Songs of place

Aboriginal musician Chen Yung-long will also perform in the upcoming tour.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"That day marks the beginning of Taiwan's new folk music era, and in the upcoming tour of Wild Fire Music, we will review some classic folk songs, such as The Olive Tree and Grandma's Harbor," she says.

"We will also host conversations with audiences before or after each performance, talking about the development of Taiwan's folk music."

Besides attracting a stable fan base, the tour will also forge links between mainland and Taiwan folk musicians.

In 2012, veteran music producer Cui Wenqin collaborated with Hsiung to bring Beijing-based folk musicians, including Xiao He and Wan Xiaoli, to perform in Taiwan.

"We held two shows, one in Legacy, a popular live music venue in Taipei, and another one in a small village of Taitung county. We also visited some tribes and experienced their aboriginal lifestyles," recalls Cui.

"Music comes naturally there. We sat on stones and sang together underneath the blue sky. Music can be very beautiful with a simple acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies."

Aboriginal musician Chen Yung-long, 35, was part of the Wild Fire Music's tour of the Chinese mainland in 2012 and will also perform in the upcoming tour.

Growing up in Nanwang village of Taitung county and singing about the beauty of nature and the hardworking people of his native Puyuma tribe in their own language, Chen says that he came to appreciate the songs of his Puyuma heritage after moving to Taipei to attend university. He sang in bars before joining in Wild Fire Music in 2003.

"When you sing someone else's songs for a long time, you start to think: 'What about me?' When I sing those old Puyuma songs, I feel confident and relaxed," says Chen, who has just released his third album, Grain of Sand.

He can still recall scenes of the elderly people in his village singing the traditional songs of the Puyuma people in the yards beneath the areca catechu and mango trees. He says that the fact that around seven singer-songwriters are signed to Wild Fire Music, most of whom have won at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan's equivalent of the Grammy Awards, proves the charisma of their music.

"We don't sing for the market. We sing for the places where we belong," he says.

If you go

7:30 pm, July 17. Forbidden City Concert Hall, inside Zhongshan Park, west of Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6559-8285

3 pm, July 19. Q House of Shanghai Shallow Water Bay Culture Center, No 179 Yichang Road, Putuo district, Shanghai. 021-6266-1110