Difang (
"My father had been suffering from diabetes in recent years," Difang's son, Chiang Chin-hsing (
Difang, of Taiwan's Amis tribe, gained global recognition for his wide vocal range and his memorable tune, A Drinking Song for the Elders, after the German music group Enigma sampled it for use in its hit track Return to Innocence. The song made such an impression that it eventually was used as the theme song for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and was included in its commemorative CD.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
However, Diafang was far from impressed to learn that Enigma was making serious money from his original song, which was used without obtaining his prior consent.
"On behalf of Difang, we, the Magic Stone Music Co, took [Enigma's] recording company to court the same year [1996] for violating intellectual property rights," said Magic Stone's spokeswoman Elai-ne Hsiung (熊儒賢), who had worked with Difang on the production of his albums.
According to Hsiung, the lawsuit was resolved in Difang's favor in 1999, after the parties settled out of court. In the settlement, Enigma's recording company agreed to compensate Difang financially.
"Winning was very meaningful to Difang," Hisung said, "because it realized Difang's wish, which was to make known to the whole world that the voice behind the enchanting 1996 Atlantic Games' theme song was that of a member of Taiwan's Amis tribe."
"Difang's voice was indeed a voice of innocence," Hsiung said. "A voice that is an almost unworldly combination of pride and free-spiritedness and an outpouring of truth and beauty that touches peoples' hearts."
"Difang was considered a national treasure for his great contribution to Taiwan," said independent legislator May Chin (
"Not just because he introduced Taiwan's Aboriginal music to the world stage through his exceptional voice," Chin said, "but also because he was wholeheartedly behind the promotion of Taiwan's Aboriginal cultures."
Hsiung echoed Chin's remarks.
"Out of a sense of mission and cultural expectation," Hsiung said, "Difang made numerous world tours to countries like France and Japan and enjoyed giving public performances."
Difang released two solo albums named Circle of Life and Across The Yellow Earth in 1998 and last year respectively. He was also involved in the production of several other Aboriginal recordings.
"Without doubt, it is fair to say that Difang was a pioneer of Taiwan's Aboriginal music," Hsiung said. "It was because of him that Aboriginal youngsters such as Wang Hung-en (王宏恩) and Chen Chien-nien (陳建年) gained the courage to begin singing careers."
"Difang's death is a great loss to Taiwan's Aborigines and to Taiwan's cultural reservoir," Chin said. "We'll never again hear a voice quite as haunting as his again."
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS