Thank 神!

Back on the 26th of February, we paid a visit to my wife's hometown of Siluo 西螺, in Yún​lín County 雲林縣. While we were there, we stopped by the Guǎngfú Temple 廣福宮, a local Matsu 媽祖 house of worship, where Pamela asked the gods to grant a certain request of ours. Apparently, the goddess and her allies looked favorably upon my wife's plea, and so this afternoon we paid a second visit to Siluo to thank the deities for their benevolence. First stop once off the freeway and in the town was at a small shop selling mochi 餅, a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice which is known in Taiwan as 米麻:

Armed with four bags of mochi, we drove over to the temple, and proceeded to do the rounds of the various altars on the three floors. The mochi was left as an offering (but picked up later on our way out), incense sticks were burned and thanks were proffered. The ritualized xiè​xie's 謝謝 were completed with the act of  burning "ghost money":

Gratitude having been expressed, and with my wife's relatives all busy doing something or other, we left Siluo and headed for home. 

 Central Siluo

However, seeing as it wasn't yet 5 o'clock and the three of us were starting to get hungry, we pulled off the freeway in Taichung 台中 and made a beeline for the city's most well-known night market in Féngjiǎ 逢甲文華夜市. Night markets in Taiwan are most definitely not for the claustrophobic, and Wénhuá Road and its surrounding lanes were no exception:

As you would do in Rome, we snacked:

Shrimp fried in batter, with curry sauce and cheese

Guà​bāo 刈包, "a Taiwan specialty, similar to a hamburger"

Tofu fries

Mǐgāo 米糕 and ròugēng soup 肉羹

My daughter's favorite bite of the evening, fried banana

Food isn't the only thing on offer at night markets. In Féngjiǎ there are plenty of stalls selling clothing. I just hope Amber will have a better sense of fashion when she grows up:

Being cute takes guts

226: C'mon, gods, gimme a break

February 26, a date that rings of some historical importance in Japan (see February 26 Incident 二・二六事件), but here in Taiwan it's only the second day of an almost-four day weekend. Last night we received a call from one of my sisters-in-law in my wife's hometown of Siluo 西螺 that they had finally succeeded in trapping our semi-feral black cat Happy in a cage (see this blog entry for the background info). So today we drove south for the hour-long drive into (pan-)green land to retrieve our elusive feline. The result, however, was the same as last time. Even though Happy was in a cage, he literally wouldn't budge, clinging to the bars...er, I mean sides with all his might. When Pamela at last succeeded in getting him to let go, he scratched her arm, which in turn caused her to release him, whereupon, in a flash, he shot out of the cage and ran under the same hiding place as before. And to the best of my knowledge he's still there. I'm beginning to think we should leave him there.

So we left home empty-handed, but not before my wife suggested we first stop at the Guǎngfú Temple 廣福宮  in Siluo to do a bit of praying. Pamela isn't the most devout of Taiwanese when it comes to religious and spiritual matters, and I probably know almost as much about the arcane rituals of Taoism 道教 as she does. However, there is a matter of great importance that needs to be brought to a favorable conclusion within the next several months, and my wife felt it important enough to beseech the gods. Whether it was successful or not will have to be seen. 

Preparing the incense sticks 香

The main altar of the temple. Worshiping Taoist-style involves visiting the various altars located throughout the temple (three floors, in this case), praying to the different gods and leaving incense sticks all about.

 The view from the top floor

Not all of the sub-altars were ornately decorated

Pamela prepares to toss a pair of throwing blocks. Called buă-buēi in the local Taiwanese dialect 台語, their purpose is to interpret the gods' answer to a question asked of the worshiper. According to The Rough Guide to Taiwan:

If one (block) lands flat-side up and the other opposite, this is taken to be positive - this needs to happen three times in a row for the believer to be sure the deity is in agreement. If any other combination comes up before the third positive, the believer must start all over again. If both blocks fall round side up, this is taken as a negative, while both landing round side down is the "laughing" response, meaning that you must rephrase the question.

This explains why it took my wife a long time to complete the ritual. It also explains why Amber looks bored in the above photo. In the end, Pamela felt that the gods were not sure how to answer her question.

The front of the temple

Amber poses in front of a banyan tree outside the temple

Follow the lights

Recently, one of the roads near my apartment buildings has seen a long string of red lanterns strung up along one side of it. Out of curiosity this evening on my way home from work, I followed the lights to see where they led. After passing through a brightly lit arch...

...I followed the lanterns (now lining both sides of the street) to this brightly-illuminated temple located near the No. 1 Freeway 中山高速公路:

It seems every twenty years, certain Taoist temples 宮觀 will hold festivals to celebrate...something.

Not seeing the (warning) light, apparently, is the Japanese government, according to this translated article from the Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞 ("Taiwan to make factory complex for small, midsize Japan firms", Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売):

"Taiwan has decided to develop its first industrial complex exclusively for small and midsize Japanese companies in a bid to learn from their technical strengths, according to sources.

Interpreters will be stationed at the complex, and local authorities will allow Japanese businesses to complete administrative procedures at one place and develop a comfortable living environment for Japanese workers, the sources said.

Taiwan also will help Japanese companies hook up with local companies and advise them on new business opportunities.

Many Asian countries and regions are looking for ways to team up with Japanese companies to improve the competitiveness of their own firms.

These opportunities will make it easier for many Japanese small and midsize firms, which are currently being buffeted by the super-strong yen and electricity shortages, to venture into overseas markets. However, it also could accelerate the hollowing-out of domestic industries, according to observers.

Christina Liu, who heads Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development 經濟建設委員會, announced the decision about the industrial complex during a recent visit to Japan.

The complex's location has been decided, and the area will open as soon as roads and other infrastructure are completed.

At the end of August, Taiwan sent about 230 delegates from the public and private sectors to Tōkyō 東京 and Ōsaka 大阪 in a massive push to encourage Japanese companies to set up shop in the complex.

Taiwan's effective corporate tax rate is only 17 percent, far less than Japan's about 40 percent. Wages in Taiwan are said to be about 30 percent of those in Japan, which also would help companies cut production costs.

In addition, Taiwan has signed an economic cooperation framework agreement--effectively a free trade agreement--with China. Expanding into Taiwan could be a stepping stone for Japanese companies hoping to enter China's gigantic market."

As I write this, the yen is trading at roughly ￥77.35 to the dollar. Under the postwar Bretton Woods system, the yen was pegged at ￥360 to $1. The first time I went to Japan, in the winter of 1989, the rate was 124. If Japan's policymakers can't find a way to mitigate the effects of the strong yen 円高, the loss of manufacturing jobs could very well be Taiwan's gain.

Curmudgeonly Birthday Rants

Another year, another birthday. I’m reaching the stage in life where I’m actually beginning to forget how far I’m come, and I need to do some calculating when asked how old I am. It would be nice to have one’s birthday fall on a weekend, and thus not have to work, but today was actually the next best thing, as I usually only have to work in the mornings on Tuesdays, leaving the rest of the day free to hit the mountain trails. On my way out to Tà​k'ēng 大坑 this afternoon, I paid a visit to the T'ái​chūng Shèngshòu Temple 台中聖壽宮 to have a quick look around.

Inside the Main Hall

Now you may assume the reason for visiting a house of worship on this particular afternoon was so that I may pause on this day of birth, and reflect on my current station in life, in the presence of the gods. A reasonable assumption, but when it comes to Taoism (t'ào​chiào) 道教, I can’t be bothered. Taoism may have begun as a worthy philosophy concerned with the state of Nature, and of Man’s relationship with the Universe, but over the centuries it has aimed at the lowest common denominator, to the point it is now smothered in mysticism, superstition, the occult and esoteric (and completely unnecessary) rituals. To be fair, most of the world’s major religions have followed similar paths. One thing that stands out about Taoism, however, is its almost complete lack of idealism. Whereas most of the world’s major faiths (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and so on) in theory, at least, aim to educate their believers into becoming more ethical beings (even if they do fail miserably much of the time – people are people, after all), Taoism seems to exist mainly to satisfy its adherents’ most selfish desires in this world, and to give its followers the means to bribe their way into the next one. In this regard, Taoism is arguably the world’s most refreshingly honest faith! (And again, in all fairness, Taoist temples frequently engage in activities to benefit people in their surrounding communities, even if that means having local gangsters getting involved).

The view from the second floor, with the T'ái​chūng 臺中 "skyline" off in the distance

What’s also annoying about Taoism is its unapologetic ethnocentrism. Taoism exists for Chinese/Taiwanese people, and Chinese/Taiwanese people only – you don’t find the universality that most of the world’s great religions profess to have in common. One would think that the sheer irrationality underlying the concept of there being only Chinese gods for Chinese people would be glaringly obvious, but when it comes to religion (any religion), faith triumphs every time over logic and reason. On the bright side, this means we don’t have to put up with Taoist proselytizers knocking on our doors, harassing us on the streets or beaming themselves into our living rooms.

A lone worshiper seeks the gods' blessings. I may not agree with the religions and their dogmas, but I respect the believers, and when visiting churches, shrines or temples, I always try not to disturb those who may be meditating or praying.

So why did I bother visiting a Taoist temple this afternoon? The simple answer is for the architecture and the atmosphere. Shengshou Temple is one of the more interesting temples in this area, and commands a prime location in T'ái​chūng’s eastern hills. The temple is very welcoming of visitors (something Christian churches generally aren’t very good at doing), and there’s a very informative sign near the front entrance explaining in both Chinese and English the different gods, and their location within the buildings. I wasn’t the only one there this afternoon having a look around, as several of the worshipers were also taking pictures. It was a nice break before tackling the trails of Dakeng.

As for today’s hike, I had plenty of insects and lizards to keep me company. My camera, unfortunately, isn’t very good at close-up photographs, and the pictures I took of the golden beetle that crossed my path at one point were very disappointing. Despite my crotchetiness, perhaps the Taoist gods took pity on me (it was my birthday today, after all). I was blessed with sunny weather while I was out on the trails, and it was only when I was riding the scooter on the way back home that I turned around and saw heavy rain falling in the distance:

Family Ties

With plenty of time to kill this afternoon, I did a little bit of sightseeing in the southern part of T'ái​chūng​ 臺中. Located in a small lane just off of busy Kuó​kuāng Road 國光路 lies the ​"Taichung Ancestral Temple of Lín​'s Family, Inc." 台中林氏宗廟. Yes, that's "Inc." - this temple is apparently a business entity of legal standing. It's also a "Third Grade National Historic Monument", whatever that entails. All over T'ái​wān​ 台灣 you can find references to different gradations of preservation, without any explanation as to the significance of the different grades. About the only thing I know about this temple is that it was built in 1919 - all the brochures and signs on site were in Chinese only. Perhaps because of its designation as a historic sight, and/or its status as a family temple, there weren't any worshipers around at the time I stopped by (though there was one man doing some t'ài​ chí 太極拳-like exercises with what looked liked a sword in the front courtyard, plus a couple of photographers). Still, ​the Lín​ family ancestral temple made for a pleasant break from a busy day.

Revisiting old haunts

I went into T'aichung was to see what my new camera could do when it comes to photographing temples. The area I chose was the Nant'un 南屯 district, home to Taichung's oldest house of Taoist worship, Wanhe Temple 萬和宮 (dating from 1726). Parking my scooter in front a 7-Eleven, I took a walk along Nantun Old Street 南屯老街, a short stretch of road lined with old stores:

It isn't really worth going out of the way to visit. However, unlike Taiwan's ever-growing collection of "old streets", this one doesn't cater to the tourist trade - the shops and stores sell mostly items for daily use to local residents, and not snacks and souvenirs for day-trippers.

Tourism does seem to be in the cards for Wanhe Temple. Those brown signs that one sees all over Taiwan denoting tourist spots could be seen in the neighborhood, pointing the way to the temple, and the courtyard that used to be used for festivals and markets is now a parking lot. The temple was busy this afternoon, but save for a young Western couple (and myself), the visitors were there to worship:

Behind Wanhe Temple is another temple, albeit a more modern one. According to my Rough Guide, the enshrined deity at Wench'ang Temple 文昌公廟, Wench'ang Tichun 文昌帝君, is the "Emperor of Passing Exams", so it stands to reason that it's a popular place for students. And there were several there (along with their parents), no doubt praying for success on those all-important entrance exams that East Asian societies love to inflict on their young citizens. The two boxes in front of the main altar were filled with photocopies of test application forms and ID cards:

I don't know if it was the cloudy skies, the incense smoke, my ignorance when it comes to cameras or a combination of all three, but the pictures didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. Oh well, Taiwan certainly doesn't lack for temple photo ops, so I'll try again another time.

On a final note, this afternoon was a bit of a stroll down memory lane. This area was the first place I stayed when I came to Taiwan, when I spent time with a friend who was living in a large apartment building nearby. The temples could be clearly seen from my friend's balcony, and the festivals and firecrackers could be clearly heard, much to my annoyance. Even on my first visit to Taiwan, I was already a curmudgeon! The neighborhood has changed somewhat since then, but I suppose I haven't!

This is the Taichung I remember all too well. 懐かしい...

There's temples in them thar hills

Sometimes the most familiar of places can throw up unexpected surprises. While walking in the area above where Tak'eng trails 6, 7 and 8 meet, I decided to make a brief detour to see where a stretch of paved road led. Though I've walked in this area a number of occasions, it was the first time for me to use this road, and after just a few meters, I came across a footpath going off into the forest. Expecting a trail overgrown with brush that would lead to some orchards, I was surprised instead to find a well-maintained path that soon ended at a small road festooned with purple flags. Taking a left and following the flags, it wasn't long before I came across the temple pictured above. What made this temple stand out from the (literally) thousands you see in Taiwan was the attractive landscaping. This temple was clearly a relative newcomer to the scene, and encompassed several elements in its design and layout - a Taoist 道教-looking building, a large floral Buddhist swastika 卍, a statue of Kuan Yin 觀音 and, on the roof, a Yin-Yang symbol 陰陽. The next time I'm in the area, I hope to take a closer look with the video camera (provided no one else is around - I'm shy).