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does their industry hierarchy look like? There%u2019s so much in those systems and practices that we can study and learn from.%u201dReflecting on the time when Huang first took on the role of chairperson, Lee admitted he had his doubts: %u201cI remember when she was about to take the job, I was honestly a little worried. I thought, why is this little sister of mine jumping into something like that?%u201d He paused, then added with a smile and a trace of affection: %u201cBut it%u2019s already been five years. So many people have come and gone through TMC, and she%u2019s still here.%u201dBurning and ShiningAnother respected %u201cBig Brother%u201d figure, director Nien-Jen Wu, also felt a pang of concern when he heard that Huang was about to take on the role of chairperson. %u201cAsking a musician to deal with the city government and city council, it felt like watching a little white rabbit walk into the jungle,%u201d he said.Having known Huang for many years, he initially worried that her freedom and creativity as an artist might be constrained by the demands of the role. But more than that, he believed in the quiet resilience and strength she carried beneath the surface. Over the past five years, Wu has witnessed the transformation of TMC, and how more and more musicians have begun to gather in the area around it, opening shops, studios, and live houses. %u201cBringing like-minded people together in one place, working side by side, building something together, that, to me, is what it means to burn, to shine. We can%u2019t predict what will come of it in the end. But as long as people gather with passion, and are willing to truly invest in this place, then no matter what happens, it will leave a mark.%u201dThe scene reminded Nien-Jen Wu of the joyful days of his youth. %u201cLooking back now, I think the happiest time in my life was those ten years making films. No matter what came our way, it was always about a group of people doing it together, charging ahead as one. And now, when I look back, I realize we actually created something, and it feels like we truly changed something.%u201dLike Jing-Jyi Wu and Jonathan Lee, Wu also hopes TMC will become a stronghold for creators and performers. Now in his seventies, he has come to an important realization: %u201cWhen we%u2019re young, we always hope to see cultural results right away. But in truth, no cultural legacy can blossom in just two or three years. You have to take a long view to understand what those efforts have really accomplished.%u201dAnd that is precisely why, on the occasion of its fifth anniversary, TMC has chosen to publish this book, to look back on the path it has taken over the past five years, and to invite readers to immerse themselves. Open your senses. Follow the words. Trace the journey of TMC and Taiwan%u2019s music industry, and together, imagine what the future of Taiwanese pop music might become.Sense & Sound: Five Ways into Taiwanese Pop Music

