Fort Lee, NJ
I hope in the future, there will be more Taiwanese Americans that will impact the world and embrace their own heritage.
Who are you?
I’m the frontman and erhu player of “The Hsu-nami” –an internationally renowned progressive rock band (Hsu-nami’s music was featured in the 2008 Summer Olympic in
Beijing. The track “Rising of the sun” was used as the Chinese Basketball team’s entrance theme). I’m also the showcase coordinator for the Taiwanese entertainment non-profit called Tai Kei New York (TKNY), which works in developing projects with the Taipei Economic Culture Office and festivals such as Passport to Taiwan in NYC and TaiwanFest in Toronto and Vancouver.
What do you do?
I’m a recording / performing artist and also an erhu instructor within the local Chinese community. I’m one of the funders for the non-profit organization Tai Kei New York (TKNY) 紐約台客, which hosts an annual showcase in the hopes of allowing the general population to understand Taiwan through visual and audio arts.
Why are you proud to be of Taiwanese heritage?
I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan and moved to New Jersey when I was 12 years old, and soon became an American citizen. I love Taiwan very much because of my childhood memories; It’s an amazing and really beautiful place and has amazing food and a rich culture. I don’t give a $#*& about any political drama there. It just splits the Taiwanese people apart. When American media shows videos of politicians cutting themselves or rioting in court rooms in Taiwan, it’s just bad. I don’t want people from other countries to see only those videos and instantly think that’s all Taiwan is about. I do feel like everyone who comes out of Taiwan has some sort of pride specific to our Taiwanese heritage.
What does the future of Taiwanese America look like to you?
I feel like Taiwanese Americans need to step up and be heard. I hope in the future, there will be more Taiwanese Americans that will impact the world and embrace their own heritage. Instead of just making safe choices, I hope they try very hard to be the best and most successful at whatever they do.
Any additional information you would like to share?
My band’s official website links:
http://www.hsu-nami.com
http://www.myspace.com/hsunami
http://www.youtube.com/hsunami
http://www.twitter.com/thehsunami
TKNY Group Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/TKNY/113170968705240
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