• Pu-Tu in Taiwan
  • Something about Pu-Tu
  • Pu-Tu in Lukang
  • Pu-Tu in Keelung
  • Chiang-Gu
• Song of Pu-Tu in Lukang
  • Lyrics
  • Composer
• Month of Pu-Tu
  • Day 1 - Day 7
  • Day 8 - Day 14
  • Day 15 - Day 21
  • Day 22 - Day 29
  • Day 30 - Following Days
• Meeting Cultural Workers
  • Shih, Kuo-Hsiung
  • Chuang, Yen-Yu
  • Li, Tsung-Hsueh
• Lukang Explorers
• Project Narrative
  • Basic Information
  • Project Overview
  • Project Elements
  • Project Contributions
  • Bibliography

Meeting Cultural Workers 1

Interview with Mr. Kuo-Hsiung Shih,

the Composer of the Song of Pu-Tu in Lukang

　　Mr. Kuo-Hsiung Shih, the Composer of the Song of Pu-Tu in Lukang

　　 (Please refer to Introduction of the Composer) 

　　Previously, Lukang Explorers had learned to sing the Song of Pu-Tu in Lukang at school in the school-based curriculum “Exploring Lukang”. We were curious to know how this rhyme became a song, so we interviewed the composer Mr. Kuo-Hsiung Shih on December 23^rd. We asked him what prompted him to compose the music for the Song of Pu-Tu in Lukang, what was on his mind, and how long it took. We also asked him whether he hoped that all the children of Lukang could sing this time-honored rhyme about their hometown. 
　　Mr. Shih told us that he rarely got to eat fish or meat when he was a child. Relatives and friends from different street blocks invited each other for meals during the Pu-Tu rotation. This was a bonding opportunity when people visited different communities to enjoy good food. Later the government said that Pu-Tu should only be held on one day for economic and environmental reasons, i.e. on July 15^th of the lunar calendar. At that juncture, Mr. Shih felt this could mean the end of the rotation scheme and the nursery rhyme. He then decided to compose the music for the rhyme so that it could be passed down to future generations of Lukang. He carried out this decision before his retirement, trying to keep this song alive. It was the first piece of music he wrote for Lukang folk rhymes. He composed the Song of Pu-Tu in Lukang with the traditional pentatonic scale of Do, Re, Mi, Sol and La, and then recorded the singing by the Lukang Choir. 

　　Mr. Shih also cleared one of our doubts. One version of the Pu-Tu rhyme we found online said, “Twenty-nine Quanzhou Street”, different from what we had learned in class. Mr. Shih indicated that there were many different versions, all kept in the Lukang Folk Arts Museum. Two versions are the most commonly heard and neither is wrong. Mr. Shih decided to choose the version “Twenty-nine Pu-Tu all over Lukang” when he composed the music for the Song of Pu-Tu in Lukang. It is actually his favorite part of the Pu-Tu rotation and tradition because it speaks of the tolerance and flexibility of our forefathers. 

　　During the interview, Mr. Shih told us many customs and stories about Pu-Tu in Lukang. He even gave each of Lukang Explorers a CD album of Lukang folk songs as a present. When Mr. Shih described the vibrant and lively scenes of the Pu-Tu rotation in the old days, his excitement shone through and took us to the past glory of the festival that we never experienced in person. We could resonate with his eagerness to contribute to our hometown. We really admire Mr. Kuo-Hsiung Shih for his dedication. 

Source of photo:  taken by Lukang Explorers