Green Island Serenade
Encyclopedia
"Green Island Serenade" is a Mandarin Chinese
classic song composed in 1954 by Zhou Lanping, first performed by Zi Wei. Although many people believed that Teresa Teng
had made this song famous, there is no evidence that Teresa Teng had sung this song. The lyrics of this song were probably written by either Pan Yingjie or Gao Yudang.
The song has been caught in a decades-long dispute over authorship and intent. This song has often been associated with a political meaning, for the real Green Island
was used as a place of exile for political prisoner
s from the late 1940s during the single party
rule of Taiwan
's Kuomintang
(Chinese Nationalist Party). A prisoner there named Gao Yudang claimed to have authored the lyrics before he died. Pan Yingjie, a professional musician, also claimed to have written the song for a movie soundtrack before he died. He claimed that the Green Island in the title means Taiwan itself, and that the original intent of the song was a description of unrequited romantic love.
A cover version of this song appears as a hidden track
on Vienna Teng
's second album, Warm Strangers
(2004).
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
classic song composed in 1954 by Zhou Lanping, first performed by Zi Wei. Although many people believed that Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...
had made this song famous, there is no evidence that Teresa Teng had sung this song. The lyrics of this song were probably written by either Pan Yingjie or Gao Yudang.
The song has been caught in a decades-long dispute over authorship and intent. This song has often been associated with a political meaning, for the real Green Island
Green Island, Taiwan
Green Island is a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, about off the eastern coast of Taiwan. In the 19th century it was known as Samasana Island and the Japanese called it Kasho-to . The island is 15.092 km² at high tide and 17.329 km² at low tide...
was used as a place of exile for political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s from the late 1940s during the single party
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
rule of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
(Chinese Nationalist Party). A prisoner there named Gao Yudang claimed to have authored the lyrics before he died. Pan Yingjie, a professional musician, also claimed to have written the song for a movie soundtrack before he died. He claimed that the Green Island in the title means Taiwan itself, and that the original intent of the song was a description of unrequited romantic love.
A cover version of this song appears as a hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
on Vienna Teng
Vienna Teng
Cynthia Yih Shih , better known by her stage name Vienna Teng, is a Taiwanese American pianist and singer-songwriter based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Teng has released four studio albums: Waking Hour , Warm Strangers , Dreaming Through the Noise , and Inland Territory...
's second album, Warm Strangers
Warm Strangers
Warm Strangers is singer-songwriter Vienna Teng's second album.-Track listing:#Feather Moon - 4:06#Harbor - 4:24#Hope on Fire - 4:26#Shine - 2:39#Mission Street - 4:32#My Medea - 4:09#Shasta - 3:29...
(2004).
Lyrics
| Traditional Chinese | |Simplified Chinese | | Romanization (Pīnyīn) | | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
這綠島像一隻船 在月夜裡搖呀搖 姑娘喲妳也在我的 心海裏飄呀飄 讓我的歌聲隨那微風 吹開了你的窗簾 讓我的衷情隨那流水 不斷地向妳傾訴 椰子樹的長影 掩不住我的情意 明媚的月光 更照亮了我的心 這綠島的夜已經 這樣沉靜 姑娘喲妳為什麼 還是默默無語 |
这绿岛像一只船 在月夜里摇呀摇 姑娘哟妳也在我的 心海里飘呀飘 让我的歌声随那微风 吹开了妳的窗帘 让我的衷情随那流水 不断地向妳倾诉 椰子树的长影 掩不住我的情意 明媚的月光 更照亮了我的心 这绿岛的夜已经 这样沉静 姑娘哟妳为什么 还是默默无语 |
zhè lǜ dǎo xiàng yì zhī chuán zài yuè yè lǐ yáo ya yáo gū niang ya, nǐ yě zài wǒ de xīn hǎi lǐ piāo ya piāo ràng wǒ de gē shēng suí nà wēi fēng chuī kāi liao nǐ de chuāng lián ràng wǒ de zhōng qíng suí nà liú shuǐ bú duàn de xiàng nǐ qīng sù yē zi shù de cháng yǐng yǎn bú zhù wǒ de qíng yì míng mèi de yuè guāng gèng zhào liàng le wǒ de xīn zhè lǜ dǎo de yè yǐ jīng zhè yàng chén jìng gū niáng yo, nǐ wèi shén me hái shì mò mò wú yǔ |
This green island, is like a boat meandering through the moonlight. Darling, you are floating in the ocean of my heart. Let the melody of my song follow the breeze, blowing through your curtains. Let my love go with the flowing water, serenading you. The coconut tree's long shadow cannot hide my gentle love. The clear bright moonlight brightens my heart. This green island night appears so peaceful. Darling, why are you still silent? |