National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan presents original concert inspired by astrology signs

National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan presents original concert inspired by astrology signs

2022-03-16

Traditional music fans, mark your calendars! The National Chinese Orchestra of Taiwan will put on a concert inspired by the four astrological elements: water, fire, wind, and earth. This original concert will take place on March 19. FTV reporter Stephany Yang gives us a preview.

Sounds of the yangqin, pipa, liuqin, ruan, sanxian and guzheng fill the air. These musicians use the unique tones of each instrument to tell the tale of falling in love with an air sign. The piece was composed by Huang Chun-ta.

Huang Chun-ta
Composer
I think that modern Chinese music instruments can be used in many different contexts. These traditional instruments can be used to perform new music. In composing this piece, I started out from an emotional angle. I wrote about the air signs, and what will happen when you date an air sign. There are three parts to it: the ambiguous period, the confession of love, and finally, the passionate period. The piece is divided into the three stages of love.

Another composition is inspired by fire signs. The tempo is fast-paced and energetic. This is a concert by the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan. It’s inspired by the four astrological elements: water, wind, earth, and fire.

Liu Li-chen
National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan
The sound of a plucked string instrument is very gorgeous, so we made a point of using them for this concert. As for the visual aspect of the concert, we matched the music with multimedia design inspired by the various constellations and astrology.

Wang Hsueh-yen
Curator
This is probably the first time in Taiwan that specialists in plucked string instruments created original compositions. It was very difficult to find experts who could create original pieces about constellations. The work took many hours.

Wang I-yu
National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan
We hope to give the audience a new understanding of plucked string instruments.

Combining music and visuals, the concert offers a fresh and exciting way to enjoy Taiwan’s traditional string instruments.

臺灣國樂團”彈星談心” 3/19開演

2022-03-16

臺灣國樂團將舉辦一場以水、火、風、地四大星象為靈感的音樂會。這場原創演唱會將於3月19日舉行。

作曲家黃俊達，以彈撥樂器，揚琴、琵琶、柳琴、阮、三弦、古箏獨特的音色和演奏技法，講述與風象星座談戀愛的故事。

[[作曲家黃俊達]]
"其實我覺得現代國樂樂器，它可以運用在非常多不同的素材，用傳統的樂器，演出新的音樂。我從一個情感面來當出發點。這次我寫了跟風象星座有關的，假設跟風向星座的人交往，會發生什麼事情，於是就有三首段曲鋪陳曖昧的期間，到告白，到最後熱戀，分成三個階段"

另一份作品靈感來自火象星座，節奏快且充滿活力。這是臺灣國樂團舉辦的"彈星談心"音樂會。音樂會以水、風、土、火四大星座為主題。

[[臺灣國樂團團長劉麗貞]]
"彈撥樂器聲音非常的絢麗，所以我們特地以彈撥的樂器來進行彈星談心的演出。視覺、透過多媒體設計，裡面是以各個星座以及星象它的特色來配合音樂的演出"

[[策展人王學彥]]
"大概國內第一次彈撥專長來寫星座，全新譜曲。我覺得這是非常難的。因為要找彈撥專長，而且要專門寫作，而且要重新創作，工時非常大的”

[[台灣國樂園藝術經理王乙聿]]
"讓觀眾對於彈撥也是新的認識"

音樂會結合音樂和視覺效果，以新鮮刺激的方式讓觀眾欣賞台灣傳統弦樂器。

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Lightning storms forecast for Kinmen, Matsu and Northern Taiwan

The so-called spring thunder may occur sometime tomorrow. Taiwan may see its first lightning storm of the year starting Thursday, as a weather front approaches.
Cool and stormy weather is forecast for Kinmen, Matsu and Northern Taiwan, with showers expected in central and southern Taiwan. Though temperatures will pick up over the weekend, the mercury could drop again on Monday and Tuesday.

The sun is scorching. Outside, everyone is wearing summery clothes. Temperatures on the western half of Taiwan have recently soared past 30 degrees. But the summery weather could change on Thursday afternoon. A front is approaching, and it’s set to deliver heavy showers to many parts of the nation, with a chance of thunderstorms in Kinmen, Matsu and Northern Taiwan. The Central Weather Bureau says this week could see the first lightning storms of the season.

Lin Ping-yu
Central Weather Bureau forecaster
The likelihood of lightning strikes is a little higher in Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu. And there is a chance of thunderstorms in Northern Taiwan. It’s hard to determine whether there will be lightning strikes. But it’s quite clear that it will rain in the north, with a chance of lightning. That may also be the case in Central Taiwan. So keep that in mind.

Wet and cool weather is expected with the approaching of a front on Thursday, and the strengthening of northeasterly winds on Friday. Temps will bounce back over the weekend. But next week, on Monday and Tuesday, northeasterly winds will once again pick up strength and send temperatures plummeting.

Lin Ping-yu
Central Weather Bureau forecaster
It could be 18 or 20 degrees on Saturday. Then next week’s wave could send temps falling even lower. But the data we have about the wave of cold weather next week is inconsistent. Some forecasts predict lows of 15 or 16 degrees, whereas others keep them at 18 to 20 degrees. But what we can be certain of is that, when the front moves across Taiwan next week, northeasterly winds will strengthen somewhat, resulting in colder weather after Monday and Tuesday.

With big changes to the weather coming up, be sure to check the latest forecasts before heading outdoors.

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Taiwan consumers protest faulty Tesla batteries

As many as 338 people have lodged formal complaints with the Consumers’ Foundation over faulty batteries in some Tesla car models. Some car owners say they have experienced major battery failures while driving, sometimes leaving them stranded in the middle of a highway. They also complain repairs can take months, and that the company does not offer explanations for the battery failures. The Consumers’ Foundation has called on the carmaker to recall the affected models for inspection and repairs.

This driver screams narrowly avoiding a crash with Tesla car parked mid-highway. The driver of the Tesla vehicle hadn’t had time to set up a warning triangle and could only signal to motorists with his hand. This is not an isolated incident.

Sitting in a row are 13 owners of Tesla cars, making a protest to the American electric vehicle firm. They say at least 16 drivers have suddenly lost power while driving and a further 122 have encountered issues relating to battery malfunction. Some say that, since buying their Tesla car in 2019, they’ve experienced three battery failures.

Mr. Chang
Tesla Car Owner
The first repair ran from April to June before it was finished, but just two weeks later, it broke down again. Tesla would tell me every time that the battery they were giving me was new and guaranteed not to fail, but then, after not gaining much mileage – less than even 1,000 kilometers -- it broke down again. Can we believe what they are saying? Even though the batteries are new, are they really durable?

Consumers have doubts over the quality of Tesla batteries, as most of the cars affected were manufactured between late 2018 and 2019. In some instances, the main battery had broken down and could not generate power, but the car’s dashboard still displayed that the power was on. As the car lost power, the dashboard said the battery was charged to 90%, even though there was no power at all. Even after sending the cars for repairs, users say the problems have not been resolved.

Chen Ching-yao
Protester
More than 95% of them have been replaced with old batteries. Tesla told us one thing, that the outside of the battery is old, but the inside is new.

Hsu Tse-yu
Consumers’ Foundation
Local and municipal governments can investigate and adopt necessary measures when there are concerns about products provided by businesses that endanger the lives or health of consumers.

The Consumers’ Foundation is calling on Tesla to recall the affected models for inspection and fix any problems. The company says it has no plans to do so, but has pledged to shorten repair times to between two and three weeks and offer compensation in hopes that the protests will end.

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Tokyo governor speaks Taiwanese in latest public health video campaign

A public health video in Taiwanese has been released by the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike. The unprecedented use of Taiwanese Hokkien in a political release in Japan reflects a subtle shift in political norms. The video calls on residents of Tokyo to get vaccinated and wear masks, in a renewed push for public health vigilance, as Tokyo struggles to contain the spread of COVID.

Governor Yuriko Koike films a public health video in three languages, explaining how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you listen closely, you might notice one of the three is Taiwanese – the caption on the top left corner names it formally as “Taiwanese Hokkien.”

In 2020, as Japan faced a worsening COVID crisis, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shared a social media post by President Tsai Ing-wen, writing in Chinese about the support, friendship and encouragement offered by Taiwanese people, and urging Japan and Taiwan to pull through the pandemic together. That was already significant, but this video in Taiwanese from Tokyo’s governor is a historic first.

Iku Sensei
Japanese YouTuber
In the past, it wouldn’t have been very possible to speak Taiwanese like this in Japan, or talk about Taiwanese issues. It’s like this – the mutual support from the Tohoku Earthquake and the pandemic has made Japan start to see Taiwan more seriously.

Japanese YouTuber Iku Sensei once lived in Taiwan. He believes mutual aid given during the Tohoku Disaster and the pandemic have put Japan and Taiwan’s friendship into a “virtuous cycle.” The bilateral friendship is better than ever, he says. Governor Koike has always been friendly to Taiwan, making a visit to the Taiwanese representative office in Japan to pay her respects at the passing of late President Lee Teng-hui.

Iku Sensei
Japanese YouTuber
Recently Japanese people have started to dare to speak these things out, because, after all, in the toughest, most painful moments, the help has come from Taiwan.

Since the pandemic began, Japan and Taiwan have seemed like a pair of island sibling nations. Now the Taiwanese-language video is another sign of deepening ties between the two nations.

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Ukraine war thwarted Chinese plans to take over Taiwan: leaked document

The war in Ukraine has thwarted Chinese plans to take over Taiwan in the fall of 2022, according to a document purportedly originating from Russian security agencies. The document claims that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had planned to launch an attack on Taiwan ahead of his third term. And the document is not alone in pointing to China’s ambitions for Taiwan. Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has said that Xi is consolidating his political power and may not be too far away from attempting to annex Taiwan.

Joseph Wu
Foreign Minister
On the matter of Russia listing us as an unfriendly country, we are among 48 countries on the list. They are all countries with similar democratic ideals.

Unafraid of reprisals, foreign minister Joseph Wu responded to Russia’s stance on Taiwan. Last week, a Russian human rights group released a document purportedly originating from one of Russia’s security agencies. The report said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had thwarted China’s plans to take over Taiwan in the fall of 2022. The document says the goal of the attack would have been to give Chinese leader Xi Jinping a victory ahead of his third term in office. On Twitter, an award-winning investigative journalist from Bulgaria, Christo Grozev, said that he had shown the report to two former or current Russian security officials. According to him, they both said there was “no doubt it was written by a colleague.”

Lin Chu-yin
DPP lawmaker
The exposure of such documents just proves that China has always been a threat to Taiwan, that it has plans to invade Taiwan. It’s an extremely powerful external force. Only by being self-reliant can we have a chance to preserve our democracy.

Lee De-wei
KMT lawmaker
This classified document shows that, no matter if it’s is spring, autumn, summer or winter, the most important thing is to make sure we are strong.

Zhu Fenglian
Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman
If the Taiwan independence forces collude with external forces to provoke, persecute and even break through our red line, we will be forced to take drastic measures.

And it’s not just the supposed leaked document that’s pointing to Beijing’s ambitions for Taiwan. In an interview with the Washington-based Hudson Institute, former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said Xi is consolidating his power base and is no longer hiding his ambitions for Taiwan. The former PM said that as Xi makes political gains in Beijing, unification with Taiwan may not be too far behind. Abe also stressed that ever since taking office 1993, he has underscored the need to strengthen Taiwan-Japan relations. He also said he believed that the current prime minister, Kishida Fumio, can maintain the good relationship between Taiwan and Japan, adding that Taiwan is “very important geopolitically.”

Joseph Wu
Foreign Minister
The relevant agencies will be paying close attention. Regardless of whether China does or does not attack us, and regardless of when China would attack us, we must be prepared at all times to defend ourselves.

Amid growing evidence of China’s ambition to annex Taiwan, Taiwan and Japan are on high alert.

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