Music of Tseng

The music of Tseng is unique and reflects the diverse culture of Tsengian people.

Before 1800s
During the Five Kingdoms era and Ming and Qing era, instruments like the and  were popular. However, they were gradually phased out by European colonization.

1800s-1946
By 1900, almost all pre-European music were gone, and Tsengians were assimilated into European culture.

1946-1990
The independence of Tseng on July 17, 1946, managed to save the indigenous and folk music from being extinct. During the 1950s, Tseng experienced a "golden age" of music. Singers like Hugh Huang and Joanne Liu brought pop music, rock-and-roll, and Tsengge to the mainstream. However, those genres (except pop music) suffered a severe decline in the Dazhuo Era as folk music made a sudden resurgence.

After the Dazhuo, Western pop music started to soar in popularity. In 1974, Fu'lang singer Chen Rui released the song "Just a Game to You" (對你只是一個遊戲). It brought many Tsengians their first taste of indigenous music and launched the Fulang pop genre. In 1977, the first modern Tsengian rock band, Belgian Flu, formed, 7 years before, the pioneer of Chinese rock.

In the 1980s, Tsengge came back and arrived, with Olivia Han, Anne Cheung, and Li Meng leading the charge. Yang Wu-bei continued the popularity of Fulang pop, while 4K and Taiping Soldier were the main players of rock.

1990-present
In the 1990s, with the Reforms of 90, Tsengians were able to express themselves more freely. Hip-hop, rap, and metal rock artists and bands all started to appear in this period. Today, popular musicians are ZZC, Lil Cassoulet, Jaden Chang, and Zhao Jiaxin.

Indigenous
Today, indigenous music (also known as yuanzhu yinyue) is largely played at indigenous ceremonies and festivals. However, a notable exception are the Fu'lang peoples. Because of their size, Fu'langese culture has a huge influence in the Tsengian music scene. Fulang pop, rock, and rap are still, since 1974, popular, but most Tsengians now sing in Chinese instead. Some indigenous artists include: Chen Rui, Yin Zhi-wei, and Hope Tsai.

Popular (pop)
Tseng is represented in pop music by Tsengge, or TS-pop. Tsengge is very popular in Tseng and is starting to attract people abroad. Although Tsengge had its roots in the early 1950s with Hugh Huang, it exploded in popularity in the 1980s with artists like Olivia Han, John Chen, and Wu Yongxing. Today, in the 2020s, popular singers include: Jaden Chang, Zhao Jiaxin, and Suai Ge.

Rock
Rock began in the 1950s with rock-and-roll pioneer Hugh Huang. However, it wasn't until the 1970s that modern rock started.