Taiwanese Identity

Pigs of God (神豬)

Pose with the Pig! 

Since I started this blog a little over two years ago, one of the most popular posts has been the one about the Pigs of God festival. There isn't a wealth of information available in English about this cultural tradition, so I've always figured that the post was interesting to those who might be curious about what exactly goes on with this event after seeing something about it in the news or on social media.

My post last year was meant to explain the ritual and give a bit of the cultural context to people overseas who don't really understand what's going on but feel triggered somehow and end up condemning the people of Taiwan when they see sensationalistic news and photos about this festival. 

With this post, I plan to expand upon the information I provided about the ritual last year as well as provide some updates and personal opinion. I've attended this festival pretty much every year for the last decade, so I hope that after reading this you'll understand a bit more about this cultural tradition through my experience. The purpose of this post is to attempt to offer a balanced look at this centuries-old cultural practice and not to sensationalize things the way the foreign media does.

Before I move on though, I should add the disclaimer that there will be a few photos of dead pigs in the later stages of this blog post. There is nothing particularly gruesome but I'm just warning you beforehand! 

The practice of putting giant carcasses of dead pigs known as the "Pigs of God" (神豬) on display as a form of animal sacrifice is a tradition that started with the Hakka people a few hundred years ago here in Taiwan. Chinese culture however is no stranger to animal sacrifice and the practice has been going on for thousands of years. This particular ritual is a relatively new one with only a two hundred year history but is one of those traditional cultural practices that has struggled to stay relevant in modern times due to to societal changes and attitudes towards animal welfare.

The event is often described as being mired in controversy but at the same time it also has the ability to arouse the curiosity of society at large who yearn for a bit of tradition in their hectic lives while others may look at it as a way to connect them to their heritage. This means that while there are quite a few people who oppose it, there are others who make sure to visit and do their best to experience the vibrance of Taiwanese culture.

The arguments for and against the festival go a little bit like this: Activists argue that this practice is not in line with modern Taiwanese society and that the tradition should cease to continue while supporters insist that it is a traditional aspect of Hakka culture and therefore it should be preserved. Taiwan is a highly developed country where modernity and tradition are often at odds with each other, so when it comes to events like this groups who support these cultural traditions are often just as vocal as the opposition when their traditions are being targeted. In most places around the world a disagreement of this nature would likely lead to violence, but not in Taiwan where people (for the most part) respect the rule of law. 

I have covered this festival as a photographer for several years and while I personally don't agree with the practice, I do my best to understand the cultural tradition that has inspired it and generally keep my opinion to myself. I believe that my job as a photographer is to use my camera to show people what is happening and thus letting them decide for themselves how they feel. As an expat living in Taiwan, I don't think it is really my place to tell people what they should and shouldn't do and even though I have issues with animal abuse and animal sacrifice, I have to say that attending the event is always an interesting experience and offers a great perspective into the local culture.

When I first came to Taiwan there were around five-ten giant pigs put on display per year. Friends tell me that when they were younger there were at least twenty or more. That number has slowly decreased with only three showing up last year and only one this year. I spoke to the director of the Taoyuan Yimin Temple (桃園縣平鎮市褒忠祠) and he explained that there are fewer pigs this year due to "environmental concerns" (環保的關係) and the fact that fewer people are willing to raise the pigs nor do they have the space to keep them.

Typically you can see the Pigs of God show up during the Hakka people's Yimin Festival (義民文化節) or (very ironically) during birthday celebrations for Master Qingshui (清水祖師), a Buddhist monk enshrined at the Qingshui Zushi Temple (清水祖師廟) in New Taipei City's Sanxia District.

The pigs are raised for at least two years and during that time they are force-fed in much the same way as a goose or duck in France is fed in order to make foie-gras which allows for the pig to grow to abnormal proportions. There are reports that a few days before the event takes place over-zealous farmers will force feed heavy metals to the pig to make its final weight much heavier in order to win. I'm not going to dispute that this kind of cruelty takes place but I also think that there is a lot of negativity and false information spread around to discredit the festival.

In the past the pigs would be taken out into the public square in front of the temples to be weighed and publicly slaughtered. This was a gruesome sight and one that I'm glad I've never had to experience. Foreign media outlets however report that this is still a common practice as the pigs are brought out on forklifts, weighted and they slaughtered in front of cheering crowds which I have to say is blatantly false and is only used as a means to slander the good people of Taiwan.

Hakka's from out of town paying respect to Yimin Yeh (義民爺)

While most religious groups that have practiced this type of animal sacrifice have put an end to the practice, Yimin Temple (義民廟) and Sanxia's Qingshui Zushi Temple (清水祖師廟) are the last to carry the torch. Both temples have had to tone things down though and the Qingshui temple has promised to end the practice by 2017 and find another way to carry on the tradition in an attempt to placate both the traditionalists and those who stand up for animal rights.

Last year, the winning pig weighed around 840kg (1680台斤) and this year the sole entry into the contest was around 675kg (1350台斤) showing a bit of a decrease from years past. For a bit of clarity - market sized hogs sell when they are at about 250 - 270 pounds (113-122kg) meaning that the Pig of God this year grew at least 5-6 times the normal size while winning pigs of the past have reached anywhere between 800-900 kilograms making them almost ten times the size of a normal healthy pig.

The pigs are raised in a way that they are constantly overfed which eventually forces them to become immobile. This lifestyle is extremely unhealthy for the animals as they develop painful bed sores and often suffer from organ failure and various other ailments. Despite knowing all of this, after the pig is slaughtered there are long lines of people lined up to get a piece of the freshly butchered hog that is freely distributed to the people in attendance.

The historical nature of the is event is a bit hard to understand and (even if you speak Mandarin) there aren't a lot of resources on the Internet to really explain why it all started but after several hours of research I was turning up blanks. So, I decided to just ride my scooter over to Hsinchu's Hsinpu village (新埔鎮) and visit the largest and most important Yimin Temple to get the answers I needed. 

The origin of the event shares a history with the formation of Yimin temple itself - The temple is a religious and cultural centre for the Hakka people but it's purpose is to memorialize the patriotic Hakka militiamen who worked together to protect their homes and later quell several rebellions (林爽文事件及戴潮春事件) against the Qing Emperor in the late 1700s. 

After each rebellion, the deceased members of the Hakka volunteer army were brought back and buried in the area where the temple now stands. For their heroism and loyalty to the Qing empire, the emperor sent plaques in their honour to thank them for their service and their sacrifice. The temple was ultimately built to remember these heroes but also to give the Hakka people a place to worship and celebrate their culture.

The deceased militiamen were honoured with a spirit plaque (神位) in the newly built temple which became known as "Yìmín Yé" (義民爺) and thus became the reason why the Hakka people celebrate the Yimin Cultural festival (義民節) every summer. In the early days of the festival there would be a huge feast to celebrate the deceased heroes and this feast always consisted of pork because it was one of the most important ingredients used in Hakka cuisine and also readily available to the people of that era.

This doesn't really explain why the Pigs of God became a competition though - This came years later when a young Hakka boy from Hsinpu who wanted to pass the Imperial Exam (科舉) visited the temple to pray to Yimin Ye to ask for a blessing in passing the test. When he eventually passed the test and returned to Taiwan he went back to the temple to thank Yimin Ye for help in passing the test. As a way of thanking the 'Yimin' his family prepared a huge feast at the temple for all the people to come and celebrate his achievement. During the feast it was decided that from then on it would become a tradition for a large pig to be raised in honour of Yimin Ye and to be presented during the Yimin Festival. The responsibility for raising the pig would ultimately rotate between the prominent Hakka families in order to ensure that each family did its part and that people wouldn't foolishly waste their money when they had such an important responsibility.

This rotation went on for quite some time but ultimately a healthy competition started between families as the pigs raised for the festival became larger and larger each year. A large pig became a symbol that a family was quite well off, so farmers started doing whatever they could to make the pig they had to raise grow as large as possible. When the problem of "face" comes into these kinds of things in Taiwan, a competition is bound to happen, and in this case, it was to be expected that even in off-years people would still raise a pig to submit to the competition while at the same time offering gratitude to Yimin Ye.

Basically things got out of hand because of a drunken conversation over a feast of amazing food.

In the history of the world this isn't the worst thing that could have happened because of a drunken conversation - but I think knowing the history gives me hope for the future - A future without the Pigs of God! 

If the whole point of this was to have a feast and get together with the community, there are ways to do that which don't require giant pigs. Instead of raising a giant pig, the money that is spent on feeding such a giant animal for two years would probably be better spent on preparing an actual meal of amazing Hakka food for people to enjoy! 

There are many ways to improve amazing festival while at the same time celebrating Hakka culture and history - I have seen with my own eyes that a lot of these changes are already taking place and that while the Pigs of God were an important aspect of the past, they are not an important part of the future.

If you have any questions, comments, corrections or criticisms, don't be shy, comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! 


Gallery / Flickr (High Res Photos)

Ming Hwa Yuan (明華園戲劇團)

In my last post about the Taiwanese Opera I explained the cultural importance of the opera and how its origin in Taiwan was directly related to the history and development of the people living in this tiny country over the past few centuries. The opera has had to work hard to evolve and adapt to modern audiences and has also been quite lucky to have survived through the various precarious political situations the land has had to endure.

Part of what makes the Taiwanese opera so special is that it transcended the boundaries defined by the various styles of opera in China evolving into a new form of folk art that rejected a rigid system of rules for a more simplistic approach to performance art and storytelling. All of this adaptation and evolution has formed into a unique art form that clings to the roots of Taiwanese culture and identity and is the reason I argued in my previous post that the opera (while having origins in China) is actually quite different and is inherently “Taiwanese.”

Taking into consideration the history of the opera and its struggles with modernity, the opera could have ultimately become a distant memory without the efforts over the last century of the Ming Hwa Yuan Opera troupe (明華園戲劇團) which has worked tirelessly to promote the opera not only in Taiwan, but around the world.

As a Canadian, it is easy for me to compare what Ming Hwa Yuan has accomplished to our very own Cirque Du Soleil. When you think of performing arts in Canada, especially in Quebec with our vibrant French culture, Cirque is probably one of the first things that comes to mind. Likewise Ming Hwa Yuan’s accomplishments and worldwide performances have done pretty much the same thing for preservation and putting Taiwanese opera and culture on the world map on a smaller scale. 

The opera troupe was established during the Japanese colonial period in 1929 by Mr. Chen Ming-Chi (陳明吉) in what is now known as Pingtung county (屏東縣.) The Japanese initially allowed the local cultures inhabiting the island to continue some of their practices. When war broke out however, the Governor instituted a policy named “Kominka” (皇民化運動) or the “Japanization” of the locals which meant that it was mandatory to adopt Japanese language, culture and customs in all aspects of life as well as facing entry into the Imperial army. Despite these policies, Ming Hwa Yuan was one of the few troupes permitted to continue public performances and since being established hasn't ever stopped. 

Acrobatics

The Japanese were forced to relinquish control of the island when they were defeated at the end of WW2 allowing for another (foreign-led) regime to claim sovereignty over the island. In 1945, a few years before their ultimate defeat, the KMT-led Republic of China set up shop on the island bringing with them around two million refugees who needed some form of entertainment. This allowed for a short-lived opera renaissance with over five hundred registered troupes throughout Taiwan.

I say short-lived because as I mentioned in the previous post, modern technology and imported movies from the US and Japan soon became much more popular than the traditional opera. The KMT government in exile also started to institute its own version of “Kominka” which required all the people living in Taiwan to learn and speak Mandarin. Most of the opera troupes eventually disbanded due to their inability to attract large audiences, earn a living and put up with the police state that Taiwanese people had to endure during the martial law era. 

This is where Ming Hwa Yuan differentiated itself from the rest and is the reason why this opera troupe has been so successful in carrying the banner of Taiwanese opera around the world. Ming Hwa Yuan has endured due to its ability to evolve – especially when it comes to adapting new elements of theatre, modern technology and keeping track of the social trends in the nation. The troupe is one of the few in Taiwan that makes use of elaborate stages, costumes and props as well as professional lighting and large screens that offer subtitles.

Ming Hwa Yuan performances are quite a bit different than what you would normally see on the roadside or at temple performances. The actors who perform with the troupe are the best in the country and are well recognized figures in society. If you have a chance to see them live, you will be treated to a show that runs several acts and is usually almost two hours long.

I've had the luck to attend two Ming Hwa Yuan performances during my time in Taiwan. The first performance was just after I arrived and I had almost no idea what was going on, but the visual spectacle was enough to say that I enjoyed it a lot more than the Peking opera performance I saw in China.

The second time to see them was completely different. I spent some time getting the shots I needed for a contract I was working on, but then I got a seat and sat down to enjoy the show and get a few shots for myself as well. This time I had the aid of improved listening skills in the Taiwanese language and subtitles to reinforce the parts I didn't get. The story was allegorical and an interesting take on family structure and the filial nature of Taiwanese society. The conclusion was quite moving and cheers erupted from the crowd when they got their happy ending.

Curtains on another successful performance!

Keep your eye out for Ming Hwa Yuan performances – They play in outside theatres and large concert halls alike. There are also several different groups within the company, so it is really easy to find them. There are a lot of things to see and do in Taiwan but I think experiencing one of these performances should be at the top of anyone's bucket list and is an experience that will teach you more about the land, the culture and its history than a trip to the top of Taipei 101 will do!  

Ming Hwa Yuan Website: English / 中文版


Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)

Taiwanese Opera (歌仔戲)

I don't go on rants on my blog very often, but here we go - 

When you think of things that are uniquely Taiwanese, what comes to mind? Night markets? Bubble tea? Stinky tofu? 

I ask this because when most of us think of things that are “Taiwanese”, the first thing that comes to mind is usually food. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing - Taiwan is without a doubt a world-famous food-crazed country, but what else could we present to people coming to Taiwan as something that you can only see here?  

I would argue that an excellent example of something that you will only find here is the native theatrical opera which has evolved over the years into an important part of the cultural identity of the country. 

There are some people however who insist that the Taiwanese opera is actually not "Taiwanese” at all and constantly refer to it as the "Chinese opera" to fit their own specific narratives. 

So here’s an analogy for you: In Canada, the earliest Europeans who arrived a few centuries ago came from the United Kingdom or France. I wonder if any of these people would use this knowledge to accuse me of not being Canadian? Would they say that because my country has influences of British or French culture that we are in fact not Canadian at all? Would they say that maple syrup or our love affair with hockey aren't actually Canadian at all? I highly doubt it. 

When it comes to the Taiwanese opera, I don’t think I have to make silly analogies to really prove that the opera is uniquely “Taiwanese”, but due to the precarious situation of Taiwanese-sovereignty this causes some people to have the inability to grasp the concept that the people living here, much like the people living in Canada have formed their own unique identity and cultural institutions that differentiate them from the land where their ancestors hailed from.

With our collective human history, I wonder if we can we truly argue that, just because something has “influences” from another land that it cannot really be a unique and celebrated aspect of another culture? 

Roadside Opera (路邊歌仔戲)

So, let me talk about the origins of the Taiwanese opera and try to shed a bit of light upon why it is 100% Taiwanese.

It would be silly not to start out by mentioning that China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and despite the reality of the situation (Taiwan being an independent, free and democratic country), the PRC’s claim also includes more than just sovereignty over the land, but also things like Bubble Tea and the Taiwanese opera as their very own. 

Taking that into consideration, you might hear people say that since 'Taiwan is actually a part of China', then of course Taiwanese opera is "Chinese." The actual reality of the situation however is completely different and if are living here you should know full well that this is not the case. Taiwan is not a part of China and the People's Republic of China has never held sovereignty over the island or its people. 

I suppose the next argument you will see from most of these naysayers is that the Taiwanese opera is influenced by the folk-tales of southern Fujian Province (福建省) in China, which is one of the areas where the early immigrants who came to Taiwan originated. 

Please don't disrespect my culture

If your opinion is thus solely based on literature coming out of China, or because the settlers who came to Taiwan centuries ago were “Chinese”, then I would argue that it would be best for you to stop reading propaganda and make an effort to actually attend a performance of a Taiwanese opera troupe and then also one of Taiwan’s various Peking Opera troupes which regularly performs in Taipei so that you can see with your eyes the differences between the two. 

One of the most important differences is that the opera here is performed entirely in the Taiwanese language (台語) rather than in Mandarin. A difference in language is probably not enough to prove my argument though, especially since the people I'm ranting about likely speak neither Mandarin nor Taiwanese. 

It would be extremely difficult for them to fully understand the poetic complexities and word play of the Taiwanese opera as opposed to styles found in China - but the visual aspects and differences between the two should be more than enough for even the most uninitiated to notice.

Historically, the first recorded instance of any form of opera being performed in Taiwan was in 1624 - From that time on several performance styles and forms of singing and acting were brought to Taiwan by immigrants from various regions of China. The people living here at the time took these various styles and combined them to form their own opera and opera troupes began forming around the country in order to offer some entertainment to the mainly agrarian population. 

The Taiwanese opera that we know today originated in what is now Yilan County (宜蘭縣) and while early performances used folk stories from Fujian province, the opera quickly evolved and started using folk-songs and stories that were set in Taiwan and dealt with the sometimes harsh nature of living in the country at the time. These stories have helped to not only preserve historical events on the island, but also act an important educational tool about the cultural heritage of the island.

While the development of the uniquely Taiwanese-style opera is interesting, the history of the opera has been one of survival and adaptation that has seen its popularity rise and decline due to social transformations in the country (Ex: Japanese colonialism, WW2, The Chinese Nationalist takeover and a modern entertainment industry to compete with.)

At the height of its popularity, the opera was performed both on stages inside and outside, as well as on the radio, in movies and on television. One of the main reasons why the opera has been able to survive is due to its ability to adapt and modernize - Which I would argue is an area where the Peking Opera (and its rigid system of rules) has fallen behind when it comes to appealing to modern audiences. 

The resurgence of the opera over the last decade is also in part due to the success and hard work of the world famous Ming Hua Yuan Opera Troupe (明華園總團) which is well known for combining intricate performances with modern technology and has made the opera more appealing and accessible to younger Taiwanese as well as promoting Taiwanese culture and art to the global community. 

The photos I’m sharing today are not from Ming Hua Yuan, but a small travelling Opera troupe that performs on the roadside during temple festivals or whenever anyone contracts our their services. The cool thing about living in Taiwan, and one of the major differences between this country and China is that it is quite common to see these amazing performances on the road or at temples during festivals.

The opera troupe performing in these shots is the “Hong Ming Opera Troupe” (鴻明歌劇團) which performed a few different operas for a very small audience outside of Keelung’s Lao Da Gong Temple (老大公廟) which I was visiting in order to get shots of the Ghost Gate before Ghost Month finished up. 

Roadside opera performances are quite common in Taiwan and while the actors are performing out of a makeshift stage (that they pack up each and every day) they put on excellent live performances with music performed by an in-house band and are always free of charge (or paid for by local temples.) 

The Taiwanese opera doesn't rely on high-flying acrobats or high-pitched singing voices like its Chinese counterparts - Performances are often quite laid back and rely on short Haiku-like sentences of five or six words, facial expressions, hand gestures and the imagination of the audience. 

If you take away all the modern technology and the radio and television performances, the modern opera continues to be grounded in its grassroots origins and is still faithful to the stories about the simplicity of early life on the island for the immigrants. This simplicity is what continues to make the opera endearing to Taiwanese people and is also indicative of both the history of the country and the cultural identity of the people living here. 

The precarious nature of the political situation of this country can be solved another day, but the question as to whether or not the Taiwanese opera is uniquely Taiwanese shouldn't be up for debate by anyone both inside or outside of the country. 

I would hope that through this rant, that the people will look at the Taiwanese opera in a different light and respect the people in this country who formed their own style of traditional entertainment and have kept it alive through hard work and dedication. 

I will be shooting Ming Hua Yuan, Taiwan's most famous opera troupe next month, so expect some more shots of these great actors and actresses and some more promotion of this important part of Taiwan's culture. 

I'm embedding a Youtube video below that explains a bit of the origins of the Taiwanese opera in English and Chinese (with subtitles) and talks a little about the differences between Taiwan's native opera and that of the opera in that other country. 

As always, if you have any questions, comments or criticisms, please comment below or get in touch with me through the contact section on the menu below. 



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