An Exploration of Four Taiwanese Folk Songs by Teng Yu-hsien: "Season Red," "Moon’s Blue," "Craving for Spring Winds," and "The Torment of a Flower"

It is undeniable that the political environment of a country has a profound influence on its cultural development. The magic of music can reveal what people faced during a certain era. In the four famous Taiwanese folk songs by Teng Yu-hsien, "Season Red," "Moon’s Blue," "Craving for Spring Winds," and "The Torment of a Flower," we can identify not only the strong emotional sensitivity in the music, but the fate these four folk songs faced because of the changing of regimes in Taiwan’s history. As a part of their colonization of Taiwan, the regimes of China and Japan used these songs as a method of indoctrination; they kept the original melodies but revised the lyrics and arrangements. This paper will compare the lyrics before and after the revision, to show how and why the authorities altered them. "Season Red" is the only song that was not revised, because it was completely banned in the early years of the Republic of China. "Craving for Spring Winds" was revised during the Japanese-Occupation Period and banned in the early years of the Republic of China. Additionally, since playing Taiwanese folk music is so different from playing Western classical music, we can compare specific techniques used in Taiwanese folk music. I will point out some specific violin techniques for playing Taiwanese folk music. INDEX WORDS: Taiwanese music, Culture, Folk music, Government, Cultural difference, Cultural development, Graduate School, Taiwanese cultural art, Asian music