Heartbeat of Taiwan

"Heartbeat of Taiwan" (Chinese: 台灣的心跳聲) is a song by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. The song was written by Michael Lin and Vincent Fang, and it was produced by Michael Lin. It was released on April 27, 2010, by Warner and Mars, and it was the theme song for the Taiwan pavilion at the Expo 2010.^[1]

Tsai was invited to sing the theme song for the Taiwan pavilion at the Expo 2010, and invited Ryan Kou to sing the rap part of the song.^[2] Lyricist Vincent Fang said, "The lyrics are based on the concept of heavenly lanterns, from Sanyi wood sculpture, Meinong oil-paper umbrella, Yanshui beehive firecrackers, all of them are things from our hometowns, which is different from the experience of lyrics that depicted the European style of 'Prague Square' and so on in the past."^[1]

The song is a blend of pop and humanistic depth. Tsai said, "I'm very happy to be the lead singer of the theme song of the Taiwan pavilion at Expo 2010, 'Heartbeat of Taiwan', which has a very beautiful mood and shows the unique humanistic style of Taiwan. I hope that through this song, people will love this piece of land of Taiwan even more, and I invite you to look forward to the complete release of the 'Heartbeat of Taiwan' music video."^[3]

The music video for the song "Heartbeat of Taiwan" was filmed by director Jerry Fan and sponsored by Taiwan Realty Estate Co. for NT$50 million. The video was broadcast intensively in Taiwan through television commercials, and was also available for free digital download on the Internet or on CD-ROM.^[1]

"Heartbeat of Taiwan" shows the unique emotional impressions of Taiwanese people, including Taiwan's mountains and rivers, simple neighborhoods and lanes, traditional folk culture, and religious beliefs. Tsai also stars in the music video, in which she gently and emotionally lights the lanterns for all the people, inviting them to leave their worries behind and listen to the real heartbeat of the land of Taiwan through the beautiful and touching lyrics and melodies, as well as the intimate images of Taiwan's humanities and customs.^[3]

Jerry Fan said: "Jolin is a good friend of Vincent Fang and Michael Lin, and she sings with a special feeling. Originally, she was not going to appear in the music video, but the overall effect is better after she is in the scene, and the music video will be broadcast at the World Expo for half a year, and will be aired intensively on Taiwan channels.^[4]

The catchy lyrics and melody of the song "Heartbeat of Taiwan" has gained high popularity and has become the subject of many Internet adaptations. Because the song was released at a time when there was a large debate in Taiwan about the retention or abolition of the death penalty, the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty adapted and released the song "Heartbeat of Killer" to express the stakes of the execution of the death penalty.^[5]