Screening + Q&A: Silenced sunrise: Taiwan’s music vs. the China factor with producer Chen-Yu Lin
Key information
- Date
- Time
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7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
- Venue
- Brunei Gallery SOAS
- Room
- BGLT
- Event type
- Event highlights
About this event
In the 2025 SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies Summer School, we are thrilled to welcome Dr Chen-Yu Lin to present her latest documentary, Silenced Sunrise: Taiwan’s Music vs. the China Factor.
This 30-minute film tells the story of how one protest anthem—Island’s Sunrise—became a symbol of democratic resistance and, at the same time, a target of censorship. Through the voices of Fire EX., the Bluebird Troubadours, and other Taiwanese musicians, it reflects on the struggles and choices faced by artists living under the shadow of growing political and economic pressures. Synopsis Music moves across borders, but so does the urge to control it.
In 2014, Island’s Sunrise, written by Sam Yang of Fire EX., became the anthem of the Sunflower Movement—its echoes stretching beyond that moment, resonating through protests and political gatherings for years to come. A decade later, as the Bluebird Movement unfolded, musicians gathered outside parliament, singing the same song. They became known as the Bluebird Troubadours— protesters from then and now, united by the same defiant melody. But across the strait, Island’s Sunrise was silenced.
In China, the song was censored. When it won an award, the livestream was cut mid-broadcast. Its banned status reshaped Fire EX.'s career, forcing the band to navigate the industry's unspoken boundaries. Taiwan is often ranked among the freest places in Asia, yet musicians still face difficult choices—whether to pursue careers in China and self-censor or stay true to their voice and risk losing a major market.
Through interviews and research, this film follows Fire EX., the Bluebird Troubadours, and other Taiwanese musicians as they confront censorship, restrictions, and the invisible pressures shaping their journeys. It is a story of how one censored song changed the course of careers, and how Taiwan’s musicians continue to resist, adapt, and reclaim their voices in a world that seeks to silence them.
Image credit: Chen-Yu Lin
Meet our speaker
Chen-Yu Lin
Chen-Yu is a Lecturer in the School of Journalism, Media and Culture. Her research examines perceptions of Chineseness in Taiwan’s Mandopop and the evolving dynamics of music censorship, particularly in relation to the Chinese state and market. She employs interdisciplinary and participatory approaches, including filmmaking and memory mapping.
As a documentary producer, her work has been shortlisted for the AHRC Research in Film Awards, with films including Chasing the China Wind (2016), George Harrison: The Story of the Beatles and Indian Musicians (2017), and Go Ahead Remix! (2021). Her most recent film is Silenced Sunrise: Taiwan’s Music vs. the China Factor (2025).
