Language: Mandarin / Taiwanese / Hakka / Indigenous Languages
Religion: Buddhism / Taoism / Christianity / Islam
Taiwan, also known as Iiha Formosa, is shaped like a leaf that is narrow at both ends. The country lies off the south-eastern coast of mainland Asia, across the Taiwan Strait from Mainland China. Taiwan is perfect travel destination as many airlines fly into the country.
Taiwan has many majestic mountains, rolling hills, beautiful coastlines and many other natural wonders. This is caused by the continuous tectonic movements as the country is located on the edge of the “Pacific ring of fire”. There are 8 national parks and 13 national scenic areas to preserve Taiwan's best natural ecological environment and cultural sites, such as Taroka Gorge, Alishan, Yushan, Sun Moon Land and others.
Alishan
Yangmingshan
Taiwan has a clear differentiation between the different seasons, given its tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate climates. There are about 18,400 species of wildlife on the island, with more than 20% being rare or endangered species, for example the Taiwan mountain goat, Formosan rock monkey and Formosan black bear.
Taiwan culture is one that is rich, diverse and vivid. With the long history, the culture for various ethnic groups that once populated Taiwan had developed into the different local customs and traditions along the way. Taiwan’s interactions with American, Spanish and Dutch culture have given the traditional Chinese culture a different boundary. Cultural remnants had been left behind from the past and could still be found around Taiwan, these include traditional architecture and relics of past civilizations. The richness of Taiwan's culture is also eminent in various art forms such as woodcarving and pottery. Dance and music, such as drums and simple wind instruments, are part of Taiwanese culture.
In the following blog post, I will discuss more Taiwan’s culture, in terms of music and dance.
Taiwanese dance has a distinctive style. Traditional Taiwanese dance, often seen in rituals and folk celebrations, emphasize the movement of the bodies with foot movement, with exceptional of acrobatics movements. These movements are unlike those dance movement in Westerners ballets which focus on leaps and leg movement.
The lion and dragon dance are part of Taiwan culture and also other Chinese communities. These dances were traditionally meant to perform to bring rain and bless the community by chasing away plagues. However, nowadays, they are performed to bring good luck as well as bring the lively mood at festivals and celebration. The lion dance will need lesser dancers as compared to dragon dance. A lion dance will only need 2 dancers, one animating the head and front legs and the other animating the rear legs, thus creating the image of a dancing lion. As for dragon dance, the number of dancers needed is determined by the length of the dragon body. The first dancer will carry and dragon head while the last carry the tail.
Lion Dance
Dragon Dance
Similar to other Taiwanese culture, dance traditions have been greatly affected by Western culture. The original dance of Taiwan had been altered in the 20th century to modern dance. Many dancers study ballet and Western modern dance, but they go on to develop distinctively Taiwanese dance pieces that draw elements of their own culture in the context of a modern dance style (Davison, Reed, 1998). Modern dance in Taiwan had developed with the contributions of Liu Feng-hsueh, teacher of National Taiwan Normal University and Lin Hwai-min, founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. The buoyant of the modern dance scene in Taiwan represents the dynamic elements of Taiwan culture.
The follow is a video by the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, titled Songs of Wanderers
Taiwan traditional music is brought down by the descendants of Taiwan from Mainland China. Wind and percussion ensembles have play an important role in Taiwan culture. They are usually present during temple festivals, weddings and even funerals. The ensembles give ritual occasions a sense of solemnity and importance (Davison, Reed, 1998).
Drum pavilion (or guting) is the loud musical ensemble. The drum pavilion will include a large gong, a double-headed drum, a pair of cymbals and one or more suona. The pavilion is seven-foot high and is carried on a cart or in the back of a truck. It is a tradition during temple festivals, the drum pavilion to lead the procession that mark the temple deity’s inspection of the area under his or her protection (Davison, Reed, 1998). During funerals, the sons are expected to hire the pavilion will accompany the deceased to the burial place.
Another ensemble is the bayin ensemble. It is equally important during Taiwanese rituals. During funeral, the daughter is expected to hire this ensemble to follow the drum pavilion in the procession. The ensemble compromised of at least the small-sized double-reeded pipe, small tongzhong gong and also double-stringed lute, cymbals and clappers.
The last folk ensemble will be the beiguan music, played by amateur musician. These amateur groups are often organized at the local temple to perform for the temple festival honouring the god’s or goddess’ birthday. At funerals, beiguan ensemble will represent the friends and associates of the deceased. This ensemble has at least 2 double-reeded pipes, a woodblock, a big gong, a small gong, a single-headed drum, a double-headed drum and a pair of large and small cymbals.
Chinese percussive woodblocks
Chinese clash cymbals
The suona
Other than ensembles, there is also other form of music in Taiwan. Liam kuais a storytelling musical performance half spoken and half sung with simple instrumental accompaniment. It is an individual performance, where the performer will plays an instrument and narrate the story which in-corporate with singing.
Since the 21st century, ethnic groups in Taiwan have slowly developed cultural self-awareness. Together with the rise of Mandarin Pop, more and more Hakka andindigenous songwriters are producing songs sung in their mother tongues or mandarin. Musical styles in Taiwan show a mixture of their local ethnic elements as well as musical elements from other countries, such as jazz. Taiwanese pop music thus starts to gain its popularity around Asia in the 2000’s, with many Taiwanese composers and performers, such as A-mei and Jay Chou.
This is a song from Taiwanese singer Amei Zhang Hui Mei - Ting Hai (听海):
The indigenous peoples in Taiwan refer to the inhabitants who had been living on the islands before major Han Chinese immigration began in the 17th century. These people belong to the Austronesian group. These people covers majority in Southeast Asia, originates from Taiwan in the north, extends to Easter Islands in South America in the east, and reaches Madagascar in the eastern coast of Africa in the west. The customs of Taiwan indigenous people are building elevated houses to protect against damp, insects, and snakes; keen on chewing betel nuts, good at bamboo and rattan weaving, which are also the characteristics of other Austronesian groups. There are a total of 14 indigenous groups in Taiwan that is officially recognized.
A video on the indigenous group of Taiwan:
Amis
Amis is the largest Taiwan’s indigenous groups, with a population of more than 178,000. They mainly reside in the eastern valleys and coastal areas. The group is well known for their lively singing and dancing celebration of the llisin harvest festival,
The Amis is variously classified, depending on their location, as the Nanshi, Xiuguluan, Coastal, Taitung, or Hengchun tribe. These subgroups have slightly different dialects, customs, and styles of dress. They all have a matrilineal clan structure and system of inheritance.
Atayal
The Atayal group resides in the northern part of Taiwan, and has a population of more than 81,000. They observe the gaga ancestral instruction system, which is their code of conduct and beliefs. The group has a tradition of face tattooing during their coming-of-age ceremonies. The Atayal are famous for their weaving of colorful, intricately patterned fabrics, and a woman’s skills in this area can determine her social status. Male members of the Atayal inherit their father’s first name as their last name.
Bunun
The Bunun has a population of 50,000 and they stay in the central and south-eastern mountainous regions of Taiwan. They practice shifting cultivation and also hunting. During the harvest season, the millet ceremony will be held. Other major ceremonies include the ear-shooting ceremony, a ritual in which arrows are shot at animals’ ears in the belief that this will ensure success in hunting. The Bunun are also particularly noted for their pasibutbut polyharmonic choral singing of prayers.
Kavalan
The Kavalan group lives in Taiwan’s eastern part, with a population around 1,200. They are one of the region’s original pingpu (plains) groups who migrated to the plains in Hualien and Taitung counties. Traditional Kavalan ceremonies have also been influenced by the Amis, who lives nearby. The group’s distinctive language, myths, and shamanist practices remain despite this cultural confluence. Clan chiefs are chosen by election, who can be either male or female
Paiwan
With a population of about 86,000, the Paiwan group can be split into the Ravar and the Butsul tribes. They stay in the southern Central Mountain Range, Hengchun Peninsula and the south-eastern coastal region. They are popular for their glazed beads, skill in carving wood and stone, and use of hundred-pace snake totems as decorative motifs. Once every five years, the Maleveq ceremony is held. It is believed that their ancestral spirits descend from Dawu Mountain to commune with their descendants. In the past, Paiwan society was organized in three classes namely, nobility, warriors, and commoners. Commoners plow the land and could move up to the warrior class, while the nobility were free to engage in leisurely activities such as sculpture.
Pinuyumayan
Pinuyumayan, with a population of 11,400, mainly live in the Taitung County. Two subgroups with differing dialects and customs are the Zhiben and the Nanwang. In pre-modern times, Pinuyumayan men were known for their martial skill and their boldness. Traditional shamanistic religious practices survive among the Pinuyumayan. A major role of the shaman is to interpret omens.
Rukai
The Rukai, with a population of 11,700 is distributed across Pingtung, Kaohsiung, and Taitung counties. Traditionally, they had a hierarchy of nobility and commoners. As part of their harvest ceremony in August, Rukai men bake millet dough on heated stone slabs and divine the harvest in the coming year based on the appearance of the millet cakes.
Saisiyat
The Saisiyat with a number of 5,700 are renowned for their Pastaai ceremony, conducted to commemorate the spirits of a short-statured and darker-skinned people who believed to be the earliest inhabitants of Taiwan and passed down many of their skills to the Saisiyat.
According to legend, men among the Short People sexually harassed Saisiyat women, causing the Saisiyat men to kill virtually all of them, out of jealousy. Once every 2 years, ritual chanting and dancing are performed consecutively for four nights in communities in north-western Taiwan’s Miaoli and Hsinchu state to appease the spirits of the Short People.
Sakizaya
The Sakizaya has a small population of around 350 and they reside mainly in Hualien. Due to their long close interaction with the Amis, their customs and attire have become essentially identical to those of the Amis, and intermarriage between the two groups is common. Surprisingly, they have been able to preserve their unique language.
Sediq (Seediq/Seejiq)
The Sediq group has a population of between 6,000 and 7,000. They are closely related to the Atayal in terms of language, customs, and religious observances. Similar to the Atayal, they are famous for the intricacy of their weaving and embroidery, traditionally using ramie fiber, with a preference for traditional star-like and other geometric patterns against a white background. Sediq communities observed a Waya code of conduct, which included rules for every aspect of life.
Thao
The Thao have a population around 600. They use to inhabit on Lalu Island in the middle of Sun Moon Lake but later moved to the lake’s edge and practiced “floating island” farming, whereby crops are planted on soil-bearing bamboo rafts on the lake. The Thao’s language and culture has been strongly influenced by their Atayal and Bunun neighbours.
Truku
The Truku has a population of about 25,000. They reside on the eastern coast in the Hualien and the mountainous region of Nantou. The Hualie’s famous Taroko Gorge is named after the Truku. They are closely related to the Atayal and Sediq in terms of language and customs. As in these two groups, Truku women in the past were seen to have facial tattoos. The Truku traditionally favoured white clothing with embroidered trim.
Tsou
The Tsou with a population of about 6,600 and once lived around Jade Mountain, are divided into northern and southern subgroups, varying in their dialect and customs. Their unique cultural features include the Homeyayaharvest ceremony and a taboo against hunting bears. The southern Tsou believe that their ancestral spirits reside in special mother-of-pearl beads. The beads are only taken out only when conducting religious ceremonies.
Yami
The Yami people, numbering around 3500, inhabit on Orchid Island off Taiwan’s south-eastern coast. They have developed a culture based on fishing at sea, unique among the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. A newly built boat with decorative carvings is launched with major celebration to bless the boat. A focus of Yami culture is the flying fish, which migrates annually through the waters off eastern Taiwan, which the Yami depend upon for survival. Religious ceremonies are conducted during which prayers are chant for an abundance of flying fish. Traditionally, the Yami live in houses of stone and wood built on “shelves” cut out of stony hillsides, a practice that helps maintain coolness in summer and retain warmth in winter. A unique tradition of the Yami is the women’s hair-swinging dance
A video about the verge of losing indigenous groups in Taiwan:
The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese, also known in Taiwan as guo yu(national language).(Bates, Bates, 2008.) This is a tonal language, which means the pronunciation of each word carry a tone. The change in tone will also bring a change in the meaning of the word. There are 4 tones, namely high and even tone, rising tone, dipping tone, falling tone, and a clear (unstressed) tone.
Taiwanese, also known in Taiwan as tai yu, Fujian hua or Minnan hua, is a popular language that is widely spoken between the majority of the people of Taiwan. However, this people are able to maintain their fluency in Mandarin while using Taiwanese dialect. As the ancestors of Taiwan are mostly from the south of the Min River in the province of Fujian, thus they brought their dialects into Taiwan. The dialect is rich in tone and complex in pronunciation. There are 6 changeable tones in Taiwanese. A tone may change whether it is at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a sentence. (Bates, Bates, 2008.) A point to note is that Taiwanese spoken in different part of the country varies, but to the dialect groups, it is not difficult for them to communicate with each others.
There are also many other languages spoken in Taiwan. The Hakka people and aborigines have also preserved their own languages. Many elderly people can also speak some Japanese, as they were subjected to Japanese education during the Japanese occupation years. The most popular foreign language in Taiwan is English, which is part of the regular school curriculum.
