林強 / Lim Giong

Photo credit: Acudus Aranyian

Lim Giong is a Taiwanese musician, DJ, composer, and actor. Although his current work leans more experimental and electronic, Lim’s musical roots actually began in pop music. Lim was one of the first musicians to use the Taiwanese Hokkien dialect in mainstream pop. Many of his earlier songs reflected political issues and his first single, “Marching Forward” (1990), was a huge anthem for the youth of Taiwan. The track firmly cemented him as one of the leading musicians in the New Taiwanese Song Movement.

After achieving mainstream success, Lim became much more interested in combining traditional taiwanese music with electronic music. His albums China Fun (2002) and Folk Paradise (2003) both show his burgeoning interest in genres such as drum and bass, breakbeat, ambient, and electronica.

Having studied acting and after appearing in films as an actor, Lim became the favorite composer of Hou Hsiao-hsien, for whom he wrote the music of Goodbye South, Goodbye, Millennium Mambo and The Assassin, which won the 2015 Cannes Film Festival’s Soundtrack Award. Still an active artist who often collaborates with museums and more, Lim is currently the go-to composer for avant garde Chinese movies, including award-winning Jia Zhangke’s The World, Still Life and Bi Gan’s Long Day’s Journey into Night and Kaili Blues.

Lim’s artistic work has spanned across two generations. His career as a pop star, actor, and acclaimed composer are still inspiring the work of young artists today.