Centennial recording exhibition opens in Tainan

2014-10-17

A centennial recording exhibition opened Oct. 14 in Tainan City, southern Taiwan, spotlighting major technological developments and leading artist contributions shaping the local industry.

Staged at National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Taiwanese Literature, the 20-day event features sections dedicated to rare records and broadcasting equipment; as well as Teng Yu-hsien, the father of Taiwan pop music; Chun Chun, the country’s first Taiwan pop star; and eight decades of banned songs.

A highlight is undoubtedly the display of Taiwan’s first shellac resin phonograph records. Provided by collectors Lin Tai-wei and Huang Shih-hao, many of the items were manufactured in Tokyo during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945).

Lin, who majored in fine art at college, boasts a 1,000-plus record collection. He rescued the first commercialized shellac resin record of songs in Hakka eight-tone music from an old residence near Dadaocheng in Taipei City. It was produced in 1914 by Niponophone Co. Ltd., predecessor of today’s Nippon Columbia Co. Ltd.

Huang, an engineer, purchased his first Taiwan pop album from an antique shop owner who thought the record was broken and impossible to repair. Made in 1914, it featured a Taiwan song named “Lighting up the Red Lantern” performed to the rhythm of traditional nanguan music and Taiwanese opera.

For lovers of classic Taiwan pop, the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the greatest hits of Teng’s career is a must. His first major composition, written in 1932, was “March of the Daitotei.” Over the next few years, he recorded numerous songs in Holo for the local branch of Columbia Records, including much-loved “Flowers in the Raining Night,” “Longing for the Spring Breeze” and “Sorrow of Moonlit Night.”

Another fascinating display features the contributions of Chun Chun, aka Liu Ching-hsiang, who shot to fame in 1932 for silent movie promotional song “Peach Blossom Weeps Tears of Blood.” More than 20,000 copies of the record were sold.

Also of interest is “Drifting on the Streets,” a 1934 album protesting unemployment and social injustice under the colonial rule. It sold like hotcakes in the day and was the first record banned by the Japanese colonial administration.

According to NCKU, recordings of folk songs and new Taiwanese opera were usually banned on the grounds of violating the social norms. In 1936, the colonial government set up an office to censor the contents of music records.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=222935&CtNode=413)