More than 20 Taiwanese and Hong Kong singers, composers and other music professionals have produced a song in support of Hong Kongers opposing a proposed extradition bill, who are tomorrow to take to the streets again to demand the bill’s withdrawal.
The song, released on Friday, is titled Cheng (撐) in Mandarin, which roughly means “support” or “having one’s back.”
The character is part of the slogan Taiwan cheng Xianggang (“Taiwan supports Hong Kong,” 台灣撐香港), which was chanted by demonstrators who earlier this month rallied in Taiwan to support the Hong Kong protests.
Photo provided by Blaire Ko Music Studio
“The idea of producing the song came after some of us talked about [the protests] two weeks ago,” said award-winning Taiwanese music producer Blaire Ko (柯智豪), who oversaw the song’s production.
Ko said they came together just days after a large protest in Hong Kong on June 12.
The scale of the protests left a deep impression on him and many others, he said.
They also took action because they thought that the protests underscored the need for the world to pay attention to the suppression of freedoms, he said.
The music was composed by Poki Wu (吳永吉), the lead singer of Taiwanese rock band The Chairman (董事長樂團), and the lyrics were written by Golden Melody best songwriter award winner Wu Hsiung (武雄) and Hong Kong lyricist Albert Leung (林夕).
Others who took part in the project include Taiwanese indie band Fire Ex (滅火器), Amis singer Panai Kusui, Hong Kong Canto-pop singer Denise Ho (何韻詩) and Hong Kong singer and record producer Anthony Wong (黃耀明).
Through the song, they wanted to send the message that “no matter how small an individual is, they all aspire to have their own voice,” Ko said.
“Although it is raining now, we hope the road ahead will only be brighter and brighter,” he said.
The bill has raised concerns that it could threaten the rights of Hong Kongers, as it would allow the authorities to extradite criminal suspects to China.
The Hong Kong government on June 15 caved in to public pressure and indefinitely suspended the bill, but protesters deemed the move as a delaying tactic and demand that the bill be permanently withdrawn.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
RSS