In August 1996 Taiwan Panorama published the article “Ami Sounds Scale Olympian Heights,” which reported on how a song of Taiwan’s Amis indigenous people was used in a promotional video for the Atlanta Olympics, raising complex issues of copyright infringement. Whether it be the traditional songs of our indigenous peoples or our numerous indie-oriented music competitions, music festivals, performance spaces, record stores and record companies—Taiwan has many precious assets of original music that deserve to be protected and treasured.
As Ljuzem Madiljin, founder and artistic director of Tjimur Dance Theatre told us, “The most beautiful facets of Paiwan culture are not to be found in the festivals, rituals, songs, and dances that underlie popular stereotypes. Rather, you see them in the finer details of our culture and in the exchanges of human feelings inherent in these details.” Creativity derives from the connections between people living in Taiwan and their profound interactions with nature and all living things. Readers wishing to understand Taiwan’s independent music scene should check out our cover story this month, which I trust will give you new insights.
Music can bring people closer together on the emotional plane, while language is the most direct medium for different groups to communicate. Taiwan Panorama recently held a forum on translation at National Taiwan Normal University, with students and teachers from Taipei schools such as Zhongshan Girls’ High, Minglun High and Jianguo High in attendance. It explored the practice and techniques of translation as well as cross-cultural sharing and learning. In particular, the lively remarks by three foreign translators at the forum—Robert Fox from the US, Yukina Yamaguchi from Japan, and Temmy Wiryawan from Indonesia—got a great response from the audience. This was our second forum on translation. What will the 2021 edition be like? What topics will speakers discuss? We look forward to finding out.
This month’s “Around Taiwan” articles tell the story of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s South Link Line, and recount scenes from the history of Keelung. We also bring you reports on Taiwan’s first female tree surgeon, Jan Feng-chun, and currency engraver Sun Wen-hsiung. To quote documentary filmmaker Hsiao Chu-chen, “For Taiwanese aged over 40, their memories of leaving home—whether to study, to perform their military service, or to work—are almost all connected to trains.” Likewise, Taiwan Panorama is the best vehicle for connecting the many people who have gone overseas for study or work, or even second- and third-generation overseas compatriots, with feelings about, and memories of, Taiwan.
