Hing-Chun is a motorcycle repairman in Kao-hsuing, Taiwan. Despite
completing only a Jr. High School education, in the mid-90's he
created and underground radio show that delved deep into social,
political, environmental, and minority issues of Taiwan. In a
culture dominated by mainstream academic qualifications and Mandarin
Chinese, Hung-Chun's radio talk show is a preservation and
transmission of the rich and beautiful oral tradition of the
Taiwanese language. All TCM's previous releases have been music
albums; this album of spoken words is a special exception, chosen to
present the perspective of the working class on Taiwanese society.
It is a rich, fascinating, and unique expression of a point of view
too often lost in the cacaphonous clamour of mainstream media.
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Hing-Chun
Born 1971 On Kaohsiung
Hing-Chun Fans Club *more flash
Pirate radio hits the road
By David Frazier , Taipei Times
To promote one of its latest albums, TCM has arranged a small
tour for Hingchun Hsi (恆春兮), the former pirate radio DJ that has
now put out two successful CDs for the label, Hengchun Hsi got
his start in 1995 and 1996 broadcasting a talk and news show at
a pirate radio station in Kaohsiung. Back then, pirate radio was
everywhere; only about half the radio stations in Taiwan were
actually licensed. Amateurish, sure, but many of these
broadcasts - and some are still around - exuded a gritty local
character that really managed to speak to their listeners. So if
Taiwan never had the blues, it did have pirate radio.To capture
this energy, and also to refine it, TCM brought Hengchun Hsi up
to its studios in Hsichih, where the two CDs were recorded in
2000 and 2001. They're mostly in Taiwanese, and news broadcasts
on the recordings included events of those times, including the
Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center bombings.
On tour, Hengchun Hsi has already made stops in Taipei and
Tainan where he spent most of the time talking to his audience.
But this weekend, he'll be joined by a bunch of old Kaohsiung
pals with acoustic instruments, and they'll sing, talk and
improvise about what they've done. There's sure to be healthy
doses of both humor and down-home minstrelsy that mixes in
Mandarin, Taiwanese and songs from everywhere. Due to the tour's
good reception, an extra Taichung stop has been added for May
5.
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