14:00.000+08:00

I can't believe it's only been a week and a half since I've gotten here! It seems like it's been forever, I have been so busy every day. I finally moved into my new dorm room on Wednesday morning and said goodbye to my wonderful cousin, who went back to Fangliao. On Wednesday I met my fellow CIEE classmates. There are 17 total, from schools all over the US. The CIEE organizers are all sooooo nice! They are so organized and planned out a whole week and a half of activities for us to do, and we have "Ambassadors" (fellow ZhengDa students) who are our mentors. They are all extremely helpful and nice, and so much fun to be around. Every day we have a little bit of an orientation and do needed things like setting up bank accounts, getting cell phones, etc. and then we go sightseeing around Taipei or just go hang out with other students and ambassadors (as I am writing this I am finding myself trying to translate my thoughts from Chinese to English... so I have to think about what I am writing sometimes... haha, my mind is getting a little twisted). Wednesday night they threw us a welcome party and we got to see a few of the activities that we can get involved in here (like ballroom dancing, guitar club, etc.) Thursday we all went out to breakfast and lunch and then to LongShan Temple in Taipei, which is one of the biggest and most famous Buddist/Taoist temples in Taiwan, and then afterwards we wandered around one of Taipei's shopping districts and ate shaved ice. Yesterday, we went to a karaoke (KTV) place, which was tons of fun!!! There were over 20 of us in one room, and it got a little crazy, to say the least. Afterwards, we went to a small night market and then came back home to crash... everyone was so tired.

It really has been a great time. Even though this is only day 4 here at Zheng Da, I feel like I am already at home. The people, the food, the city, everything! I love Taiwan and am loving Taipei and I am sure that after one year here, I won't be so ready to leave!

Finally here!

2008-08-13T13:13:00.000+08:00

It's day 3 here in Taiwan and I am with my cousin, Tien-Hsin, visiting relatives and just hanging out before I have to go to Zheng Da University on the 20th. I arrived here Sunday night, August 10, after an 18-hour flight (and the lady sitting next to me had a dog in a duffel bag) with my cousin Po-Hsi and there were 7 people waiting for us at the airport. I love having so much family here! Tien-Hsin and I stayed at a relative's house for the night and then the next day we rode the bus 2 hours south to 台中 (Taichung), to stay in her dorm room for a few days, and then tomorrow we will go to the southern end of Taiwan to 枋寮 (Fangliao), my mother's hometown. I've met a few of Tien-Hsin's friends and we went to the night market, where you can find tons of cheap clothes, bags, shoes, random things, and best of all, awesome food. Then yesterday we went out to a restaurant for lunch with a few of her classmates. The weather here is SOOOOO hot and humid, just walking around during the day is like sitting in a sauna with a turtleneck and jeans. And the sun here is so strong, you have to cover yourself up or you will get extremely sunburned within just a few minutes, and many of the girls carry umbrellas and wear long sleeves. I still have to get used to the heat! Well, this is it for now, we'll be travelling around for the next week or so but I'll try to update when I can!