Ríng Ríng Records

• Source:
• Research on Post-War Hakka Record Publishing in Taiwan
  From: Council for Hakka Affairs Author: Chuang Yu-chen

  Ring Ring Records, originally named “Formosa” (Bǎodǎo), was founded after proprietor Hong Chuan-hsing (1925–1984) was encouraged to enter the record business by his friend Li Kuei-hsiung, owner of “Taiwan Sound” Records. Ring Ring initially focused on releasing indigenous music, and from the 1960s onwards published a succession of titles including “Dance Song Collection of Taiwan’s Mountain Peoples,” “Flower Harbour Ami Tribe Song Collection,” “Moon Has Risen — Folk Music Vol. 4 (Mountain Folk Songs),” and albums by Lu Ching-tzu. In 1964, Ring Ring released the “Four Knights Chorus Vol. 1,” formally entering the Hokkien popular song market. The Four Knights were Kuo Chin-fa, Chen Mu, Lin Chun-fu, and Lai Chien-chi; Kuo Chin-fa later released the solo album “Pork Rice Dumpling” (Sio-bah-tsang), a song that resonated widely for authentically reflecting the social realities of Taiwan at the time. In addition to Hokkien and indigenous music, Ring Ring also published Hakka songs, including “A Thousand Autumns for Husband and Wife — Hakka Tea-Picking Opera,” “Bright Singing Collection of Hakka Popular Songs,” and “Hakka Tea-Picking Comedy Opera — Grand Saloon Medley.”

  Despite the diversity of its output, Ring Ring Records had many notable artists under its umbrella: beyond Kuo Chin-fa, there was Ming-lang, who sang Hakka popular songs; Hong Yi-feng, who sang nostalgic Hokkien ballads; and Lu Ching-tzu, who sang indigenous songs — each a household name in their respective dialect-language markets. Ring Ring Records was a distinctly unusual domestic label: even during the KMT era when the Government Information Office discouraged the public from performing or consuming dialect music, because market demand remained, Ring Ring’s strategy of publishing exclusively in dialect languages found its own niche in Taiwan’s record market. Ring Ring Records continued operating until the early 1980s.

  Tags

• Record Industry
• Grassroots Culture
• Nativist
• Field Recording

External Links

• The Trajectory of Taiwan’s “Indigenous Music Industry” and “Indigenous Songs” (Huang Kuo-chao)
• The Rise of Taiwan’s Post-War Nativist Indigenous Records: A Case Study of Ring Ring Records (Huang Kuo-chao)
• Pioneer of Post-War Indigenous Records: Ring Ring Records (Huang Kuo-chao)