Music, Youth Culture and Taiwan

Every now and then, when exploring a new topic with your students, you will be handed an unpolished gem. An idea, an insight, undefined and rough to the touch. These precious cultural moments break the somewhat repetitious cycle of teaching and exhaustion.

In Monday evening's class I was discussing music with my students. These students are at an intermediate level and can be exposed to new vocabulary with a relative degree of comfort and poise. One of the articles we examined discussed the link between violent lyrics and violent behaviour in university students. 500 students were examined the study, half were exposed to music with violent lyrics and the other half to non-violent lyrics. The predictable story goes that listeners of violent lyrics make violent associations with words that can have both non-violent and violent interpretations, whilst the latter group chose the non-violent interpretation of the word. I'm not here to discuss the accuracy of the research and findings, I am more interested in the conversation that followed.

I can only fathom that in Western countries the proliferation of sociomusic-subgroups can be accredited to many things - Ah yes, the obvious lineup of scapegoats and suspects - market fragmentation (divide and conquer), industry incubation, individualism (identity), multicultural/media influences, not to mention the throes of emancipation. Also, a strong culture of critique and experimentalism. Taiwan's sociomusic strata seems less complicated, obviously less mature. I wonder why? I know that Taiwanse film industry was subject to extreme censorship by the nationalist government of Chang Kai-Shek and that the media fulfilled a similar propagandist function to that of the mainland. A film establishment had been created for the sole purposes of the government, content producing the cliche kung-fu films in the Hong Kongnese mold and the kind of kitschy love stories that are now encapsuled in Taiwan's beloved soap operas. Perhaps the music industry is still recoverng from a similar fate?

It's hard to imagine that this hyper-consumer market has not spawned or fostered different species of teenagers, greater differentation, when a few thousand kilometres away diversity and dynamism is the hallmark of a Japanese youth culture so hellbent on individual expression, irregardless of it's depth. Despite what I read, there seems little Western pop in the Taiwanese diet or at least little expression of sociomusical subgroups like that seen on the footsteps of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. I have seen two punks in three months. Nothing that could be classified as a hyper-masculine hip-hop culture (although I did see one such clothing store in the youth district of Ximen Ding). I see plenty of familiar, sexualized pop imagery, both in youth attitudes and in the media. In that regard the cultural landscape is being eskewed towards a familar Western bent.

In some ways Taiwan's identity, politically and socially, is in a state of flux. Learning English and the adoption of pop-culture specifies the means of escape for some Taiwanese kids, their compasses reading only West. I know I'm just scraping the surface here, but whilst Leese and I place our faces the grindstone, these gems will have to remain unpolished.

-SS

Starting from Zero?

I find it enchanting that the majority of my Taiwanese students are unaware of the Christian calendar they use to keep time - unaware of the reason why we began counting from the year 'zero' roughly 2007 years ago. Revealing the origins of the modern dating system seems to disturb some students. They seem to retort in this moment of realisation, a gentle rocking of their boats. The majority of Australians will be aware our calendar's origins, but then again I wonder how conscious they are of it's symbolism.

Unlike our modern Christian calendar which enumerates the years from the birth of Jesus Christ, the calendar of the Taiwanese government continues the Chinese imperial tradition of using a sovereign's first year to delineate time - to 'restart the clock', so to speak. In this case, the calendar represents the sovereignty of the Republic of China, beginning with it's reign (民國元年) in 1912. Counting up from 1912 we find ourselves currently in the 96th year of the Republic (民國九十六年, 民國96年). The same counting system was used in mainland China from 1912 until the founding of the PRC in 1949 following the Communist Revolution.

This calendarical system, where time is represented by the ruling sovereign of the time, is, of course, not entirely unique. The Roman calendar counted the years from the founding of the city. For example, the city of Rome was founded in 753 BC, hence the beginning of a new 'calendar era'. Furthermore, in the Roman Republic the years were not counted. Instead they were named after the Consule Ordinaris who was in power at the beginning of the year. For example, the year 60 BC was named after Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, the consul of the time. Our modern calendar is closely based on that implemented by Julius Caesar around the time of 46-45BC, and amended by Pope Gregory XIII in AD1582.

Even though Taiwanese culture retains the use of the Chinese lunar calendar for traditional purposes and the 'Minguo Calendar' for all non-governmental purposes, modernity demands that all Globalized (with a capital G) states adopt the Christian calendar for keeping time. It would seem these same forces are perhaps relegating the importance of these calendarical systems to the backwaters of history.

I wonder how important the Minguo calendar is to the Taiwanese identity. The connection is obvious - the calendar recognizes the sovereignty of the ROC. This is symbolism at it's most potent. Time, the magistrate, supports independence in it's current form. Yet is the Minguo calendar a dire attempt by politicians to further the imagining of an independent Taiwan in the minds of it's people? If it were no longer used, what would the consequences be?

And, again, I wonder whether our Christian calendar is any different from those forms that recognize sovereignty in their calendarical system. Subconsciously or otherwise, are we still counting the era of Christ? If yes, will there come a day when we create a new calendar marking the era of a new sovereign? Or, if the obliviousness of my students is our yardstick, has the Christian calendar been 'despiritualized'?

- SS

Dragon Boat Festival

Apologies to any of you that have been hanging out for another post! We've been a little slack on the blog front lately, so there's a few things to catch up on.

Firstly, Simon has been quite sick over the past week. About a week ago he started complaining of sore throat and a fever. After a few days we realised that it was a little more serious than a cold, so we've since fed him a bunch of antibiotics and its done him a world of good! The difference has been a little startling, to be honest! This definitely confirms what we've heard so far about the quality of the health system here.

Also, we've had much more time for R and R than usual, being a long weekend here in Taipei. (We've also got tommorrow off, hooray!) This is because the Taiwanese are celebrating 'Dragon Boat Festival' ((端午節, Duānwū Jié). It's a traditional festival held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and its said that once the festival begins, so too does summer.

The exact origins of Duan Wu are unclear, but one traditional view holds that the festival memorializes the Chinese poet Chu Yuan (c. 340 BC-278 BC). He committed suicide by drowning himself in a river because he was disgusted by the corruption of the government. (One of our good friends shares in his ancestry!)

The local people, knowing him to be a good man, decided to throw food into the river to feed the fish so they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. They also sat on long, narrow paddle boats called 'dragon boats', and tried to scare the fish away by the thundering sound of drums aboard the boat and the fierce looking carved dragon head on the head of the boat. Other thoughts are that after Qu Yaun committed suicide, that because the people loved him so much, they raced out to recover his body, and the races signify the boats skimming across the water to find him.

However, researches have also revealed that the festival is also a celebration that is characteristic of ancient Chinese agrarian society: the celebration of the harvest of winter wheat, because similar celebrations had long existed in many other parts of China where Qu Yuan was not known. As interactions between Chinese residing in different regions increased, these similar festivals were eventually merged.

In the early years of the Chinese Republic, Duan Wu was also celebrated as "Poets' Day," due to Qu Yuan's status as China's first poet of personal renown. Today, people eat bamboo-wrapped steamed rice dumplings called zongzi (the food originally intended to feed the fish) and race dragon boats in memory of Qu Yuan's death. (Delicious!)

So our celebration of Dragon Boat Festival was shared today with some of our fantastic Taiwanese friends, Margaret and Leo. Being life-long Taipeiers, they offered to take us to Jilong River (on the city's outskirts) to see the famous Dragon Boat races. It was fantastic! Lots of teams competed, including local high schools and the Taipei Police. The event had the air of a high school sports day, with lots of people running around and lots of eskies filled with ice-creams and watermelons to combat the heat. I guess the photos really say it all.

From there Margaret and Leo took us for a tour of the area surrounding National Taiwan Normal University ('Shi-da' for short) where we'll be learning Chinese in a few months. Being a student area, it has a really different vibe to other parts of Taipei - heaps of well-priced food (especially Malaysian and Indonesian to cater to the international student community) and funky little stores, just gorgeous. It's definitely the place for us. So we had a lazy afternoon lunch over noodles (also v. delicious!) So we'll be back there over the week or so to look for houses with those guys, which will be great.

So that's the update for the moment. Simon's having a peaceful nana nap beside me, as he's pretty zonked from his first day out and about since he got sick. When he wakes up, it'll be time for some more West Wing (there's a few duds in season six, I must say... not cool!) and perhaps some online Lateline too!

KTV!

Last night I indulged in one of the most popular Taiwanese night-life activites... KTV! For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's basically Japanese-style karaoke and is one of the most popular things to do in Taiwan.

Some of the teachers here organised for a small group of us to go along - since its quite expensive on weekends, we chose to go last night between the hours of 11pm and 2am.. which felt a little strange. Simon has been working very hard and decided to give it a miss as his Thursdays are quite busy... hard-working lad that he is!

Basically, you're ushered into what looks like a plush little lounge-room with big couches, a large table and a big TV. (There's also a private bathroom.) Then you can choose from a little screen either English or Chinese songs. The English selection is absolutely hilarious, with numbers from Billy Ray Cyrus, the Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears alike! You could also choose from a couple of Eric Clapton numbers... With Eric Claypton's Chinese name translated as "beautiful old man", it's generally pretty funny.

So then, of course, there's beer to dissipate any nerves on the microphone. Needless to say, I'm a little tired today and my heads a little sore (I think it was the vodka that did it.) Oops, must run, student has arrived... :)

Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall name change

Under-wraps: a plaque that has caused quite a furore.

Yesterday the Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall, a tribute to the infamous dictator who maintained martial law in Taiwan for 38 years, was officially renamed the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (國立台灣民主紀念館). The name change sparked demonstrations at the site as supporters and critics of the name change clashed in minor brawls. Barbed wire fences were erected around the newly christened Democracy Hall and hundreds of police were deployed to quell the unrest. The Sunday edition of the Taipei Times showed the image of an old Taiwanese man with his pants down, apparently proclaiming that President Chen Shui Bian (陳水扁) had no balls. Upon the unveiling of the new plaque President Chen said that the move was a step forward, away from the country's authoritarian past.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/photo/2007/05/20/2005068893

When Lisa and I visited the site today there remained a signficant police presence, with a dozen police guarding the entrance to the Hall. The sweeping grounds that encircle the Hall, however, were surprisingly peaceful. It was a cold, wet afternoon in Taipei. Perhaps the rain extinguished some of the controversy surrounding the name change, albeit temporarily. A lone camera-crew from one of Taiwan's news agencies took footage of the lonely square for the evening news. Apparently they were happy that Lisa and I arrived so that at least they'd have some footage for tonight's bulletin. Lisa was asked a few questions but was conscientious not to put her foot in it. Although she did say that it was a good thing without elaborating on her opinion. As she rightly said, this is a Taiwanese issue, a very sensitive issue, and one that foreigners should refrain from putting their large feet in.

A sole reporter finds reprieve in some foreign faces.

We have been asking our Taiwanese friends about the name change in the past few days. Most have been critical of the move, with the more pragmatic denouncing the move as a waste of taxpayer's money (the name change will require the amendment of tourist information and provincial/MRT signage). Some have said that the name change is an ill-fated attempt to change the nation's psyche and that, in the minds of the people, it will always be Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

The name change is part of a broader campaign by the Democractic People's Party (DPP) to dilute the legacy of Chiang Kai-shek and remove idols of the once-dictator from the Taiwanese landscape. The Chiang Kai-shek International Airport was recently renamed Taoyuan International Airport. In March Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP issued an administrative order to rename the Chiang Kai-shek Culture Center to the Kaohsiung City Culture Center. The Kaohsiung government also removed a large statue of the former dictator from the centre.

Some musings on Urban Taiwanese Architecture

"When the Guomingdang (KMT) first arrived, they believed that they were ultimately going back (to China), so it was a transitory period that probably made Taipei that haphazard place that it is today. Taiwan is still a very transitory country. The mentality is, "we're going to send our kids abroad, then we're going to move out"... There are too many variables that don't allow for a sense of pride of place..."
- Phillip Huang, EG magazine editor

"The traditional Taiwanese home - made of red brick and built around a courtyard in the Northern Chinese style (si he yuan) is deeply inappropriate for the subtropical climate. The Chinese style remained the same because it was a symbol of the power structure - that was more important than comfort. The more you move away from the centre of Chinese culture, the more interesting the architecture becomes..."
- Roan Ching-Yueh
Associate Professor of Architecture at Shih Chien University

Helmets Ain't Cool

The traffic in Taipei is incredible. Cars and scooters swim through the city streets like schools of fish. Lisa and I have flirted with the idea of buying a scooter here to get around on. Maybe a little Vespa, how romantic! Very Roman holiday. Riding a scooter is a large part of living in Taiwan. The roads of this tiny island can't accommodate every citizen's desire to own a car, and although the relatively new MRT in Taipei has eased the pressure on the city's roads, scooters are the populace's main alternative. To demonstrate the sheer volume of scooters here, Taipei city's population is over 2.6 million people; the number of registered scooters is over 1 million. Hence, riding a scooter is a large part of Taiwanese culture.


Prior to 1998, wearing a helmet whilst riding your scooter in Taiwan was not a requirement by law. Needless to say the culture here has embraced this new law half-heartedly. I can liken this lack of enthusiasm to wear helmets with skateboarding culture in Australia, where attempts to make skateboarders wear helmets has been rejected by the community, and hence the inconsistent application of the law. Entrenched cultures are resistant to change. Most of Taipei's 1 million scooter drivers wear not-so-much helmets but tin hats. They can be bought by the roadside for around $200NT or $8AUS. These thin pieces of metal are a superficial level of compliance with the authorities, enough to keep the police off your back. Youths can be seen wearing t-shirts chastising the helmet laws. Wearing a helmet ain't cool.


The practical benefits of wearing a proper helmet are, of course, obvious. And the predictable downside of wearing hats instead of helmets is the potential danger to the human skull. Combine a lack of protection with the bedlum of traffic in Taiwan and you have a potent recipe for death. In fact, 70% of all traffic fatalities in Taipei City are scooter operators. Many are victims of the greater problem in Taiwanese society: the lack of respect for traffic laws, drink-driving, and the lack of effeciency in policing Taiwan's roads. A trip around the island by car is a tour of traffic lunacy. In the mountains, buses and scooters overtaking cars on blind corners. Cliff-hugging roads with inappropriate barriers. People running red lights. Cars and motorcyclists not yielding to emergency vehicles. There are few guarantees as a pedestrian in Taiwan. Chaos is the law. Drivers and street-walkers alike seem to have developed a sixth sense for predicting traffic. Most of the time scooters and cars weave through the streets in schools with a kind of chaotic harmony, but it takes so little for that harmony to be broken.


Just the other day Lisa and I were walking to the bus-stop when we witnessed our first major collision. A man on a scooter had been hit by a car. He was wearing a cheap helmet - better than a tin hat, but not by much. Unconscious, eyes flickering in the back of his head. The typical thoughts ran through our minds - frustration, despair and ultimately sadness. The traffic in Taipei seems to mirror the island's path to modernisation. Intoxicating, blindingly quick, inconsistent and at times dangerous. Goodbye romantic ideas of driving a scooter in Taiwan. I'll take my chances with the footpath and the MRT.