Thinking from Luo Dayou

Just now i listen to a few songs composed by Luo Dayou(罗大佑) through the youtube website. I got quite moved after listening to these songs. Among these songs i like the old ones most, like "Green Island Nocturne(绿岛小夜曲)", "Flower in the sea(海上花)"，"Asia's Orphan(亚细亚的孤儿)"，"The children on the earth(大地上的孤儿)"，and the "the owner of the future(未来的主人翁)". These songs are all composed from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, when the Taiwan Island is experiencing its non-stability of societies and politics. During the rein of Kuomintang Party, people were under pressure of the dictatorial Kuomintang Party and claimed for a more democratic political system. The "Green island Nocturne" expressed the sadness and loneliness of the warrior jailed in prison because of the struggle for democracy. The "Flower in the sea" expressed the composer's love for this small island. The other songs expressed Luo Dayou's hope for the future and sadness about the reality.

Praised as the godfather of the modern Taiwan pop songs, Luo Dayou really played an important part in the history of both music and culture of this island. His songs influenced a whole generation of Chinese youths both in Chinese mainland and Taiwan island. In his songs, i can make sense of his loyalty to China and homesick to the Chinese mainland. He is a Chinese rather than the so-called Taiwanese. His heart is forever pointing to the mainland although maybe he does not like the rule of the communist party.

For a long time, i think Taiwan is an westernized island like Singapore, without soul and real culture. But with more understanding of this island after moving to Singapore, i have enough confidence to say that the Chinese culture remains better in Taiwan than the mainland, especially those people who were born before the 1970s. The real Chinese culture is one without the influence of the culture of Parties, or politics. The real Chinese culture lies in Changjiang River rather than Dadu River, in the Tai Mountain rather than Jinggang Mountain, in the Confucius rather than Karl Marx, in the Classic books of those ancient thinkers rather than the red book of Chairman Mao.

As an authentic Chinese intellect, i never hide my deep love to my motherland, including Taiwan of course. But sometimes i think that will it work that just claiming Taiwan is part of China and doing nothing else, is it that important that Taiwan must be dominated by the central government of Beijing, and is it a better situation when the two government in Beijing and Taibei both work for the progress of our ONE CHINA and maybe can get experience from each other.
Since people in that island are also our brothers and sisters, we all have the responsibility to have a good understanding of this island. Our words are of no sense if we say without knowing, and this understanding is what the youth in mainland lack of.

Through Luo Dayou's songs, we share the sorrow, the happiness, the hope and the anticipation. We speak the same language. We celebrate the same festivals. We are proud of the same culture. We have gone through the same great and also humiliating history. And above all, we have the same root and feeling. We can make sense of each other's writing and music, and mercy the tribulation, and pray the bright future for each other.

There is an old Chinese saying, "Blood is thicker than water". We are one together and the blood during the anti-japanese war has proven our brotherhood. I cannot predict the future but i really wish the peaceful development of the whole China and every Chinese has a happy life.