Taiwanese Wave

Taiwanese Wave
Chinese
Traditional Chinese 台流
Simplified Chinese 台流
Japanese
Kanji 台流

Taiwanese Wave or Tairyu (Japanese: 台流) is a neologism originally coined in Japan to refer to the increase in the popularity of Taiwanese popular culture there (including: actors, dramas, music, fashion, films), and to distinguish it from Korean Wave co-existing in Japan.[1]

History

Towards the turn of the 21st century, despite the early success of the Hallyu-wave, there was an equally noticeable growth in cultural imports from Taiwan, which, like South Korea, is also one of the Four Asian Tigers. The spread of Taiwanese popular culture occurred slightly earlier, before the Hallyu-wave was known in Asia. In 2001, the Taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden" was released and soon attracted audiences from all over the region. It became the most-watched drama series in Philippine television history,[2] garnered over 10 million daily viewers in Manila alone,[3] and catapulted the male protagonists from the Taiwanese boyband F4 to overnight fame.[4] Their popularity spread throughout Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Philippines. With their success, many other Taiwanese boy bands emerged around this time, such as 5566, 183 Club and Fahrenheit. In 2002, a BBC journalist described the members of F4 as previously unknown actors who have "provoked hysteria across Asia" as a result of the success of "Meteor Garden".[5] The popularity of "Meteor Garden" (an adaptation of the Japanese manga series Boys Over Flowers) can be attributed to these two factors:

The Four Asian Tigers, including South Korea and Taiwan (in red)

As a result of the success of "Meteor Garden", its sequel "Meteor Garden II" was gradually released into many Asian countries as well, before the source material was later adapted by networks in Japan, South Korea, and China respectively.

In 2002, the Korean Drama "Winter Sonata" became the first of its kind to equal the success of "Meteor Garden", attracting a cult following in Asia with sales of Winter Sonata-related products such as DVD sets and novels surpassing US$3.5 million in Japan.[8]

Since 2002, television programming trends in Southeast Asia began to undergo a drastic change as TV series from South Korea and Taiwan filled the slot originally reserved for Hollywood movies during prime time.[2] Although dramas from South Korea gradually overtook those from Taiwan, much of Asia still had their eyes focused on Taiwanese bands such as F4, S.H.E and Fahrenheit. The breakthrough for K-pop came with the debut of TVXQ, SS501[9] and Super Junior, the latter hailed by the BBC as a household name in the region.[10]

By the late 2000s, many Taiwanese music acts could no longer catch up with their K-pop counterparts. Although a number of Taiwanese bands such as F4 and Fahrenheit continued to retain a small but loyal fan base in Asia, teenagers and young adults from all over the world were much more receptive to K-pop bands such as Big Bang and Super Junior, both of whom have managed to attract a huge number of fans from South America, parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and to a smaller extent, the Western world (particularly among immigrants with an Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or Eastern European background).

In Japan

K-pop is actually only one of two popular trends going on over in Japan, and the other trend is Taiwanese pop (sung in Mandarin). There is even a word for it in Japanese called 台流 (pronounced Tairyū), which literally means the influx of Taiwanese pop culture in Japan. This trend has been prevalent in Japan for quite some time though, with Taiwanese idol dramas like Meteor Garden, It Started with a Kiss, Hot Shot, and soon Autumn's Concerto making waves in Japan, while Japanese artists like Gackt making frequent visits to Taiwan for pleasure.[11]

Today, the Taiwanese male singer Show Luo has been regarded as leading the Taiwanese wave in Japan.[12] On February 15, 2012 he made his foray into the Japanese music scene, with the release of his first Japanese single Dante. The single peaked at number 10 on the Oricon chart within the first week of its release. He is the second Taiwanese singer to make it into the Oricon chart in the past 25 years after the veteran singer Teresa Teng, and the first Taiwanese male singer to make it into the top 10 positions on the chart.[13] The Japanese media even praised that he is the Taiwanese version of Japanese idol Yamashita Tomohisa.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pauli (2010-02-02). "Rainie Yang releases Japanese version of "Youth Bucket" that fans do want". CpopAccess. Retrieved 2013-07-07. The English-based Kpop blogosphere has made it known to western fans of the huge popularity of Kpop over in Japan, but what has not been reported is that Kpop is actually only one of two popular trends going on over in the land of the rising sun. The other trend, of course, is Taiwanese pop. We kid you not, and there’s even a word for it Japanese called 台流 (pronounced Tairyū), which literally means the influx of Taiwanese pop culture in Japan.
  2. 1 2 Celdran, David. "It's Hip to Be Asian". PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Celdran, David. "It's Hip to Be Asian". PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  4. ↑ Kee-yun, Tan. "Welcome back pretty boys". Asiaone. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Hewitt, Duncan. "Taiwan 'boy band' rocks China". BBC. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Ying Zhu (2009). TV China. Indiana University Press. p. 100.
  7. ↑ Heryanto, Ariel (2008). Popular Culture in Indonesia: Fluid Identities in Post-Authoritarian Politics. Routledge. p. 105.
  8. ↑ Lee, Claire. "Remembering 'Winter Sonata,' the start of hallyu". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  9. ↑ "WBW: SM vs. DSP".Allkpop.Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  10. ↑ Williamson, Lucy. "South Korea's K-pop craze lures fans and makes profits". BBC. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  11. ↑ Pauli (2010-02-02). "Rainie Yang releases Japanese version of "Youth Bucket" that fans do want". CpopAccess. Retrieved 2013-07-07. The English-based Kpop blogosphere has made it known to western fans of the huge popularity of Kpop over in Japan, but what has not been reported is that Kpop is actually only one of two popular trends going on over in the land of the rising sun. The other trend, of course, is Taiwanese pop. We kid you not, and there’s even a word for it Japanese called 台流 (pronounced Tairyū), which literally means the influx of Taiwanese pop culture in Japan. This trend has been prevalent in Japan for quite some time though, with Taiwanese idol dramas like Meteor Garden, Hot Shot, and soon Autumn's Concerto making waves in Japan, while Japanese artists like Gackt making frequent visits to Taiwan for pleasure.
  12. ↑ "小豬台流驅颱 征日抱人潮-東京首場粉絲會 1500名櫻花妹傘海迎偶像". Yahoo! Taiwan. 2011-05-29. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  13. ↑ "Show Luo makes debut in Japan". xinmsn. 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
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