Taiqingjiao youth shoulder their hoes and sing banana songs, planting bananas and planting their youth in Qishan
When people say "tai qieng jiao," it no longer refers to the abbreviation for the three national universities: National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Chiao Tung University! In southern Taiwan, these three characters refer to a group of Qishan locals who have long been actively involved in public affairs and have now each become modern knights-errant, both working the fields to grow bananas and braving wind, rain, and sun to conduct field research. With pens as swords and microphones as weapons, they step forward to protect the old street, and even go to the Kaohsiung City Government to perform action theater and hold up banners, all to protest the improper siting of a landfill.
Eleven years after forming, "Taiqingjiao," who call themselves "Taiwan youth who love bananas," released their third album, "Planting Youth," in February 2019. Apart from lyrics and a team introduction, the only passage of text in the album booklet states their purpose for singing: "We live in an era full of opposition and conflicting values, where survival has become helpless and difficult for young people in this society... We hope that because you have our music for company, you will be willing to try more possibilities, plant a promise for yourself, and more freely choose the version of yourself you want. One day, we will also accompany you through the harvest."
Bananas are for eating; youth is for planting; this land of Taiwan is something to hold in your hands and love with all your effort. The children of Qishan, "Taiqingjiao," prove all of this through action!
Banana farmer Lu Xian-pan was the audience member having the most fun on site, rushing into the rock zone to dance as soon as the music started. He had previously taken part in the MV shoot for the second album, "Let's Nakashi," and this was his first time hearing the new album. Speaking of his thoughts on this album release performance, the cheerful-natured man said: "The music is light and pleasant; if you start walking, your feet will float up."
Good friend Cheng Che-hung was the Taiwanese Hokkien lyrics translator for "Planting Youth" (translating Taiwanese Hokkien into English) and was especially moved by the Taiwanese Hokkien songwriting on this album. He believes "Taiqingjiao" have abundant creative energy and draw deeply from local cultural memory and farmers' lives. To ensure accuracy and local authenticity in the translation, Cheng Che-hung spent a lot of time confirming the names of old theaters and the common names of animals in the mountains and fields, but precisely because of this, he discovered that "Taiqingjiao's" love and knowledge of their hometown far exceeded his imagination.
Thinking back to the early days just after they formed, in order to avoid misunderstandings and warm up the atmosphere, "Taiqingjiao" would deliberately say during their pre-performance introduction: "We are not that 'tai qieng jiao'!" Yet now, instead, they say, "We really do have a drummer who studied at National Taiwan University - Tang-hsuan." This change reflects the confidence "Taiqingjiao" have built up over ten years.
After the performance, Lao Wang said in an interview that earlier in the year, for the promotional video for the new album "Planting Youth," everyone went together to the riverbank embankment to shoot the MV, when unexpectedly a member of the public walked over from a distance and shouted "Taiqingjiao." Only then did they realize, "We had already surpassed 'tai qieng jiao' long ago!" (To be continued, please keep reading)