Taiwan Smile Folksong Group

Founded in 2011 by Chu Chien-chih and Lin Tien-an, the Taiwan Smile Folksong Group is dedicated to spreading Taiwanese liam kua (唸歌) culture. Through performances, exhibitions, educational programs, and seminars, the group aims to showcase the beauty of this art form. In recent years, the group has focused on preserving the works of significant liam kua performers. Additionally, the group innovates by connecting liam kua lyrics to contemporary issues and collaborating with performers from diverse genres, such as traditional Chinese orchestra and jazz. These efforts have developed liam kua into a multifaceted art form, making it more accessible to wider audiences.

Liam kua, also known as chant-song, a traditional performing art practiced in Taiwan for over three centuries, blends music, singing, and storytelling. Originally a solo performance, it has evolved into a duet format, typically featuring one performer playing the daguangxian (大廣弦), a bowed two-stringed instrument, and another playing the yueqin (月琴), or moon guitar. Performed in Taigi (Taiwanese language), liam kua performances often convey themes of traditional ethics and values. It was a vital form of folk entertainment before the advent of television.

However, this art form faces the risk of being lost due to the impact of television shows, the decline use of Taigi among younger generations, and the passing of liam kua masters.

Chu Chien-chih was trained in folk opera, while Lin Tien-an had a background in Chinese music. Having spent years as an accompanist in a music group of Taiwanese opera, Chu developed a fascination to experiment with other musicians’ huqin (胡琴) and daguangxian. Encouraged by these musicians, he partnered with Lin to study and perform liam kua.

At the time, the duo had not heard of liam kua. Eager to learn, they visited the First Record Store (第一唱片行) on Yanping North Road (延平北路) in Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area, and acquired a cassette of Yang Xiu-qing (楊秀卿), a renowned liam kua maestro. Upon their first listen, Chu admitted that he did not know who Yang was at the time, but her performance struck him as intense and vibrant. The duo taught themselves the art form and, two years later, became Yang’s disciples.

To introduce liam kua to broader audiences, the group actively collaborate with other bands, hoping to showcase this traditional art form through cross-disciplinary exchanges and thus extend its legacy.

In 2014, Miszform Project, a band comprised of jazz musicians from Germany, the U.S., Italy, Slovakia, and Taiwan, contacted Chu. The band features expertise in bamboo flute, saxophone, guitar, bass, metallophone, and drums. With the goal of presenting Taiwan’s music through jazz, the Taiwan Smile Folksong Group worked with the jazz band over one summer, culminating in a jazz performance at Dadaocheng.

In 2017, the folksong group was invited to perform at the Megaport Festival, a prominent independent music festival in southern Taiwan. Following the show, Chu received numerous favorable comments and collaboration invitations. Reflecting on the experience, he noted that younger generations that often absorb foreign music culture seldom have ways to express Taiwan’s unique identity. He concluded that the authenticity of liam kua embodies the Taiwanese spirit they had been striving to define.

Beyond the essence of Taiwan’s spirit, improvisation is another charm of liam kua. Although liam kua performances are grounded in lyric books, singers can improvise by incorporating contemporary issues or altering rhythms to capture the audience’s attention. Masters of liam kua are renowned for their improvisational skills, often weaving complete narratives on the spot. Chu remarked, “liam kua is Taiwan’s jazz.”

During the production of their liam kua album “What Are You Singing?”, the group collaborated with the students of the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, who handled the album’s visual design. Drawing inspiration from Chinese mythology, particularly the story of the deity Nezha (哪吒), the design integrated modern elements such as Taiwan’s night markets. The music video employed time-lapse photography, handwritten lyrics, paper cuttings, and drawings to create a dynamic collage effect, breathing new life into this traditional art form and bringing it closer to the public.

This intergenerational collaboration earned recognition with a Red Dot Design Award in 2016, spotlighting liam kua—an intangible cultural heritage of Taiwan—on the international stage.

Ministry of Culture

Traditional Performance Arts

Taiwan Smile Folksong Group