Talk on Hakka culture

Prof Chien (left) receiving a gift from Faculty of Creative Industries Dean and Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre (TCLC) for Social and Policy Studies Chairperson, Dr Chin Yee Mun

A talk titled “Leisure, Work, and Constituted Everydayness Mountain Songs of Hakka Women in Colonized Northern Taiwan (1930–1955)” was given by National Chiao Tung University, Department of Humanities and Social Science’s Prof Chien Mei-Ling at Sungai Long Campus on 26 August 2016.

“My research focuses on the diversity of individual experiences through singing and listening to mountain songs among Hakka women in northern Taiwan during the colonial period,” Prof Chien said.

Prof Chien’s research showed how different types of mountain songs shaped the lives of her participants, Grandma Lo, Liu, Teng and Huang.

The oldest folk songs in the north are formed based on musical notes, “la, do, mi”. The topics of the song are impromptu instead of prescribed. The second type of song is known as “tea-picking tunes”, performed mainly in the fields. The third type, “little deities”, has fixed titles, rhythm, and lyrics with no room for improvisation.

“Grandma Lo, Liu, Teng and Huang shared similar modes of life, but the songs carry different meanings for each,” Prof Chien explained. Through Grandma Lo’s narration, the songs play an important role in rituals and special occasions, but not during work or in places of worship.

From her research, Grandma Huang and Liu believe that music is part of life. It carries no restrictions and taboos, and they are an integral part of their everyday life. However, Grandma Teng viewed singing mountain songs as a private activity and thought it as unimportant in her life.

In contrast to Grandma Huang and Liu, Grandma Teng’s upbringing was different due to her father’s relationship with the Japanese. She was heavily influenced by Japanese culture growing up. She read Japanese books, dressed in Japanese clothing, and listened to Japanese music, an indicator of two contrasting cultural elements in her life.

“The elders’ narration showed how the rural Hakka in northern Taiwan defined leisure and work in a colonised agricultural society. It also shows a distinct style of folk life, and the means of personal communication and emotional expression,” Prof Chien said.

This talk was organised by the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre (TCLC) for Social and Policy Studies.

Participants with Prof Chien (fifth from left)