As Taiwanese Indigenous musician Lihaw Lihang was growing up in the mountains of Hualien County, nature was his playground and his classroom. Lihang, a member of the Truku tribe, tells Pancouver that the river in Taroko in Xiulin Township taught him patience. From the eagle, he learned about freedom. And the forest instructed him to listen. He can’t imagine life without the mountains, which mentions in several songs on his two full-length albums.
“My music feels like sitting on a mountaintop, hearing both the wind and your own heartbeat,” Lihang says. “It’s folk at its core, but with the spirit of my Truku roots. Sometimes, it’s gentle like a river; sometimes, it’s wild like the wind in the cliffs.”
He released his first album, Riding the Wind (also known as Flying on the Wind), in 2021. He likens it to encouraging listeners to come walk with him on his journey through life.
“Every song is like a path I’ve taken, carrying the landscapes, the people, and the feelings that made me who I am,” Lihang reveals.
In this music video, Lihaw Lihang features the mountainous region where his mother spent her childhood.
Near the end of this month, he will perform songs from Riding the Wind at Vancouver TAIWANfest in downtown Vancouver. He also plans to sing his original compositions from his new album, Alang mu Kbayang — Mother’s Kbayang (also known as The Kbayang Tribe of My Mother), which also reflects his deep attachment to the land.
Lihang will speak about Indigenous heritage
“When I sing in Truku, it’s like my ancestors are right here, singing with me,” Lihang says. “The words carry the rhythm of the land. Even if I write in Mandarin, that Truku heartbeat is always there—steady, deep, and alive.”
He is one of three Taiwanese music acts at Vancouver TAIWANfest’s Rally for Taiwan: Music in the Soundscape of Democracy 拉力台灣：音樂在民主的聲場中. This free concert plays on the Taiwanese tradition of musicians performing at large rallies, and includes the Hakka punk band Traego and the indie country-folk rockers TUDI-VOICE.
Rally for Taiwan will take place from 12:30 to 5 p.m. on August 30 in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square (north plaza of Vancouver Art Gallery). Lihang will also deliver a free “Hope Talk” at the Willms Salon (843 Seymour Street) at 1 p.m. on August 30.
The Truku (Taroko) people are one of 16 officially recognized Indigenous tribes in the East Asian island nation. Taiwan’s Council of Indigenous Peoples website states that they “value their weaving and face painting culture, believe in ancestral spirits, and follow gaya, the ancestral rules”.
Legend has it that Truku (Taroko) ancestors arrived in southwestern Taiwan by sea from South Asia in the prehistorical period. According to the council, they settled in the Plains between what is modern-day Taichung and Tainan. However, conflict with other Indigenous tribes led the Truku people to migrate to the mountains of central Taiwan and later to Hualien County in northeastern Taiwan.
Lihaw Lihang recorded this track in the mountains in 2017.
Musician shares mother’s story through song
Lihang’s new album, Alang mu Kbayang — Mother’s Kbayang, includes 10 tracks. The opening number, “Brave Dreams”, is a richly textured, upbeat song about courageously facing challenges and remaining true to one’s dreams. “Brave Dreams” offers up a range of instruments, with Lihang on harmonica and other musicians playing guitar, bass guitar, violin, cello, and percussion. The producer, Connie Lu, supplies background vocals along with Johnny Yao and Sra-Rata.
The second song is the title track, a deeply emotional song featuring Lihang’s voice soaring above another nuanced arrangement.
“It’s my mother’s story—her childhood in Kbayang, the pain of leaving, and the love she carried through the years,” Lihang says. “If Riding the Wind was about my path, Alang mu Kbayang — Mother’s Kbayang is about going back to the roots, even if it’s only through music.”
Watch this preview (above) for Rally for Taiwan.
Vancouver TAIWANfest will present Lihaw Lihang at Rally for Taiwan: Music in the Soundscape of Democracy 拉力台灣：音樂在民主的聲場中. This free concert runs from 12:30 to 5 p.m. on August 30 in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square (north plaza of Vancouver Art Gallery). Rally for Taiwan will also feature the Taiwanese Hakka punk band Traego and the Taiwanese country-folk-rock band TUDI-VOICE.
Lihaw Lihang will also deliver a free Vancouver TAIWANfest Hope Talk titled Echoes of Taroko: Music Carries Our Land and Memories. It will take place at 1 pm. on August 30 at Willms Salon (843 Seymour Street). Find Lihaw Lihang on Facebook and Apple Music.
Vancouver TAIWANfest takes place at various locations in downtown Vancouver from August 30 to September 1. Ann Cheng translated Lihaw Liang’s responses into English for this article. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and Bluesky @pancouver.bsky.social. Pancouver is also on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
