Taiwan’s education system has produced students with some of the highest test scores in the world, especially in math. However, it has often been criticized for putting too much emphasis on scores, too much pressure on students, and sacrificing creativity in favor of rote memorization. Taiwan’s educational reforms have changed this, but not necessarily all for the better.
Until 2001, passing the yearly joint entrance examination was the only path to Taiwan’s colleges and universities. The test was critical since Taiwan only had 50 universities and colleges with space for 250,000 students in the 1990s. With only one way in, tremendous pressure were put on students to attain the highest possible score in the exams.
Change to Taiwan’s college entry
With the end of martial law in 1987, the Taiwanese people began asking for more democracy, and educational reform was a natural progression. They demanded reforms that would prioritize reason over memorization and reduce the emphasis on central control and standardized testing.
In 2002, Taiwan finally modified the joint entrance exam, adopting a new “multi-track admission program.” One choice involved taking the General Scholastic Ability Test at the beginning of the year or the Department Requirement Test held in July. After the first test, students received their scores and then pay to apply to individual universities. On the “Selection of Universities” track, applicants were also interviewed by professors to gauge additional abilities on top of the test scores. The second track involved taking the test and being notified of admission based on the test scores.
On average, there are 140,000 students taking the general scholastic ability test, 110,000 taking the department request test, and another 180,000 taking the joint exam for the two-year junior colleges and four-year vocational colleges. The new multi-track admission program was not without its critics
New system favors the well off
Professor Chu Hao-ming of National Cheng-chi University wrote an article in the United Daily News saying that the government has adopted this multi-track admission program with the intention of correcting the shortcomings of the old system by giving students more choice, but this also has limited the admission of students from poorer families to universities.
Students from well off families can spend more time and energy trying to maximize their scores. They can attend cram classes or take extracurricular lessons on the piano or violin, go overseas to study a foreign language and need not worry about the cost of application fees. These are luxuries that are out of reach for students from poorer families, who have to work to help support their families. With less time and money, their acquired skills are also different, more likely to take up the guitar or play basketball.
Professor Luo Chu-ping of National Taiwan University expressed a similar view in the Taipei-based China Times. From his experience interviewing students applying for admission to the agricultural economy department last year, he saw a troubling trend. Of the 50 applicants, 70 percent came from rich families in Taipei City or County and they graduated from the better-known schools. Their parents were university professors, medical doctors, private business owners or mutual fund managers. None were from farming or blue-collar families. He urged the government to pay closer attention and to take corrective measures to help offset this disparity.
Current system not sustainable
In 1994, the Ministry of Education began allowing new schools to open and some colleges to become universities. This eventually led to an overabundance of colleges and universities on the island, now numbering 162. Taiwan cannot sustain 162 universities, according to the United Evening News.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s declining birthrate has had a severe impact on the vacancy enrollment of universities in the last couple of years. High school graduates still struggle to enter the prestigious schools, like National Taiwan University, and ignore the lowend schools. The universities with less than 50 percent enrollment rate have increased from 11 in 2008 to 25 in 2009. Based on a 2 percent increase rate per year, the Ministry of Education predicts the enrollment vacancy will reach 71,000 in 2021.
It will only get worse with Taiwan’s declining birth rate. The number of universities will be further reduced to around 100, meaning about 60 schools will be closed due to a lack of students. Education Minister Wu Ching-ji said the ministry has been engaged in planning an exit strategy and transition for those schools.
Not all bad
Associate Professor Hsieh Kuo-rong of I-Shou University in Kaohsiung saw a new opportunity emerging from the potential closure of colleges. He wrote a column in the China Times about Wenzao Foreign Language College in Kaohsiung, which has bucked the bankruptcy trend. In fact, its enrollment has increased exponentially.
Wenzao has continued to invest in campus construction. At the reading rooms of the library, they use Chinese living room design. They provide power wheelchair access for disabled students – the first of its kind in Taiwan. All the departments there are equipped with resource rooms, including small libraries and satellite televisions. There is an “English Park,” “European Union Park,” “Asian Language Park,” “Chinese Park” so as to present an international learning environment. Teachers’ enthusiasm and dedication also contributes to the rising enrollment rate, according to Hsieh.
There is also some good news about Taiwan’s higher education. For the first time, National Taiwan University is listed among the top 100 universities in the world by the UK’s Times Higher Education. It jumped to 95th place from 124th in 2008. Education Minister Wu said this might be the result of the NT$50 billion (US$1.53 billion) budget in five years allocated to Taiwan’s universities.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Behind the GDP numbers, critical social problems are hidden
The gap between the rich and the poor has widened in Taiwan over the last decade according to the Finance Ministry. In studying 2007 income reports, the top 5 percent of tax payers earned NT$4.28 million (US$131,7000), while the bottom 5 percent earned NT$69,000 (US$2,123). The Taipei-based China Times reported the gap between the richest 5 percent and the poorest 5 percent as being 32 times in 1998 and has jumped to 62 times in 2007. This is the highest in Taiwan’s history.
Although income tax information is comparatively complete, it does not include capital gains and overseas income, which account for much of the income of the wealthy. Furthermore, the poorest households in Taiwan will usually not file an income tax return, thus making data collection incomplete.
Economic disparity grows under both parties
Generally speaking, two factors contribute to the deteriorating trend: 1) globalization and technology innovation, and 2) the wrong policies leading to an unfair tax system and thus enlarging the gap between rich and poor. Although the past ten years have seen both the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in power, neither party has paid attention to this burgeoning issue.
Professor Lin Wan-i of National Taiwan University said the previous DPP government had adopted several tax reduction policies favorable to the rich, allowing incomes for the wealthy to grow faster than incomes for the poor. The current government also pushed tax reduction policies to counter the global financial crisis that favored the rich, further widening the disparity between the rich and the poor.
Taiwanese work ethics have been an underpinning reason for the island’s strong gross domestic product (GDP), but life has not improved much for theTaiwanese people over the last decade, according to Commonwealth magazine. Much of the reason can be attributed to the limits of using the GDP as an economic indicator.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said, "We look to the GDP as a measure of how well we were doing, and that doesn't tell us whether it's sustainable… What began as a measure of market performance has increasingly become a measure of social performance, and that's wrong." As Taiwan awakens to the inadequacies of GDP in measuring society's well-being, the Commonwealth is pointing to three critical problems of Taiwan’s society that have gone undetected by this major economic indicator.
Problem No. 1: No place to live for Taipei worker bees
The output generated by the city has risen consistently, but residents have moved out of the city. Since 1991, Taipei's population has experienced a steady net emigration. “Taiwan's capital Taipei is a prime example of growth and development not moving in tandem," says Lio Mon-chi, an associate professor at National Sun Yat-sen University.
"Each individual who commutes to Taipei to work is like a worker bee for the capital. Worker bees are only responsible for working for the queen bee, but they can't live in the center of her hive," Lio says. Mortgage burdens have struck fear in the hearts of many. According to statistics released by the cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development, mortgages have gone from accounting for 29 percent of Taipei residents' income in 2004 to 43 percent in 2008.
The latest data on types of income from the Ministry of Finance shows that families living in Taipei do not have the highest wages and salaries in Taiwan, but they make up for it with the highest level of unearned income, such as rental income, royalties and dividends. Landlords do not have to work since collecting rent can usually afford them a luxurous lifestyle.
On the other hand, no matter how hard the people in the middle class work, their salaries cannot keep up with soaring housing prices. Taipei's real estate market is increasingly a tool for people with money to make more money. One broker said that in the first eight months of 2009, 45 percent of prospective homebuyers were investors, a far higher ratio than the 20 percent estimated by the Ministry of the Interior.
Problem No. 2: World’s fifth longest working hours
Another GDP blind spot often challenged by economists is that it provides no way to measure the value of leisure. In Taiwan, long work hours and unlimited overtime have become another crisis. According to the 2008 World Competitiveness Yearbook published by the Lausanne-based business school IMD, Taiwan's working hours were ranked as the fifth longest in the world in 2007, behind Mexico, Hong Kong, South Korea and India. Each Taiwanese employee worked an average of 2,256 hours during the year.
The impact of long working hours on quality of the life can be seen most clearly in the reduced time people have to spend with their families. Along with the lack of time, workers are reluctant to take further professional training.
Problem No. 3: Growing proportion of low-income households
Aside from looking at economic growth, one also must consider income distribution. The proportion of poor people have become an important focal point in many countries. Minister without Portfolio James Hsueh says two indicators – the difference in income between the highest- and lowest-earning households and the number of low-income households as a percentage of the total – both provide a warning that poverty is worsening.
In 2007, the wealthiest 20 percent of Taiwan's households earned an average income 5.98 times that of the poorest 20 percent, but the disparity grew to 6.05 times in 2008. Nearly 30,000 more households have officially registered as low-income households since 2001, and their number as a proportion of Taiwan's total households has risen 0.3 percentage points.
"When the economy is growing, the wealth of low-income earners grows more slowly than that of high-income earners, but when the economy is weak, the wealth of low-income earners contracts the most," Hsueh explains. In other words, regardless of the state of the economy, the poor receive a relatively smaller share of the benefits of economic growth.
Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) believes, that using the income gap between the wealthiest and poorest households to measure the income disparity is not completely accurate since the survey only records regular income earned in a particular year, rather than a household's overall wealth. Many individuals in the bottom fifth income tier are actually retired people who do not have incomes, but "they are not necessarily poor," a DGBAS official says.
Still, at a time when the number of low-income households is clearly growing, the government has begun providing social subsidies and professional training to disadvantaged groups to help narrow the rich-poor divide. Another major element in addressing the problem should be to reform the tax system to help redistribute wealth, but one official revealed that with the current mindset geared to lowering taxes in order to drive GDP higher, pushing such tax reforms would be extremely difficult.
As has long been the case, many of society's problems are hidden behind the GDP numbers. As a single economic indicator, the GDP is inherently limited and cannot fully reflect society's many facets. The question many are pondering now is what blend of indicators should be used to replace the long-dominant GDP.
Although income tax information is comparatively complete, it does not include capital gains and overseas income, which account for much of the income of the wealthy. Furthermore, the poorest households in Taiwan will usually not file an income tax return, thus making data collection incomplete.
Economic disparity grows under both parties
Generally speaking, two factors contribute to the deteriorating trend: 1) globalization and technology innovation, and 2) the wrong policies leading to an unfair tax system and thus enlarging the gap between rich and poor. Although the past ten years have seen both the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in power, neither party has paid attention to this burgeoning issue.
Professor Lin Wan-i of National Taiwan University said the previous DPP government had adopted several tax reduction policies favorable to the rich, allowing incomes for the wealthy to grow faster than incomes for the poor. The current government also pushed tax reduction policies to counter the global financial crisis that favored the rich, further widening the disparity between the rich and the poor.
Taiwanese work ethics have been an underpinning reason for the island’s strong gross domestic product (GDP), but life has not improved much for theTaiwanese people over the last decade, according to Commonwealth magazine. Much of the reason can be attributed to the limits of using the GDP as an economic indicator.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said, "We look to the GDP as a measure of how well we were doing, and that doesn't tell us whether it's sustainable… What began as a measure of market performance has increasingly become a measure of social performance, and that's wrong." As Taiwan awakens to the inadequacies of GDP in measuring society's well-being, the Commonwealth is pointing to three critical problems of Taiwan’s society that have gone undetected by this major economic indicator.
Problem No. 1: No place to live for Taipei worker bees
The output generated by the city has risen consistently, but residents have moved out of the city. Since 1991, Taipei's population has experienced a steady net emigration. “Taiwan's capital Taipei is a prime example of growth and development not moving in tandem," says Lio Mon-chi, an associate professor at National Sun Yat-sen University.
"Each individual who commutes to Taipei to work is like a worker bee for the capital. Worker bees are only responsible for working for the queen bee, but they can't live in the center of her hive," Lio says. Mortgage burdens have struck fear in the hearts of many. According to statistics released by the cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development, mortgages have gone from accounting for 29 percent of Taipei residents' income in 2004 to 43 percent in 2008.
The latest data on types of income from the Ministry of Finance shows that families living in Taipei do not have the highest wages and salaries in Taiwan, but they make up for it with the highest level of unearned income, such as rental income, royalties and dividends. Landlords do not have to work since collecting rent can usually afford them a luxurous lifestyle.
On the other hand, no matter how hard the people in the middle class work, their salaries cannot keep up with soaring housing prices. Taipei's real estate market is increasingly a tool for people with money to make more money. One broker said that in the first eight months of 2009, 45 percent of prospective homebuyers were investors, a far higher ratio than the 20 percent estimated by the Ministry of the Interior.
Problem No. 2: World’s fifth longest working hours
Another GDP blind spot often challenged by economists is that it provides no way to measure the value of leisure. In Taiwan, long work hours and unlimited overtime have become another crisis. According to the 2008 World Competitiveness Yearbook published by the Lausanne-based business school IMD, Taiwan's working hours were ranked as the fifth longest in the world in 2007, behind Mexico, Hong Kong, South Korea and India. Each Taiwanese employee worked an average of 2,256 hours during the year.
The impact of long working hours on quality of the life can be seen most clearly in the reduced time people have to spend with their families. Along with the lack of time, workers are reluctant to take further professional training.
Problem No. 3: Growing proportion of low-income households
Aside from looking at economic growth, one also must consider income distribution. The proportion of poor people have become an important focal point in many countries. Minister without Portfolio James Hsueh says two indicators – the difference in income between the highest- and lowest-earning households and the number of low-income households as a percentage of the total – both provide a warning that poverty is worsening.
In 2007, the wealthiest 20 percent of Taiwan's households earned an average income 5.98 times that of the poorest 20 percent, but the disparity grew to 6.05 times in 2008. Nearly 30,000 more households have officially registered as low-income households since 2001, and their number as a proportion of Taiwan's total households has risen 0.3 percentage points.
"When the economy is growing, the wealth of low-income earners grows more slowly than that of high-income earners, but when the economy is weak, the wealth of low-income earners contracts the most," Hsueh explains. In other words, regardless of the state of the economy, the poor receive a relatively smaller share of the benefits of economic growth.
Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) believes, that using the income gap between the wealthiest and poorest households to measure the income disparity is not completely accurate since the survey only records regular income earned in a particular year, rather than a household's overall wealth. Many individuals in the bottom fifth income tier are actually retired people who do not have incomes, but "they are not necessarily poor," a DGBAS official says.
Still, at a time when the number of low-income households is clearly growing, the government has begun providing social subsidies and professional training to disadvantaged groups to help narrow the rich-poor divide. Another major element in addressing the problem should be to reform the tax system to help redistribute wealth, but one official revealed that with the current mindset geared to lowering taxes in order to drive GDP higher, pushing such tax reforms would be extremely difficult.
As has long been the case, many of society's problems are hidden behind the GDP numbers. As a single economic indicator, the GDP is inherently limited and cannot fully reflect society's many facets. The question many are pondering now is what blend of indicators should be used to replace the long-dominant GDP.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Won Fu's Photo Story
Won Fu at the 2008 Hash Marathon rock Festival. Visiting the Reins of St. Paul's in Macau. From left to right: Dupy, Mami, Twiggy and Xiao Min.
Nominated as the Best Band at the 19th Taiwan Golden Melody Awards in 2008. Won Fu in their friend-made 60's retro chic. From left to right: Mami, Dupy, Twiggy and Xiao Min.
Won Fu's deute in Toyko, Japan, in May 2006. Performing their first Japanese song, DoReMi. From left to right: Twiggy, Xiao Min and Mami.
Won Fu in Taoyuan, Taiwan, filming advertisement for Sanyang motorcycle "Wow wow." From left to right: Dupy, Xiao Min, Twiggy at rear and Mami.
In 2006, Won Fu was invited to perform in Japan. This is the band at the John Lennon Museum in Tokyo. From left to right: Xiao Min, Twiggy, Mami and Dupy.
Won Fu taking a break before the 2009 Public Arts Awards in front of the Red House, a historical landmark in Taipei. From left to right: Mami, Dupy, Twiggy and Xiao Min.Won Fu, Taiwan’s next cultural export
Taiwan has built a solid reputation as a hi-tech innovator, exporting many of its products overseas. Now the island would like to do the same with its cultural and creative industries, especially, its own special blend of independent (aka indie) music.
Taiwan’s pop music leads in Asia
Taiwan’s pop music culture is widely recognized as a dominant force in Chinese communities, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and China. The island’s pop industry churns out singers, bands, talk shows, variety shows, pop-idol dramas and talent shows that reach virtually the whole Chinese-speaking world.
Recognizing the potential of music to create a strong international presence for Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou included the cultural and creative industries as part of his Challenge 2008, a six-year National Development Plan. In promoting the island’s music, the Government Information Office (GIO) has chosen to sponsor Won Fu, a popular Taiwanese indie band, to tour the western United States this month.
Not your average rock band
The four-person band will arrive for a three-week stay on October 15th and have a packed schedule filled with performances, cultural visits and exchanges, recording sessions and interviews. In addition to introducing Taiwan's music to a foreign audience, the initiative hopes to inspire the band’s creativity and growth.
Won Fu are innovative and wildly popular in Taiwan. The band members consist of Xiao Ming (male vocal, guitar), Mami (female vocal), Dupy (drums), Twiggy (bass) and Ringo (the bandleader and a real dog). Contrary to the stereotype associated with rock bands, this wacky rock quartet does not appear in leather jackets or tight jeans, nor do they present an intimidating image of angry young rebels. Won Fu believe that their music and their live shows should be full of joy.
Formed in October 1998 by guitarist and vocalist Xiao Ming and bass player Twiggy, “Won Fu” is named after a pet beagle at Twiggy’s school. Performing for the first time at the Spring Scream Festival (Kenting, Taiwan) in April 1999, they have since appeared at a host of music festivals around Taiwan, including Spring Scream, Formoz Festival and Hohaiyan Rock Festival in 2002, where they subsequently won the Grand Jury award. They also perform regularly at live music venues including The Wall, Under World, Riverside and Witch House. Other than Mami who replaced the band’s previous vocalist Judy in 2006, the band’s line up remains unchanged.
A seamless blend of melancholy with humor
Won Fu list their musical influences as ranging from rock 'n' roll, to punk rock, to techno, and disco/electro. Their music does not follow a strict formula nor fit neatly into a specific genre as it encompasses so many different musical styles. Unconventional they may be, but their music is pleasingly delightful and irresistible. With vocalists more likely to hum light-hearted whimsical tunes than sing clichéd love songs, their bizarre and exuberant spirit is extremely catching. Their music is addictive, their lyrics infectious, their mood cheerful. Some say they blend the simple happiness of childhood with the affected melancholy of the teenage years. Yet their seemingly simple and humorous songs are the products of sophisticated creation.
The group released their hugely popular single “Sheep’s Marching” in late 2001 and later “Sin Gan Sen”. Their self-titled debut album “Won Fu,” released by Wonder Music in 2003, immediately climbed the best-selling new artist chart within the first week. They were rated No. 7 on the list of “Music You Can’t Miss 2003” by the Liberty Times, one of Taiwan’s major newspapers.
In 2004 they released their second album “Won Fu Again”, which won the “2004 Top Ten Album of the Year” from the Association of Music Workers in Taiwan. Their third and fourth album, “Won Fu Magazine” and “Modern Monsoon Groovin’,” released in 2005 and 2007, also went on to win the “Top Ten Album of the Year”. In 2005 the band was nominated “Best Band of the Year” by Singapore Hit Awards and by the Golden Melody Awards (Taiwan’s Grammy Awards) and twice again by the latter in 2006 and 2008.
Since making a splash at Japan’s TaiK Rock Festival in 2006, the band has gone on to release several Japanese-language versions of their songs, including “Do Re Mi”, the single “Modern Monsoon Groovin’” from their fourth album, released in 2007, and “The Wonderful World of Won Fu”, which is their biggest hit in Japan so far. In February 2008, "The Wonderful World of Won Fu" tour kicked-off in Japan to rave reviews. In addition to touring in Japan, the band has also performed at the Huayi Festival in Singapore, as well as in Hong Kong, Macau, and China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangchow). Won Fu’s next album is due out in November 2009.
Embarking on first US tour, one of learning
Soon after arriving in the Bay Area, Won Fu will be playing at the UC Berkeley Taiwanese American Student Association benefit on Friday, October 16th. Following the devastating typhoon which claimed at least 619 lives and damaged 44 villages this past August, Won Fu and a local Berkeley student band, Zeroth, will perform to raise money for typhoon relief. A reception will begin at 7pm in the courtyard of the Genetics and Plant Biology (GPB) building and the concert will take place in Room 100 of GPB, located in the northwest corner of UC Berkeley campus. With a student’s budget in mind, tickets are merely $2-5. For more information, please visit http://tasa.berkeley.edu/. The following week, the band will play at San Francisco’s Café du Nord on Wednesday evening, October 21st.
Outside the Bay Area, the band will travel south to Los Angeles to play at the Spaceland on October 24th. Won Fu will continue onwards to Portland, Oregon, to perform at the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls and to participate in the programming there. While in Portland, they will also play at Rotture on October 28th before traveling north to Seattle, Washington. While in Seattle, they will pair up with U.S.E. (aka United States of Electronica) to perform at The Vera Project (evening of 10/31) and the Comet (afternoon of 10/31). To find out more about Won Fu, please visit: http://www.myspace.com/wonfu.
The heart and soul of indie music
Indie music provides an answer to the new generation of Taiwanese youth’s searching for an alternative to mainstream pop music. Creativity and genuine expression, not commercial interest, is the soul of independent music. Contrary to the institutionalized process of producing mainstream pop music, indie artists typically write, compose, record, distribute, and promote their own music. Some even have their own recording label or use independent labels, rather than major commercial labels. Artists maintain creative direction over their expression of ideas, perceptions, and feelings and strive to avoid commercial manipulation.
Indie music generally is made not for profit but for creative expression of ideas, sometimes speaking out for sub-cultures and socially marginalized groups. Indie music is a fiercely individualistic presentation of the musician’s own life experiences and perceptions. It is about an unrestrained, adventurous, and experimental spirit. It is diverse in its take on a wide variety of themes.
For most indie artists the scene is challenging. The domestic market is relatively small, there are a limited number of suitable venues, and most musicians maintain day jobs. Bands made up of students often disband as members are forced to leave for obligatory military service in Taiwan or to pursue other careers. In spite of the many obstacles, a number of indie bands such as the pop rock band, Sodagreen and indie singer-songwriter Cheer Chen have successfully landed recording contracts with major recording labels over the last few years.
The number of Indie bands has dramatically grown from 20 before 2000 to nearly 500 in 2005. The scene is certainly becoming more organized in Taiwan, with more festivals catering to indie bands. However it remained very localized until ChthnoiC, a black metal band incorporating a distinctively Eastern-sounding version of black metal, played at Ozzfest, the leading heavy metal festival in the United States. The band incorporated the baleful melodies of the erhu, a two-string Chinese version of the violin, and the rich folk history of Taiwan into their music. They have become famous for being the first Asian band to play at Ozzfest.
At a pre-tour press conference in Taipei on October 8th, Su Jun-pin, the head of the GIO, said, “Taiwan’s popular music is in the leading position in Chinese communities. In order to give the island’s music industry an edge, the GIO decided to sponsor the creative and talented music bands to tour abroad. Through performances, professional exchanges and participation in music festivals, the government expects the bands to broaden their prospective and enhance their performance skills, indirectly input new ingredients to Taiwan’s music creative world.” Su stressed that Won Fu’s tour to the US is GIO’s flagship project to promote popular music, in the hope that Taiwan’s music makers will enjoy the same success as Taiwanese filmmakers overseas.
Taiwan's pluralistic and free environment has helped nurture a thriving independent music scene with dedicated artists and devoted followers. In his April 2009 Monocle article “Hit Factory-Taipei,” Robert Bound refers to Taipei Pop as Taiwan’s new heavy industry and argues that the island’s pop culture leaves the mainland standing. Taiwan’s indie music is way ahead in terms of diversity, vibrancy, and quality compared to other Mandarin communities. Perhaps it is time to give indie bands the recognition they deserve.
Taiwan’s pop music leads in Asia
Taiwan’s pop music culture is widely recognized as a dominant force in Chinese communities, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and China. The island’s pop industry churns out singers, bands, talk shows, variety shows, pop-idol dramas and talent shows that reach virtually the whole Chinese-speaking world.
Recognizing the potential of music to create a strong international presence for Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou included the cultural and creative industries as part of his Challenge 2008, a six-year National Development Plan. In promoting the island’s music, the Government Information Office (GIO) has chosen to sponsor Won Fu, a popular Taiwanese indie band, to tour the western United States this month.
Not your average rock band
The four-person band will arrive for a three-week stay on October 15th and have a packed schedule filled with performances, cultural visits and exchanges, recording sessions and interviews. In addition to introducing Taiwan's music to a foreign audience, the initiative hopes to inspire the band’s creativity and growth.
Won Fu are innovative and wildly popular in Taiwan. The band members consist of Xiao Ming (male vocal, guitar), Mami (female vocal), Dupy (drums), Twiggy (bass) and Ringo (the bandleader and a real dog). Contrary to the stereotype associated with rock bands, this wacky rock quartet does not appear in leather jackets or tight jeans, nor do they present an intimidating image of angry young rebels. Won Fu believe that their music and their live shows should be full of joy.
Formed in October 1998 by guitarist and vocalist Xiao Ming and bass player Twiggy, “Won Fu” is named after a pet beagle at Twiggy’s school. Performing for the first time at the Spring Scream Festival (Kenting, Taiwan) in April 1999, they have since appeared at a host of music festivals around Taiwan, including Spring Scream, Formoz Festival and Hohaiyan Rock Festival in 2002, where they subsequently won the Grand Jury award. They also perform regularly at live music venues including The Wall, Under World, Riverside and Witch House. Other than Mami who replaced the band’s previous vocalist Judy in 2006, the band’s line up remains unchanged.
A seamless blend of melancholy with humor
Won Fu list their musical influences as ranging from rock 'n' roll, to punk rock, to techno, and disco/electro. Their music does not follow a strict formula nor fit neatly into a specific genre as it encompasses so many different musical styles. Unconventional they may be, but their music is pleasingly delightful and irresistible. With vocalists more likely to hum light-hearted whimsical tunes than sing clichéd love songs, their bizarre and exuberant spirit is extremely catching. Their music is addictive, their lyrics infectious, their mood cheerful. Some say they blend the simple happiness of childhood with the affected melancholy of the teenage years. Yet their seemingly simple and humorous songs are the products of sophisticated creation.
The group released their hugely popular single “Sheep’s Marching” in late 2001 and later “Sin Gan Sen”. Their self-titled debut album “Won Fu,” released by Wonder Music in 2003, immediately climbed the best-selling new artist chart within the first week. They were rated No. 7 on the list of “Music You Can’t Miss 2003” by the Liberty Times, one of Taiwan’s major newspapers.
In 2004 they released their second album “Won Fu Again”, which won the “2004 Top Ten Album of the Year” from the Association of Music Workers in Taiwan. Their third and fourth album, “Won Fu Magazine” and “Modern Monsoon Groovin’,” released in 2005 and 2007, also went on to win the “Top Ten Album of the Year”. In 2005 the band was nominated “Best Band of the Year” by Singapore Hit Awards and by the Golden Melody Awards (Taiwan’s Grammy Awards) and twice again by the latter in 2006 and 2008.
Since making a splash at Japan’s TaiK Rock Festival in 2006, the band has gone on to release several Japanese-language versions of their songs, including “Do Re Mi”, the single “Modern Monsoon Groovin’” from their fourth album, released in 2007, and “The Wonderful World of Won Fu”, which is their biggest hit in Japan so far. In February 2008, "The Wonderful World of Won Fu" tour kicked-off in Japan to rave reviews. In addition to touring in Japan, the band has also performed at the Huayi Festival in Singapore, as well as in Hong Kong, Macau, and China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangchow). Won Fu’s next album is due out in November 2009.
Embarking on first US tour, one of learning
Soon after arriving in the Bay Area, Won Fu will be playing at the UC Berkeley Taiwanese American Student Association benefit on Friday, October 16th. Following the devastating typhoon which claimed at least 619 lives and damaged 44 villages this past August, Won Fu and a local Berkeley student band, Zeroth, will perform to raise money for typhoon relief. A reception will begin at 7pm in the courtyard of the Genetics and Plant Biology (GPB) building and the concert will take place in Room 100 of GPB, located in the northwest corner of UC Berkeley campus. With a student’s budget in mind, tickets are merely $2-5. For more information, please visit http://tasa.berkeley.edu/. The following week, the band will play at San Francisco’s Café du Nord on Wednesday evening, October 21st.
Outside the Bay Area, the band will travel south to Los Angeles to play at the Spaceland on October 24th. Won Fu will continue onwards to Portland, Oregon, to perform at the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls and to participate in the programming there. While in Portland, they will also play at Rotture on October 28th before traveling north to Seattle, Washington. While in Seattle, they will pair up with U.S.E. (aka United States of Electronica) to perform at The Vera Project (evening of 10/31) and the Comet (afternoon of 10/31). To find out more about Won Fu, please visit: http://www.myspace.com/wonfu.
The heart and soul of indie music
Indie music provides an answer to the new generation of Taiwanese youth’s searching for an alternative to mainstream pop music. Creativity and genuine expression, not commercial interest, is the soul of independent music. Contrary to the institutionalized process of producing mainstream pop music, indie artists typically write, compose, record, distribute, and promote their own music. Some even have their own recording label or use independent labels, rather than major commercial labels. Artists maintain creative direction over their expression of ideas, perceptions, and feelings and strive to avoid commercial manipulation.
Indie music generally is made not for profit but for creative expression of ideas, sometimes speaking out for sub-cultures and socially marginalized groups. Indie music is a fiercely individualistic presentation of the musician’s own life experiences and perceptions. It is about an unrestrained, adventurous, and experimental spirit. It is diverse in its take on a wide variety of themes.
For most indie artists the scene is challenging. The domestic market is relatively small, there are a limited number of suitable venues, and most musicians maintain day jobs. Bands made up of students often disband as members are forced to leave for obligatory military service in Taiwan or to pursue other careers. In spite of the many obstacles, a number of indie bands such as the pop rock band, Sodagreen and indie singer-songwriter Cheer Chen have successfully landed recording contracts with major recording labels over the last few years.
The number of Indie bands has dramatically grown from 20 before 2000 to nearly 500 in 2005. The scene is certainly becoming more organized in Taiwan, with more festivals catering to indie bands. However it remained very localized until ChthnoiC, a black metal band incorporating a distinctively Eastern-sounding version of black metal, played at Ozzfest, the leading heavy metal festival in the United States. The band incorporated the baleful melodies of the erhu, a two-string Chinese version of the violin, and the rich folk history of Taiwan into their music. They have become famous for being the first Asian band to play at Ozzfest.
At a pre-tour press conference in Taipei on October 8th, Su Jun-pin, the head of the GIO, said, “Taiwan’s popular music is in the leading position in Chinese communities. In order to give the island’s music industry an edge, the GIO decided to sponsor the creative and talented music bands to tour abroad. Through performances, professional exchanges and participation in music festivals, the government expects the bands to broaden their prospective and enhance their performance skills, indirectly input new ingredients to Taiwan’s music creative world.” Su stressed that Won Fu’s tour to the US is GIO’s flagship project to promote popular music, in the hope that Taiwan’s music makers will enjoy the same success as Taiwanese filmmakers overseas.
Taiwan's pluralistic and free environment has helped nurture a thriving independent music scene with dedicated artists and devoted followers. In his April 2009 Monocle article “Hit Factory-Taipei,” Robert Bound refers to Taipei Pop as Taiwan’s new heavy industry and argues that the island’s pop culture leaves the mainland standing. Taiwan’s indie music is way ahead in terms of diversity, vibrancy, and quality compared to other Mandarin communities. Perhaps it is time to give indie bands the recognition they deserve.
Paper-thin loudspeaker wins top innovation award
On September 14th, the Wall Street Journal announced Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) as the consumer electronics winner of its 2009 Technology Innovation Awards for its revolutionary paper-thin flexible loudspeaker. In development since 2006, ITRI, a national research organization supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, came out on top against such heavyweights as HP, Livescribe, Motorola and 500 international competitors in the consumer-electronics category. This was the first win for Taiwan’s ITRI at this competition.
In awarding ITRI, the WSJ said, “Researchers at ITRI devised a way to create arrays of tiny speakers that can be combined to produce a high-fidelity speaker system of almost any size. Because the FleXpeaker is lightweight and consumes little power, it could be attractive for use in cellphones or in car sound systems. Other possible applications include giant banners that could be used to deliver public-service announcements in train stations or advertising messages in shopping malls.”
Since its inception nine years ago, the WSJ Technology Innovation Awards has been much coveted. Each year, products are judged by 16 international judges from reputed research institutes, joint venture companies, experts and scholars in various fields. The award is not given for innovation only, but also for ease of commercialization to the marketplace. The award is often a forecast of what is coming down the pipeline. India’s Tata Motors previously won the WSJ’s award before debuting the end product two years later.
ITRI president Dr. Johnsee Lee says, “ITRI commenced R&D on the paper-thin flexible loudspeaker in 2006 through a team led by general director Dr. Yi-Jen Chan in the Electronic & Optoelectronic Research Laboratories. So far, ITRI has applied for 45 global patents for its 17 projects. Applications for this technology are extensive and possess enormous industry potential.” The paper-thin flexible loudspeaker utilizes paper and metal layers as the material and printing for production. It will pioneer a new era in speakers and the electronic sound industry. Aside from revolutionizing the traditional speaker industry, it can be extended to the Memo cards, thin-sheet MP3 applications, and can be integrated into energy-saving buildings, electric vehicles, entertainment and medical applications. FleXpeaker also has the potential to kick-start a whole range of new technology products.
With a goal of becoming a pioneer in hi-tech development and not merely a follower, ITRI has certainly met its goal with innovative R&D and application capability. This year alone, ITRI has already won the R&D 100 awards for its high safety STOBA lithium battery. The innovative material STOBA can effectively enhance the safety of the lithium battery and greatly reduce the explosion rate of these batteries. It is the only technology in the world that has fundamentally resolved safety issues surrounding lithium batteries.
Besides winning the WSJ Technology Innovation Awards, the loudspeaker also won the red dot Award. The red dot Design Competition is one of the largest and most renowned design competitions in the world. With more than 11,000 submissions from over 61 countries, ITRI’s submission was chosen as a trendsetter and for the product’s design quality.
In awarding ITRI, the WSJ said, “Researchers at ITRI devised a way to create arrays of tiny speakers that can be combined to produce a high-fidelity speaker system of almost any size. Because the FleXpeaker is lightweight and consumes little power, it could be attractive for use in cellphones or in car sound systems. Other possible applications include giant banners that could be used to deliver public-service announcements in train stations or advertising messages in shopping malls.”
Since its inception nine years ago, the WSJ Technology Innovation Awards has been much coveted. Each year, products are judged by 16 international judges from reputed research institutes, joint venture companies, experts and scholars in various fields. The award is not given for innovation only, but also for ease of commercialization to the marketplace. The award is often a forecast of what is coming down the pipeline. India’s Tata Motors previously won the WSJ’s award before debuting the end product two years later.
ITRI president Dr. Johnsee Lee says, “ITRI commenced R&D on the paper-thin flexible loudspeaker in 2006 through a team led by general director Dr. Yi-Jen Chan in the Electronic & Optoelectronic Research Laboratories. So far, ITRI has applied for 45 global patents for its 17 projects. Applications for this technology are extensive and possess enormous industry potential.” The paper-thin flexible loudspeaker utilizes paper and metal layers as the material and printing for production. It will pioneer a new era in speakers and the electronic sound industry. Aside from revolutionizing the traditional speaker industry, it can be extended to the Memo cards, thin-sheet MP3 applications, and can be integrated into energy-saving buildings, electric vehicles, entertainment and medical applications. FleXpeaker also has the potential to kick-start a whole range of new technology products.
With a goal of becoming a pioneer in hi-tech development and not merely a follower, ITRI has certainly met its goal with innovative R&D and application capability. This year alone, ITRI has already won the R&D 100 awards for its high safety STOBA lithium battery. The innovative material STOBA can effectively enhance the safety of the lithium battery and greatly reduce the explosion rate of these batteries. It is the only technology in the world that has fundamentally resolved safety issues surrounding lithium batteries.
Besides winning the WSJ Technology Innovation Awards, the loudspeaker also won the red dot Award. The red dot Design Competition is one of the largest and most renowned design competitions in the world. With more than 11,000 submissions from over 61 countries, ITRI’s submission was chosen as a trendsetter and for the product’s design quality.
Palo Alto's Chuan Lyu Foundation endow chair in Taiwan Studies
Last month, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) announced the establishment of the "Chuan Lyu Endowed Chair in Taiwan Studies," with Professor Liao Ping-hui as its inaugural holder of the chair. The endowment was the gift of philanthropist Lee Hwalin, who funded US$500,000 through his foundation, Chuan Lyu. With a full time professor at the helm the endowment will substantially boost the Taiwan Studies program.
During a celebration at UCSD on October 5th, Lee said, “I feel especially honored to have this opportunity since I myself am a beneficiary of the University of California system - having completed my graduate work at the San Francisco campus.”
Lee founded the Chuan Lyu Foundation in 1986 to foster an appreciation for and to preserve Taiwanese culture worldwide. Its mission is very similar to that of the UCSD Taiwan Studies endowment fund, which is “to promote understanding and appreciation of Taiwan’s culture, history, arts, science, technology, medicine… to both the UCSD and San Diego communities…”
Throughout the foundation’s 23-year history, it has sponsored writers, filmmakers and a wide spectrum of Taiwanese cultural events. For the last three years, Chuan Lyu was the main sponsor of the Taiwan Film Festival at Stanford University, the University of San Francisco, the University of California at Berkeley and Davis, the University of Washington (Seattle), Brigham Young University, University of Oregon (Eugene) and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Overseas, the foundation established the Chuan Lyu Lectures in Taiwan Studies at Cambridge University, United Kingdom, in 1991. In April 2007, Lee also contributed to the renovation of the History Building at National Taiwan University, his alma mater. The exhibition hall in the building was renamed Chuan Lyu Hall in recognition of the foundation’s generosity.
The Taiwan Studies program in UCSD started in 2006 with a lecture series funded by the local Taiwanese community and alumnus of San Diego. Liao’s appointment will definitely strengthen the Taiwan Studies program. Liao is a UCSD alumnus and also a Taiwan cultural expert. As a distinguished professor who has primarily worked in the field of comparative literature, post-colonial theory and cultural studies, he will be teaching mainly in the department of literature.
During a celebration at UCSD on October 5th, Lee said, “I feel especially honored to have this opportunity since I myself am a beneficiary of the University of California system - having completed my graduate work at the San Francisco campus.”
Lee founded the Chuan Lyu Foundation in 1986 to foster an appreciation for and to preserve Taiwanese culture worldwide. Its mission is very similar to that of the UCSD Taiwan Studies endowment fund, which is “to promote understanding and appreciation of Taiwan’s culture, history, arts, science, technology, medicine… to both the UCSD and San Diego communities…”
Throughout the foundation’s 23-year history, it has sponsored writers, filmmakers and a wide spectrum of Taiwanese cultural events. For the last three years, Chuan Lyu was the main sponsor of the Taiwan Film Festival at Stanford University, the University of San Francisco, the University of California at Berkeley and Davis, the University of Washington (Seattle), Brigham Young University, University of Oregon (Eugene) and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Overseas, the foundation established the Chuan Lyu Lectures in Taiwan Studies at Cambridge University, United Kingdom, in 1991. In April 2007, Lee also contributed to the renovation of the History Building at National Taiwan University, his alma mater. The exhibition hall in the building was renamed Chuan Lyu Hall in recognition of the foundation’s generosity.
The Taiwan Studies program in UCSD started in 2006 with a lecture series funded by the local Taiwanese community and alumnus of San Diego. Liao’s appointment will definitely strengthen the Taiwan Studies program. Liao is a UCSD alumnus and also a Taiwan cultural expert. As a distinguished professor who has primarily worked in the field of comparative literature, post-colonial theory and cultural studies, he will be teaching mainly in the department of literature.
New print of A City of Sadness showing at the Yerba Buena Center
A new print of A City of Sadness will be screened at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on November 5th and 8th. Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, the movie is a historical film set in Taiwan soon after Japan's withdrawal from the island. It follows the tumultuous lives of the Lin family in the aftermath of the violence surrounding the 228 Incident in 1947 and the cultural conflicts between the newly-arrived mainland Chinese and the native Taiwanese.
The film was the first to deal directly with the sensitive topic of “White Terror” which was imposed on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang (KMT) government in the post-war period. This new 157-minute film is considered one of director Hou’s masterpieces. It won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
Shown in 35mm print, the film is subtitled in English. For more information, please visit http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=10373.
Show times are:
Thursday, November 5th at 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 8th at 4:30 pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is located at 701 Mission Street, San Francisco.
Tickets are $8 each.
The film was the first to deal directly with the sensitive topic of “White Terror” which was imposed on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang (KMT) government in the post-war period. This new 157-minute film is considered one of director Hou’s masterpieces. It won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
Shown in 35mm print, the film is subtitled in English. For more information, please visit http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=10373.
Show times are:
Thursday, November 5th at 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 8th at 4:30 pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is located at 701 Mission Street, San Francisco.
Tickets are $8 each.
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