Let’s Rock Your Body: Three Music Events You Can’t Miss in Taiwan

With the weather getting warmer, the rockers and music lovers can’t wait free their rock n roll souls in no time.

Taiwan is the center of Chinese rock music where is has great influence in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. No need to say that some of the greatest rock singers are born in Taiwan. With such a strong rocking atmosphere, Taiwan has its own three major music festivals that celebrate rock and roll spirit.

Beer, Bikini, and lots and lots of Great Music

The rock festival relay starts with ‘Spring Scream’ in April, Ken-Ting. Ken-Ting is at the southern tip of Taiwan and it’s a world known tropical surfing paradise. It is also known for its ‘spring all the year round’ weather which has attracted millions and millions foreign tourist to visit this former fishing village. ‘Spring Scream’ is the oldest music festival which was founded by two foreigners who loves music and Taiwan also. Now with its 13-year-old history, this 3-day festival continues to thrive and rock the southern Taiwan.

‘Ho-Hai-Yan’ keeps up in the second sequence of this rock n roll relay. Also located in a fishing village, ‘Ho-Hai-Yan’ has turned this peaceful small town ‘Fu-Long’ into a popular site for music lovers. ‘Ho-Hai-Yan’ music festival starts at the beginning of summer vacation when all the students are ready to rock their heads off. Hot girls and boys wearing bikinis and drinking beers, they all gather around the beach to watch their favorite bands performing on stages. ‘Ho-Hai-Yan’ is definitely enjoyed by people who love music and summer beach flavor.

The last one to the finish line in this relay is the ‘Formorz Festival.’ It has the biggest production of all three which it invites some of the world most famous rock bands and it has a social movement film festival attached to it. Unlike ‘Spring Scream’ and ‘Ho-Hai-Yan,’ ‘Formorz Festival’ is held in a children’s amusement park in capital city Taipei at the end of July. It is the most internationalized festival where performers all over the world rock with local artists and trigger fire sparks together.

No matter who you are or where you are from, you don’t even have to be a rocker, Taiwan welcomes everyone to savor its unique music festivals!

Retro is In: 'Tike' is Coming Back!

Wearing white and blue flip flops, beach shorts, tank top and gold necklace with Taiwanese gum ‘betel nuts’ chewing in their mouths while riding motorcycle, who are they? They are 'Tike.’

Living in this digital era, people’s lives are profoundly influenced by globalization, yet we shall not forget our root. That is why Taiwan has a new ‘Retro is in’ trend, the localization force is about to launch a new revolution in 21th century Taiwan.

With its unique history background Taiwan has a diverse cultural variety. Netherlanders and Spanish colonials in 17th century, Japanese colonial in late 19th century and the U.S. army garrison in the 1950s, each of them had contributed their characteristics and melted in Taiwan peoples’ blood.

What is ‘Tike’

'Tike,’ literally means Taiwanese man, was more of a discriminative way to describe Taiwanese people within a designated area of southern Taiwan. It used to be an impolite, tacky, vulgar image, but in recent years, Tike has been reborn and has generated a distinguish music genre, food, fashion and its own music festival. Even the local government has noticed this trend and is encouraging people to hold or participate in the Tike related festivities.

'Tike’ represents the spirit of originality and vitality, and one of the icon figures is the pop singer 'Wu-Bie.’ He is the father of advocating ‘Tike’ as ‘Taiwan soul.’ His ‘Tike style rock n roll’ steer up the passion of Taiwanese people and encourage people that they should be themselves regardless of the mainstream.

Even though the multi-cultural influence enriched Taiwanese lifestyle it also resulted in the difficulties of nation identification for Taiwanese. Taiwan’s sovereign right lacks of international recognition, as a country strives for identification of the world it should starts with the identification of the citizen within itself. To understand, to feel, to find out the inner voice would be the first step for Taiwan to invite people of the world to appreciate this beautiful island and take Taiwan as an eminent member in global village.

Tike culture is a subculture that not everyone recognizes it, yet Tike remains an irreplaceable factor in modern Taiwan culture for it reminds us of individualism and not being manipulated by pop culture. In the mean time we are undergoing the rapid change of globalization; we should still put our feet on the ground and be proud of just like ‘Tike,’ what is ‘Made in Taiwan.’

Organizer on Amanda's News

News Title: Betelnut Girls

The group members have contributed their opinion on Amanda's article,
we made rocommandation that she delete the betel nut introduction paragraph and write more about the public view and perspective on the betel nut girls.
The following are the transcript of our conversation:

[6:37] Amandast Dezno: since there's no more advices, that's jump to the next writer!!
[6:37] Makong Broono: ok
[6:37] Amandast Dezno: oh ya~~~
[6:39] Amandast Dezno: go ahead girl~
[6:39] Fiona Galaxy: ha
[6:39] Fiona Galaxy: ok
[6:39] Makong Broono: SL?
[6:39] Fiona Galaxy: reading
[6:39] Amandast Dezno: explore urself
[6:39] Amandast Dezno: second life
[6:41] Dori Yuhara: in order to 'keep'
[6:41] Dori Yuhara: and could u explain the last sentence
[6:41] Fiona Galaxy: hey found one missspell word
[6:41] Fiona Galaxy: truck driver
[6:42] Amandast Dezno: that is the reference to credit the photographor
[6:42] Fiona Galaxy: 7 line in second paragraph
[6:42] Fiona Galaxy: hey what's our jobs
[6:42] Fiona Galaxy: we haven't desingnated our jobs right?
[6:43] Makong Broono: I AND EDITOR
[6:43] Dori Yuhara: organizer
[6:43] Dori Yuhara: this time
[6:44] Amandast Dezno: well..............~"~
[6:44] Fiona Galaxy: then i would be revierwe again??
[6:44] TonySkyBlinder Hirons: hi
[6:44] TonySkyBlinder Hirons: :)
[6:44] Amandast Dezno: no u have to change ur character
[6:44] Dori Yuhara: i'll be ur reviwer i guess
[6:44] Makong Broono: !!
[6:44] Dori Yuhara: i mean fiona
[6:44] Amandast Dezno: !!
[6:45] Fiona Galaxy: then i could be organizer
[6:45] Fiona Galaxy: ok
[6:45] Fiona Galaxy: proceed
[6:45] Amandast Dezno: well fortunately he's gone
[6:45] Fiona Galaxy: yeap
[6:45] Fiona Galaxy: kinda worry
[6:45] Dori Yuhara: interesting
[6:45] Amandast Dezno: hey~~ keep on the track
[6:45] Dori Yuhara: well about the nearing end of the story
[6:46] Dori Yuhara: what do u mean commit crime
[6:46] Amandast Dezno: doing something badXD actually
[6:46] Dori Yuhara: i think they just might seduce people commiting crime
[6:46] Makong Broono: HAHA
[6:46] Amandast Dezno: i would like to say they are making money themselves instead of doing something bad
[6:46] Fiona Galaxy: hahahha good point
[6:47] Fiona Galaxy: and causing car accidnets
[6:47] Amandast Dezno: XDDDDDDDDD
[6:47] Amandast Dezno: quite interesting
[6:47] Dori Yuhara: or you can say that they're totally different from peostitute
[6:47] Amandast Dezno: i haven't mentioned a lot about culture issue because i think it might be too complicated
[6:48] Makong Broono: i think the third paragraph is little relation to your title
[6:48] Fiona Galaxy: then why don't u eras what is betel nut
[6:48] Amandast Dezno: ok~~
[6:48] Fiona Galaxy: just discuus the industry
[6:49] Dori Yuhara: but wearing very ''cool'' doesn't equal to commit ingcrime
[6:49] Makong Broono: no the forth paragraph
[6:49] Makong Broono: fourth
[6:49] Amandast Dezno: ?
[6:51] Makong Broono: you can talk about the social comment and influence for them
[6:51] Amandast Dezno: then maybe it would be better to eliminate the sentence "commit crime
[6:51] Amandast Dezno: that's a good point
[6:51] Fiona Galaxy: yeap or how it attracts CHINESE and Japanese vissitor to watch them
[6:51] Fiona Galaxy: they are really famous
[6:51] Amandast Dezno: but therefore i have to put my comment on them
[6:52] Dori Yuhara: really?
[6:52] Amandast Dezno: i don't know either
[6:52] Makong Broono: the introduction of betel nut can be delet
[6:52] Amandast Dezno: ok
[6:52] Dori Yuhara: if u wanna shorten the article u may
[6:53] Fiona Galaxy: lots of chinese and japanese tourist they come to taiwan and watching betel nut beauties is a designated tourist option
[6:53] Fiona Galaxy: i think you can delet that paragraph
[6:54] Fiona Galaxy: so is there anything else?
[6:54] Amandast Dezno: then i'll add the tour
[6:54] Dori Yuhara: no
[6:54] Makong Broono: no
[6:54] Amandast Dezno: how to demostrate the social perspective?
[6:54] Fiona Galaxy: ok then here comes to my lamest article i guess...it's my turn
[6:54] Amandast Dezno: the negtive one?
[6:54] Fiona Galaxy: you mean what do most of the people think?
[6:55] Amandast Dezno: yes
[6:55] Amandast Dezno: ''
[6:55] Fiona Galaxy: with so many hot grils wearing little cloth on the street it's "妨害風化
[6:55] Fiona Galaxy: ha
[6:56] Amandast Dezno: haha ok
[6:56] Makong Broono: it is stigma
[6:56] Fiona Galaxy: Boo!
[6:56] Fiona Galaxy: hahhahaha
[6:56] Dori Yuhara: i think u could mention just little about social opinion
[6:56] Dori Yuhara: cuz that's not ur point
[6:56] Fiona Galaxy: yeap we have to be neutral
[6:56] Makong Broono: you can clear this stigma
[6:57] Dori Yuhara: and last
[6:57] Fiona Galaxy: as being a good jounalist...yeap! betel nut girls actually make a lot of foreign money for us!
[6:57] Dori Yuhara: i suggest u make ur title more sensational
[6:58] Makong Broono: they just wear little clothes to attract clients
[6:58] Makong Broono: they have no crime
[6:58] Fiona Galaxy: lIKE "WHAT ARE THEY SELLING ACTUALLY? BODY OR BETEL NUT"
[6:58] Amandast Dezno: maybe give me a example of sensational one
[6:58] Fiona Galaxy: JUST GAVE YOU ONE
[6:58] Amandast Dezno: hahahahahahaahah
[6:59] Dori Yuhara: like hot xxx girls
[6:59] Fiona Galaxy: NICE ONE HUH
[6:59] Amandast Dezno: ur good at rewriting u knoe
[6:59] Fiona Galaxy: hahahahah
[6:59] Makong Broono: thats a great title
[6:59] Dori Yuhara: yeah
[6:59] Fiona Galaxy: ok so are we done with this one?
[7:00] Makong Broono: fiona can't wait
[7:00] Dori Yuhara: ok
[7:00] Makong Broono: next
[7:00] Dori Yuhara: next
[7:00] Fiona Galaxy: oh cuz i need a lot of correction to mine
[7:00] Amandast Dezno: but im afraid the first title would possess negtive image
[7:00] Amandast Dezno: donedonedonedone
[7:01] Dori Yuhara: u can choose a title u like

Retro is In "Tike" is Coming Back

Wearing white and blue flip flops, shorts, tank top and gold necklace with Taiwanese gum “betel nuts” chewing in their mouths, who are they? They are “Tike.”

Living in this digital era, our lives are profoundly influenced by globalization, yet we shall not forget our root. That is why Taiwan has a new “Retro is in “trend, the localization force is about to launch a new revolution in 21th century Taiwan. With its unique history background Taiwan has a diverse cultural variety. Netherlanders and Spanish colonials in 17th century, Japanese colonial in late 19th century and the U.S. army garrison in the 1950s, each of them had contributed their characteristics and melted in Taiwan peoples’ blood.

What is “Tike”

“Tike,” literally means Taiwanese man, was more of a discriminative way to describe Taiwanese people within a designated area of southern Taiwan. It used to be an impolite, tacky, vulgar word, but in recent years, “Tike” has been reborn and has generated a distinguish music genre, food, fashion and its own music festival. Even the local government has noticed this trend and is encouraging people to hold or participate in the “Tike” related festivities.

“Tike” represents the spirit of originality and vitality of Taiwan, while we are undergoing the rapid change of globalization, we should still put our feet on the ground and be proud of just like "Tike,"what is “Made in Taiwan.”