Patriotic Elementary School’s Beloved Music Ensemble’s voice was heard   Ma Ying-jeou goes up the mountain to play the ukulele

Reported by You Tzu-ju / Taipei

The Patriotic Elementary School Beloved Music Ensemble, which recently gained attention for organizing a self-funded concert, was visited today (22nd) by President Ma Ying-jeou at the Beloved Tribe Music Group in Nantou County. He watched a performance by the Beloved Music String Orchestra and learned about the development of violin craftsmanship in the Beloved Tribe. Ma Ying-jeou also personally played the ukulele to experience the process of practicing the instrument.


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The Beloved Music Ensemble was established in 2014 and is the only string orchestra in Taiwan composed entirely of indigenous students from a remote tribe. They play Western instruments to perform Taiwanese folk songs with local flavor, such as the “Atayal Overture” and the “Indigenous Suite,” showcasing a unique style that has received widespread acclaim and frequent performance invitations. They won the championship in both the Nantou County preliminary round and the Central Region finals in their first participation in the National Student Music Competition.

Two teachers at Patriotic Elementary School, Wang Zijian and Chen Sichai, have persisted in training indigenous students to play the violin despite being in debt for years. They also assisted the tribe in establishing the Beloved Community Craft Workshop, transforming Beloved Village into Taiwan’s “Violin Village,” where villagers can both make and play violins. The Beloved Craft Workshop has now trained four professional luthiers from the indigenous region, using the violins they make as instruments for the village children to learn music.

Ma Ying-jeou stated that indigenous culture has become one of the most representative aspects of Taiwan’s cultural values within the creative industries. The government has been committed to the inheritance and preservation of indigenous culture, hoping to enrich Taiwan’s cultural identity. Through music education and cultivation, music can become an integral part of life.