Hengchun Folk Song Museum Introduction
Hengchun folk songs originated from the grassroots and are a form of music that embodies life experiences, historical backgrounds, and local colors. To ensure that this intangible cultural heritage does not fade away, the Pingtung County Government established the Hengchun Folk Song Museum next to Hengchun Hospital in 2009, showcasing the scores and instruments of seven melodies: "Thinking of Home," "Four Seasons of Spring," "Cowherd's Tune," "Pingpu Tune," "Five-Hole Melody," "Fenggang Melody," and "Mother Cow's Accompaniment," with the hope of laying a foundation for the development of Hengchun folk songs. Hengchun folk songs have their origins in chance encounters. Initially, a group of outsiders who came to Hengchun for cultivation missed their hometown and could not help but hum some songs. These songs may have been fragments of tunes they heard back home or melodies they composed themselves. Due to the pleasing melodies and their easy-to-remember nature, these songs gradually spread across areas like Hengchun, Manjhou, Fenggang, and Checheng. Owing to their strong local characteristics, they came to be known as "Hengchun folk songs." From a music research perspective, folk songs are usually categorized based on melodic characteristics, origins, and distribution areas. The seven melodies displayed in the Hengchun Folk Song Museum are traditional folk songs from the Hengchun region. Although "Cowherd's Tune" is only popular in Manjhou, it was included in Hengchun folk songs due to the fact that both regions were under Hengchun during the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese colonial period. After the end of Japanese rule, as Hengchun and Manjhou became two separate administrative areas, "Cowherd's Tune" was reclassified as a Manjhou folk song. Visiting the Hengchun Folk Song Museum is like taking a complete tour of the history and culture of early Hengchun and the lives of ordinary people. When it comes to Hengchun folk songs, the most representative melody is undoubtedly "Thinking of Home," with the most famous singer being Chen Da. Chen Da's deep, emotional voice expresses the homesickness of a wanderer in a foreign land. Despite living a life of poverty, his love for singing remained undiminished, sparking a folk song movement in the Hengchun area. After Chen Da passed away, his former residence was transformed into a memorial museum, authentically presenting the simple environment he lived in while also introducing his life and contributions to Hengchun folk songs.
