Taiwanese singer at prestigious music awards: “Don’t forget Tiananmen”

By Angie Teo and Fabian Hamacher

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwanese singer and activist Panai called on Saturday at one of the most prestigious entertainment events in the Chinese-speaking world not to forget China’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Chinese artists have largely stayed away from the Golden Melody Awards in recent years amid renewed tensions between democratically ruled Taiwan and China, which considers the island its own territory. And references to Tiananmen are unlikely to boost Beijing’s approval of the ceremony.

As Panai took the stage after winning the Best Taiwanese Language Album award at the Taipei ceremony, he said it was the 35th anniversary of the awards ceremony.

“The events in Tiananmen Square happened exactly 35 years ago, we should not forget that,” she said.

On June 4, 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into the square before dawn, ending weeks of student and worker demonstrations for democracy. In China, public discussion of the events is taboo, but in Taiwan people talk about them freely.

China says it came to a clear conclusion about the events of 1989 “a long time ago.” However, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Panai has been fighting for the rights of Taiwan’s indigenous people for years.

“Democracy is a long road and not an easy one. We are under pressure because we do not know if we will be intimidated by a ‘greater’ power,” she told reporters backstage after her victory.

“The reason I mentioned this event on stage is because Taiwan’s democracy is a process that we all have to value; our freedom and freedom of expression is what we have to protect.”

Despite several high-profile nominations, including Xu Jun for best composer, no Chinese singers were present at this year’s awards ceremony.

Another Chinese singer, Jude Chiu, arrived in Taiwan but returned to the country before the awards ceremony for health reasons, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported.

Although Taiwan has a population of just 23 million, the country’s pop music scene has enormous cultural influence throughout East Asia, especially in China, in part because creativity there is unhindered by censorship.

The award not only recognizes Mandopop, but also artists who sing in Taiwanese (also known as Hokkien), Hakka, or indigenous languages ​​such as Bunun, and is a visible sign of the Taiwanese government’s efforts to promote once-oppressed languages.

(Reporting by Angie Teo and Fabian Hamacher; Text by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clelia Oziel)