It is said that most Taiwanese practice a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism and folk beliefs. But what are these folk beliefs and how are they
practiced?
Taiwanese folk religion is centered on the concepts of attracting good fortune and repelling ill fortune. Pursuing Good Fortune -- Taiwanese Folk Cultural Artefacts, the new special exhibition at the Museum of World Religions in Yonghe (
The entryway to the exhibition is narrow and crooked and co-vered with floor-to-ceiling pictures of brick walls and curving Chinese roofs. It gives you the sense of walking through the narrow alleyways of a small town somewhere in Taiwan.
The first section of the exhibition is dedicated to "spaces" and contains a temple display and a residential display. The representation of a traditional Taiwanese temple is much simplified yet unmistakable: Imposing, angry-looking painted generals stand guard on either side of the door; stylized mythical beasts sit atop beams and pillars; and the altar inside is illuminated with red light.
Special attention is given to the beasts in this section of the exhibition. The sculptures of phoenixes, dragons and lions all have their specific duties of protecting the temple. For example, a dragon-fish beast called the aoyu (
Some of the more humorous items in the residential display are the clay "wind lions" (
The section on personal items contained mostly pendants worn to ward off evil spirits, including the donut-shaped coin pendants that are still popular today.
Some of the exhibition's most beautiful items were the ceremonial baby clothes in the stages-of-life section. The little caps adorned with embroidered mythical beasts were especially
adorable.
As informative as the exhibition is, non-Chinese-reading visitors should bring a Taiwanese friend along with them to
translate, as the artefacts' descriptions are in Chinese only.
The NT$150 ticket for admission gets you into the rest of the museum, which contains some lovely displays, such as intricate models of major world temples. To get to the museum, take the Nanshijiao MRT line to Dingxi Station and wait for the free Sogo shuttle outside Exit 1. The museum is in the same building as Sogo.
Exhibition notes
What: Pursuing Good Fortune ? Taiwanese Folk Cultural Artefacts(
Where: Museum of World Religions, 7F, 236 Zhongshan Rd, Yonghe, Taipei (
Telephone: (02) 8231 5966
When: To Feb. 10, 2006
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Mirror mirror on the wall, what’s the fairest Disney live-action remake of them all? Wait, mirror. Hold on a second. Maybe choosing from the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Mulan (2020) and The Lion King (2019) isn’t such a good idea. Mirror, on second thought, what’s on Netflix? Even the most devoted fans would have to acknowledge that these have not been the most illustrious illustrations of Disney magic. At their best (Pete’s Dragon? Cinderella?) they breathe life into old classics that could use a little updating. At their worst, well, blue Will Smith. Given the rapacious rate of remakes in modern
RSS