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The "Spring Wave Music Festival" is different from other music festivals, emphasizing "healing" and "delicacy." By combining music with nature, it brings participants relaxation for the body and mind as well as spiritual release. This article will take you through the development history of "Spring Wave" from the perspective of founder Shen Guang Yuan, as he personally guides us through its journey.

Since its founding in 2006, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" (hereinafter referred to as "Spring Wave") has stood out in the Asian music festival market with its unique philosophy. Unlike other festivals, "Spring Wave" emphasizes "healing" and "delicacy," offering participants an experience of physical and mental relaxation and spiritual release through the combination of music and nature.

Starting from the beaches of Kenting, "Spring Wave" has witnessed not only the changes in Taiwan's music industry but has also successfully pushed Taiwan's music culture towards the international market.

After more than a decade of growth, the footprints of "Spring Wave" have spread to Hong Kong, Singapore, and major cities in China such as Shanghai, leading local Taiwanese musicians to perform on a broader stage.

This article will take you through the development history of "Spring Wave" from the perspective of its founder Shen Guang Yuan, tracing back from its initial grassroots period in Kenting, gradually moving towards international expansion, and looking ahead to the future outlook on sustainable development and technological innovation.

Phase One: Starting from Kenting, Successfully Combining Music and Nature

When discussing why he "wanted to create a music festival," Shen Guang Yuan's eyes sparkled with excitement as he began to share the founding story of the "Spring Wave Music Festival," rooted in his wonderful memories of Kenting during his university years.

Shen Guang Yuan mentioned that during his university days, he and a few friends often held small music gatherings by the sea, and the carefree and free atmosphere made him feel the allure of combining music with nature.

He noted that after they formed the "Red Ant Choir," they became popular for a song called "The Wine Brewed from Love," and they had once dreamed of performing in Kenting.

Although that dream ultimately did not come true, many years later, as Shen Guang Yuan gained more experience in the music field, he serendipitously fulfilled this dream of "music and nature" in Kenting, making the natural beauty of Kenting the origin of "Spring Wave." As "Spring Wave" gradually developed, Shen Guang Yuan's original intention also began to incorporate more social significance.

In an interview, Shen Guang Yuan shared a fun fact about "Spring Wave": although "Spring Wave" quickly became a well-known music festival since its inception, it is less known that since the first edition, "Spring Wave" has been more than just a music event; it has actively promoted environmental actions and practiced social responsibility, making it a pioneer of Taiwan's green music festivals.

Shen Guang Yuan revealed that during the early days in Kenting, they would arrange beach clean-up activities every year, inviting artists to participate and designing joint merchandise, such as eco-friendly T-shirts and shopping bags. Notably, the festival also held auctions for artists' second-hand clothes, with all proceeds donated to local disadvantaged groups.

These actions not only combined music with environmental protection but also made participants aware of the importance of protecting the environment while enjoying the music.

Phase Two: Challenges and Breakthroughs in Going International from Taiwan

However, with the increasing taxes levied on "Spring Wave" by the local authorities in Kenting each year, after a decade of deep cultivation in Kenting, "Spring Wave" had no choice but to exit, prompting Shen Guang Yuan to begin considering how to take this music festival international.

In 2013, "Spring Wave" first landed in Singapore and Hong Kong. Shen Guang Yuan recalled: "At that time, our team decided to try and step outside of Taiwan, choosing Singapore and Hong Kong as the first steps towards internationalization." However, the event in Singapore faced difficulties due to the small market and high operational costs, making execution challenging, but it was also a very valuable experience for the "Spring Wave" team.

He explained: "Among Singapore's total population, the number of Chinese speakers is relatively small, and most people prefer Western music. Coupled with the high cost of living, these factors made our operations there very difficult."

Nevertheless, the success in Hong Kong opened the door to the international market for "Spring Wave." "We sold more than 10,000 tickets at our first event in Hong Kong, indicating that years of operation in Taiwan had attracted fans there."

Shen Guang Yuan analyzed that the reason for the success of "Spring Wave" in Hong Kong might be that the audience there is more familiar with Chinese music and has a deeper connection to Taiwanese culture, allowing "Spring Wave" to be held smoothly, thus becoming a significant starting point for entering the international stage.

Notably, "Spring Wave" has always been committed to bringing outstanding Taiwanese musicians to the international stage, allowing more international audiences to feel the charm of Taiwanese music.

In 2014, Taiwanese rock superstar Wu Bai graced the stage of "Spring Wave" in Singapore for the first time, marking the beginning of the festival's internationalization. Subsequently, from 2016 onward, "Spring Wave" further expanded into the Chinese market, successfully holding events in ten cities including Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Chengdu.

In 2018 and 2019, the two editions of the music festival held at Shanghai Disneyland with a total of 40,000 tickets sold out, marking the peak of "Spring Wave" in the Chinese market's second phase.

At that time, they also brought notable Taiwanese artists like Cao Dong, EggPlantEgg, and Wu Qing Feng to the stages of "Spring Wave" in Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Guangzhou, allowing more Chinese audiences to witness the diverse colors of Taiwanese music.

Shen Guang Yuan believes the key to success during this period lies in consistently adhering to music quality and meticulously planning each event based on the characteristics of each city, ensuring the audience can enjoy a unique and profound musical experience.

Phase Three: Returning to Taiwan and Recombining "Healing" with "Aesthetics"

With success in overseas markets, in 2021 "Spring Wave" entered its third phase, returning to Taiwan and introducing elements of "healing" and "aesthetics" to provide participants with a more diverse experience.

Shen Guang Yuan mentioned: "We hope the new 'Spring Wave' allows participants not only to come and listen to music but to truly feel the release and healing of the soul in the natural environment."

The first event of the "new 'Spring Wave'" was held in a camping site hidden along the North Coast, surrounded by nature, allowing participants to gain healing through the intertwining of music and nature.

Shen Guang Yuan shared: "In planning this music festival, we particularly focused on site selection and program arrangement. Nature is the greatest healer; mountains, seas, and forests are the best gifts from the creator to humanity, and we want to harness this natural power to enhance participants' experiences."

During the "new 'Spring Wave'" phase, he noted that besides choosing to hold the event on the North Coast, the team has also tried to challenge other coastal venues. For example, they once held "Spring Wave: Coastal" on Fisherman’s Island in Tainan, and even attempted to bring "Spring Wave" to the offshore island of Penghu. However, due to execution difficulties, they ultimately decided not to continue holding the event at beach venues in the following year.

Shen Guang Yuan recalled: "After several trials and challenges in setting up stages and moving equipment on the beach, we also realized how to better execute such scenarios in the future."

Although they have not yet found an ideal geographic location to proceed with the coastal plan, the team continues to search for more suitable coastal venues, hoping to integrate different natural landscapes into the music festival, focusing on creating an atmosphere of "healing" and "delicacy," which is an important mark of the third phase and also serves as a crucial prelude to "Spring Wave" moving into its fourth phase.

Phase Four: Looking to the Future, Progressing with Diversity and Sustainable Development

This year, as "Spring Wave" enters its 19th year, looking ahead to next year as it approaches its 20th anniversary, Shen Guang Yuan regards it as a watershed moment, symbolizing the entry of "Spring Wave" into its fourth phase.

He stated: "The 20th anniversary is a very important watershed for our team. We have come from the initial days in Kenting to overseas, and now back to Taiwan, and we are preparing to enter the fourth phase."

In discussing this, Shen Guang Yuan particularly mentioned the inspiration from the British band Coldplay, which has had a profound impact on the future development of "Spring Wave."

He noted that Coldplay once halted their global tour because they believed traditional music tours had a severe impact on the environment. Later, they began to explore new energy solutions, such as using the kinetic energy of on-site audiences for power generation, and partnering with companies to adopt new forms of energy to reduce the carbon footprint of their tours.

Shen Guang Yuan said: "We see international bands like Coldplay making efforts for environmental protection, and these practices inspire us greatly. We hope that 'Spring Wave' can also make breakthroughs in energy use and environmental protection, truly achieving sustainable development in the future."

Based on this philosophy, he emphasized that future "Spring Wave" events will not only innovate on a technical level—for example, developing a dedicated APP to replace traditional paper programs as part of their environmental response—but will also comprehensively ban the use of plastic cups throughout the festival duration, encouraging participants to bring their own utensils and water bottles.

He stated: "In the early days in Kenting, we would issue large quantities of programs every year, but that all became waste. Now we choose to develop an APP, allowing everyone to check directly on their phones, which is part of our response to the sustainability concept."

Additionally, Shen Guang Yuan hinted that future "Spring Wave" plans may incorporate new energy technologies to further enhance the idea of "Love the Earth," showcasing their commitment and dedication to environmental protection.

Returning to the music aspect, the "delicacy" of music planning remains central to the future of "Spring Wave."

Shen Guang Yuan stated that regardless of the phase, they will continue to meticulously select performers, taking into account the artists' spiritual attributes, their music works, and live performance capabilities, ensuring that each performance meets the unique delicate atmosphere and quality of "Spring Wave."

Furthermore, he shared that the future development of "Spring Wave" is also expected to continue inviting more international artists to participate, bringing more world music to the scene to align with the new vision of the fourth phase of "Spring Wave." Shen Guang Yuan's musical philosophy emphasizes not just the music itself but also how to bring healing and aesthetic enjoyment through music.

He believes that in the future, "Spring Wave" will continue to bring more positive energy to participants through the integration of music and nature, and achieve a higher level of development in the combination of environmental protection and technology.

As we prepare to enjoy the 19th edition of "Spring Wave," the "fourth phase of 'Spring Wave'" mentioned by Shen Guang Yuan will debut next year. Music fans can look forward to what new highlights and ideas the 20th anniversary of "Spring Wave" will bring, providing participants a deeper experience of the new Spring Wave.

Author: julian
Date: October 27, 2024
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