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01. We started our journey from Baoshin Elementary school in Xinpu Town. The school is near the local police station,
so it should be easy to find.


02. 1987 was the first time Ms. Chen Wu Mei learned folk songs, which is the uniqueness of Hakka culture.
Mr. Hu Quan Xiong came to Xinpu Town Administration Office to teach traditional folk song in nine accents and eighteen pitches
,which means there're many accents and pitches in Hakka songs. Due to Ms. Chen’s illiteracy, she can only cram the lyrics
into hear head. During her 60s to 70, Ms. Chen participated in numerous singing contests and gained a lot of honor.
But after her 70s, she did't attend contests any more. Being influenced by her mom’s passion for music,
Ms. Chen’s daughter followed in her mom’s footsteps and signed up for the singing class. Her voice and singing skill
were decent, so she was invited onto TV show many times. In addition, Ms. Chen’s granddaughter learnt folk songs as well,
and she is also good at playing the Chinese fiddle. When the three generations sang together, it was more than a kind of enjoyment, more of a domestic bliss
than a simple interest, when the three generations sang together.


03. Take one photo in front of the doorway, the personages to be visited are out today.
Interview the Xiong 's:
I have loved to sing since I was little, not only Chinese songs but also the Taiwanese songs. I had once wanted to be a
singer when I was 19, but being opposed by my father, I couldn't realize this dream. I am of provincial heritage,
however, I married a Hakka, so I have an opportunity to learn Hakkas' culture, especially Hakka songs.
I think that Hakka songs are very melodious and charming. Therefore, I followed the king of Hakka songs, Xu Mu Zhen,
to learn. Though I can already communicate in Hakka, my tongue is Xinpu Hailu accent, one of the many accents in Hakka, but
most Hakka songs are in Szuhsien accent. Consequently, I have many problems in pronunciation, which needed to be corrected
by the teacher. I had good grades for singing “shan ke tzu ho pin pan" (name of the song), at a Hakka folk song competition,
and also had released an ablum of Hakka original songs.


04. It should be in primary school that Miss Chen Mei-Hui was first exposed to folk songs, the teacher was teaching one song
named“The Two Sugarcane” at that time, which made a deep impression on her mind. Later, because of her parents,
she participated in Mr. Hu Quan-Xiong's folk song class, after learning them, she came back and taught her parents how to
sing, also performing in the new development theater, singing a chorus “Hsiao tiao nao wu geng”(name of the song),
with her father. 
Later, she got more interested in folk songs, after the introduction by teacher, she got acquainted with Mr. Xu Mu-Zhen.
She even went to a performance in Taipei. After coming back, she participated in the institution of development of
Hakka music in Hsinchu, which was established by Mr. Li Chen-Yang in 1994. In fact, a lot of nongovernmental people
devote themselves to Hakka traditional arts quietly, and these people are mostly retired and are currently guiding the
younger generation
For this reason, I am elected as the present president. Although the responsibility is not light, I hope
I can try my best for the affairs of Hakka.


05. After one year old, she had a high fever. It was World War 2 at the time, Taiwan was under the attack of air raid,
most people hid in the shelters. Too hard to find a decent doctor, then her parents found an amateur. Consequently, she lost
her sight.
She likes to watch drama since she was little. When she heard that there was a performance, she usually watched it until
midnight. Because she was blind and unable to remember the score and handwritten scores were non-existent,
so she learned it by word of mouth and depended on listening. However, it required lots and lots of practice.
In order to reinforce her memory, she took a recorder and practiced over and over again until she was proficient.
This process was way tougher for her than others, and also needed strong will to do so. Her sister also knows how to
sing folk songs, which is affected by her. However, her sister believes that she learned folk songs by herself


06. Here is the shopping district which is near the Heroes temple. Don’t miss it! .


07. For Hakka music lovers like you, don't forget to get the treasures once you're here.


08. Hakka Eight Sound Society is hidden in Xinpu Taipingwo, you will miss it easily if you're not paying attention.


09. My mother, Ms. Liu-Luo Lan Ying, likes to listen to music very much, and she also ask others to help her learn new songs.
Whenever she hears other people sing, she will try her best to remember it by heart and piece them together in a different
order. Thankfully, she do have this kind of talent, so she could create and sing spontaneously.
Mr. Liu Dei Shiang is more excel at the civil and military genre. What the Huqin is to the Civil category,
the Gong is to the Military category. Singing folk song is just like carving a Buddha statue.
Although you can understand it, you are still unprofessional.
I have never attended a performance of folk songs before, and since somebody invites me to attend now,
I will go partly because of the cost of living and partly because of the appreciation.



10. Mr. Liu De Hsiang told the story about how he connects to the folk songs with fervor and certainty.