Labor Exchange
After returning to Meining, Lin began to think about writing for traditional instruments instead of Western-style ones. He and Zhong visited Hakka eight-sound musicians in Meinung and folk musicians in Hengchun, Pingtung County to better understand the rhythmic and tonal qualities of traditional instruments such as gongs, the suona, the huqin, the yueqin, and the pipa. In 1999, he also formed the band Labor Exchange with Zhong, Chen Kuan-yu, Chung Cheng-ta, and newcomer Kuo Chin-tsai.
Set against the backdrop of the Meinung dam protests, Labor Exchange's first album, Let Us Sing Mountain Songs, received much attention. The first track, "Traveling Down the Tanshui River Writing the History of Our People," opens in mythical fashion:
"In the time of our great-grandmothers' great-great-grandmothers, / Our ancestors roamed / And came to Meinung, beneath the mountains."
The epic-style song tells the story of how the first settlers in Meinung toiled on the land. The songs that follow, such as "Let Us Sing Mountain Songs," "If the Dam Is Buildable, Shit Is Edible," and "Everyone, Oppose the Dam," describe how the people of Meinung worked to protect their local environment and how they opposed the dam. Listening to the entire album is a stirring experience.
How can a social movement be transformed into music? Lin's inspiration comes from Hakka music. He explains that Hakka music typically makes many sudden changes, jumping between high and low notes, particularly eighths and fifths. The song "Traveling Down the Tanshui River Writing the History of Our People," which describes the founding of Meinung, was a perfect match for this sound. He also incorporated some common Hakka rhythmic elements into the song "Let Us Sing Mountain Songs" to express the emotions of a Meinung farmer singing in protest outside of the Legislative Yuan.
Lin Sheng-xiang's parents' pig farm in Yenpu, Pingtung County, has over 700 pigs. When Lin has free time he comes down to lend a hand. Here he is pictured with his mother in the doorway of a pig shed.