Hakka History

Tung Blossoms 2019 (客家桐花祭)

As a long term resident of Taoyuan, I’ve been lucky over the years to have been immersed in pretty much everything that is Hakka culture. Almost everywhere you go around here, you’re able to find amazing cuisine, festivals and museums set up to share and preserve the culture and language of one of Taiwan’s largest ethnic groups.

Of all the Hakka related festivals that take place every year, the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival has grown to be one of my personal favourites. Taking place every April and May, the festival showcases the beautiful Tung Blossom, a Sakura-like blossom which has become synonymous with the Hakka people.

As each year passes, festival organizers do an amazing job of coming up with new and exciting events and activities that attracts people of all walks of life to the mountains throughout the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli area and beyond.

I’ve never really needed any these snazzy events to attract my attention - The beautiful Tung Blossoms that turn Taoyuan’s lush green mountainous landscape white in the months leading up to summer have always been more than enough for me and during the two-month period when the blossoms are in bloom, the beauty of the Taoyuan area in particular begins to shine - and I head to the mountains in my free time to take photos and enjoy nature.

Many of the events that are planned it seems are geared toward attracting the older crowd who are more interested in a day-trip where they can combine the blossoms, some entertainment and most importantly some great food. The younger crowds on the other hand have proven to be much easier to attract as they’re all about the Instagram, and what could be more Instagrammable than these beautiful white blossoms?

As it has become somewhat of a yearly tradition of mine to head to the mountains to check out the Tung Blossoms, there are a few locations that have become my go-to destinations for taking photos. One of the problems when taking photos of these blossoms is that unlike the relatively short cherry blossom trees, Tung trees are tall and that makes it difficult to get close to where they’re blooming.

Not everyone has a telephoto lens, so this is why people have come up with clever ways and cute to take photos of the blossoms. If you pay attention to Instagram, you may have noticed people collecting the blossoms that have fallen to the ground and to heart-shaped designs, Tung blossom crowns, or taking cleverly posed photos of the mountain paths where the blossoms have fallen on the ground creating what looks like a layer of snow.

Personally, I prefer taking photos of the blossoms while they’re still on the tree, so the places I visit are often areas that allow me to get close enough to take photos. This year, I decided to visit a location that I’ve never visited before, but has become a photo hotspot, due to the relative youth of the trees and the ability to get close enough to the blossoms to take photos.

On the day I visited, the place was packed with people of all ages taking photos, having picnics and enjoying a Hakka concert and dance performance. I typically stay away from places like this, especially those that have become really popular with Instagram types but on this day, I didn’t really mind. I had a great time taking photos and people-watching.

I was also able to have a good laugh on several occasions as the beautiful young woman featured in some of the photos scolded her boyfriend for taking sub-par photos. One of her comments stuck with me: “The picture you took of me makes me look like a dinosaur!” (你把我拍的跟恐龍一樣).

I can’t imagine how stressful it is being the boyfriend of an aspiring Instagram beauty.

If you’re reading this and are interested in heading to the mountains to take some photos of the Tung Blossoms, I recommend going soon, before you do though, make sure to consult the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival website linked below. The website provides accurate advice on where are the best locations to view the blossoms and their current state.

Tung Blossoms: 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018

Tung Blossoms (油桐花)

Every year between the months of April and May, forests in many areas of Taiwan turn white thanks to the Tung Blossoms (油桐花) that grow throughout the mountains and hillsides of the country. Often referred to as as "April Snow" or "May Snow" (depending on when they are in full bloom), the arrival of Tung Blossom triggers a considerable amount of domestic tourism with people of all ages making an effort to travel to areas where the trees grow in abundance.

The Tung Tree (油桐樹) is a deciduous tree that grows to a height of about 20 meters. It is endemic to South China and Burma but was brought to Taiwan by the Japanese during the Japanese Colonial Era (1895-1945), and was planted in mountainous areas in north-western Taiwan for its economic uses.

The cultivation of the tree was became most important to the ethnic Hakka people of Taiwan who lived in the areas where the trees were cultivated. The tree brought with it economic benefits as its seeds were instrumental in the production of Tung Oil which was used to make paint, varnish, caulking and wood finish while the timber was used for making everything from furniture to toothpicks.

When the economic benefits of the Tung tree eventually subsided, it took on a new role transforming into a symbol of the Hakka people and the long lasting relationship that they have shared.

While not as popular as Cherry Blossoms, Tung blossoms are loved for their ability to turn hiking trails 'white' with a snowfall effect as the blossoms fall to the ground.

The popularity of Tung Blossoms has skyrocketed in recent years with young people, especially young couples who head to the mountains to have impromptu photoshoots with the blossoms. You’ll often see couples on hiking trails collecting blossoms that have fallen on the ground to arrange into a heart or young men putting the blossoms on a string to make a ‘Tung blossom crown’ for their girlfriends - endless amounts of cuteness, I assure you.

Hakka Tung Blossom Festival (客家桐花祭)

In 2002 the Council for Hakka Affairs started the annual "Hakka Tung Blossom Festival" (客家桐花祭) an annual event which takes places during the two month blooming season as a way to promote and help to preserve Taiwan’s Hakka culture.

The well-organized event attracts large crowds of tourists to Hakka areas of the country, most notably in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli to not only see the blossoms but also to learn about and experience Hakka culture and cuisine. Organizers plan events according to the blooming season offering visitors entertainment and a festive atmosphere at the popular blossom viewing destinations.

I don’t heap praise too often on websites produced by the Taiwanese government, but the website for this festival is arguably one of the most beautiful and interactive spaces on the web. The site offers real-time information on the condition of the Tung Blossoms and the best places to view them by region. Likewise, the website is available in Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) as well as Japanese, Korean and English giving international tourists the opportunity to view the blossoms and experience the culture of one of Taiwan’s largest ethnic groups.

If you are thinking about checking out these beautiful blossoms, click one of the links below!

 Hakka Tung Blossom Festival Website: English | 中文 | 日語 | 조선말 


Hsinpu Ancestral Shrines (新埔宗祠)

I’ve probably mentioned this about a hundred times already but for the last decade I’ve been a resident of a small city in Taoyuan named Zhongli (中壢). The city is one of those special places in Taiwan that is well-known for its preservation of Hakka culture and the availability of amazing Hakka cuisine. 

Recently the local city government decided to start putting up signage around the town with the nickname the “Hakka Capital of Taiwan” which was an obvious shout-out to the people who have developed the city into the place it is today.

Like a lot of other towns and villages in the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli area (桃竹苗), the population of Zhongli is made up predominantly of Hakka ethnic group and walking around these places you’ll likely hear a mixture of Mandarin, Hakka and Taiwanese from the locals.

While the population of the city is now a bit more diverse, the culture and history of the Hakka people remains prevalent on almost every street corner and that history is celebrated and promoted by all the people who live here.

Even though Zhongli refers to itself as the Hakka “capital” of the nation, Hsinpu village (新埔鎮) in Hsinchu would probably best be referred to as the “Hakka Mecca of Taiwan” thanks to the all-important Yimin Temple. The small village is one of the most important places in the country in terms of Hakka history, culture, cuisine and religion and has been instrumental in helping the Hakka people form their own identity over the last few centuries.

Hsinpu has experienced a revitalization over the past few years thanks to the cultural preservation efforts of the government and everywhere you go you can see the past coming back to life again - Whether you are visiting for some great food or to learn about the history of this amazing culture, Hsinpu is one of the best places to visit and has quite a few attractions for the savvy traveller.

Hsinpu LinksYimin Temple  (褒忠義民廟) | Wu Zhuo-Liu Memorial House (吳濁流故居) | Hsinpu Dried Persimmons | Hsin-Hsing Theater

Today’s post is going to focus on some of the historic Ancestral Halls that you’ll find in the downtown core of the village. These halls, which are also known as shrines (祠堂) or temples (宗祠) are closely linked to Confucian ideology and place an emphasis on filial piety. Although their main purpose is for ancestral worship, they also provide a place for family get togethers and various events throughout the year.

The most common feature of Ancestral Shrines that transcend all of the Chinese ethnic-groups are the ancestral tablets (神位) in the main shrine room. Family members will visit several times a year to honour their ancestors, take part in rituals as well as whenever a wedding or a funeral takes place.

You’ll find Ancestral Halls like this dedicated to a specifically family all over Taiwan but the reason why the halls in Hsinpu are of particular interest is because of the history of the town and that they represent most of the families who first settled the area several centuries ago.

This post will unfortunately have to be one that will be updated gradually over time because the halls are in varying states of disrepair and are currently being restored. There is also the issue that while these ancestral halls are national historic monuments, they are not always open to the public which makes them a bit difficult to take photos of.

As there are seven of these shrines in the village, I’ll provide photos for most of them but I won’t be going into too much detail about their history apart from when they were constructed and how accessible they are to the public. Most of this information isn’t available online in English so I’ll do my best to help make this stuff a bit clearer to travellers.

Chen Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔陳氏宗祠)

The Chen Family Shrine is situated directly on the Main Street of Hsinpu Village and dates back to 1868. The shrine is currently in the process of being restored but is one of the few that is accessible to the public. The shrine is looks as if it is in good shape from the outside but the wooden planks in the interior of the shrine had started to rot and were causing structural problems which forced the shrine to close for a period of time.

The building is quite beautiful with artwork on the walls, doors and the roof and a tree-covered courtyard between the shrine and the main gate.

When the restoration project is completed it will reopen and you’ll be able to stop in for a visit between Tuesday and Saturday. (Closed for family gatherings on Sundays and Mondays).

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟).

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮中正路510號 (中文介紹)

Zhang Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔張氏家廟)

The Zhang Family Ancestral Shrine is probably in the worst shape of all of the ancestral shrines in Hsinpu today. The shrine which dates back to 1868 is currently undergoing a process of large scale restoration and is inaccessible to the public.

This kind of thing however rarely stops me and I wandered on site to check out the shrine. After a few minutes of walking around the construction site the foreman called out to me and I figured I was going to get kicked out but instead got a free tour of grounds. Despite the fact that the shrine is in terrible shape, he said that it would likely reopen to the public sometime in 2018. Currently the shrine is empty and the spirit tablets have been moved elsewhere for safe-keeping.

The shrine is considered a country-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街347巷22號 (中文介紹)

Liu Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔劉家祠)

The Liu Family Ancestral Shrine is currently the only shrine in town that has been fully restored and is accessible to the public. The shrine is open between Tuesdays and Saturdays and has both information available in English and Chinese to visitors.

The Liu Family Ancestral Shrine dates back to 1867 and as it is the one that is most accessible to the public and in the best shape you’ll be able to enter the grounds and walk around. The things to notice with this shrine is the incredibly preserved artwork on the walls as well as the wooden craftsmanship on the roof and the trusses that hold it up.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街230號 (中文介紹)

Pan Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔潘屋)

The Pan Family Ancestral Shrine dates back to 1861 and from the outside looks to be in relatively good shape. The shrine is not accessible to the public however and the best you can do is look at it from a distance.

The shrine is next door to the Liu Family Shrine but instead of being next to the road, it has a large front lawn between the main gate and the shrine which is actually quite rare in Taiwan.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街170號 (中文介紹)

Chu Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔朱氏家廟)

The Chu Family Ancestral Shrine was constructed in 1846 and is currently being restored. The shrine is the smallest of the seven and looks as if there is a family living on-site. The shrine isn’t open to the public and the best you can do is check it out from the gate outside.

I’m not sure how long the restoration process will take but the metal canopy that was constructed over the shrine to protect it from the elements likely means that there is an issue with the roof and the structure itself.

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街158號 (中文介紹)

Lin Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔林氏家廟)

The Lin Family Ancestral Shrine is the newest of all of the shrines in town and also in the best shape. Dating back to 1917 the shrine is the most colourful and most beautifully decorated of the shrines.

The shrine is somewhat open to the public, but to gain entry you have to first make an appointment to be let in meaning that unless you plan ahead you won’t be able to gain access. If you visit however you can see enough of the shrine to appreciate it from the front gate.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮成功街136巷16號 (中文介紹)

Fan Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔范氏家廟)

The Fan Family Ancestral Shrine dates back to 1860 and is currently undergoing a process of restoration. The shrine is currently inaccessible to the public and when the restoration process is complete, it will only be accessible by family members. This shrine is the most difficult of all the shrines to get photos of which is why I don’t have anything to show at this point. I hope that I’ll be able to get something in the future though.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮成功街116-7號 (中文介紹)

As mentioned above, this post is just meant to be a general introduction to some of these historic buildings. I plan to update periodically with both new photos and information as the restoration processes of the various shrines are completed over the next year or two. The history of these buildings as I’ve also discovered deserve a bit more attention to detail than what I’ve been able to write in this post, so I will probably write individual articles for some of the shrines in the future.


Pigs of God 2017 (義民節神豬)

Strangely enough, living in Taoyuan for the past decade, one of the most popular occasions of the year takes place at the end of the summer in the middle of Ghost Month when night markets pop up out of nowhere and the city comes alive with local culture and tradition.

The Mid-Summer Ghost Festival (中元慶典藝術節) seems to me a bit comparable to our 'Canada Day' festivities back at home when the whole community gets together to celebrate, enjoy a carnival-like atmosphere and eat some great food. 

Like local people here in Taoyuan, I have found that after all these years of living here I have made it a tradition of my own to take part in the yearly festivities. The festival always end up being a great time and allows for me to get out with friends, take some photos, enjoy some local culture and good food and meet up with people that I might not have seen for quite a while.

Despite what I see as a great time, there is a dark shadow cast over the entire event thanks to the inclusion of the "Pigs of God Competition" which is viewed both as a cruel form of animal abuse and also as an important historic, cultural and religious activity that should be protected.  

This is my third time to blog about this event and I’m sure that if you have read my previous posts you’ll likely notice a change in the tone for which I've presented it. The reasons for this are simply that my view has ultimately evolved with the times and as I've become more experienced as a blogger, my apprehension to discuss these aspects of culture and religion has started to fade. 

I don’t like to criticize 'culture' and I don’t feel that it is my place as an outsider to actually criticize what the people of Taiwan do in their own country - but a tradition that in normal circumstances (without religion) would not be acceptable to most people has become a horrible spectacle of animal cruelty and has brought Taiwan quite a bit of unfair international condemnation and has also numbed onlookers to the needless animal suffering that takes place in order to celebrate a single night of 'culture' and 'folk-religion'.

My coverage of the 'Pigs of God' event as a photographer and also as a blogger over the past few years is not because I want to drive traffic to my blog or write about something sensational - I want to help people understand that this event is not indicative of Taiwan as a whole and if you educate yourself more about this beautiful island nation that you'd find that its an amazing place to live, study and work and that the people who live here are some of the kindest and friendliest people you'll ever have the chance to meet. 

Pigs of God 2015 | Pigs of God 2016

Disclaimer

I just want to remind readers that as this blog moves on, there will be photos that you may not feel comfortable looking at. There is nothing particularly gruesome but I'm just warning you beforehand! 

This year's winning pig - considerably smaller than years past. 

The event is often described by the international media as being ‘mired in controversy’ but locally it has the strange ability to arouse the curiosity of society at large who yearn for a bit of tradition in their hectic lives and is often perceived as a way to connect people 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 while strangely taking family photos beside the carcass of dead animals stretched out and painted for the world to see. 

The arguments for and against the festival go a little bit like this: Animal Rights Activists argue that this practice is not in line with modern Taiwanese society and that the tradition should cease to exist 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.

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 the year before last, two last year and two smaller ones this year as well.

I spoke to the director of the Taoyuan Yimin Temple (桃園市平鎮市褒忠祠) 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.

As the conversation about the ‘Pigs of God’ progresses and society learns more and more about the unnecessary suffering these animals endure during their short lives more and more people have started to oppose it - This opposition has put pressure on religious and cultural organizations to come up with new ideas and start making plans to eventually phase out the practice altogether.

Thus far over twelve temples have already stopped the contest and there are future plans for more to eventually put an end to it.

The problem however is that while some temples have 'promised' to put an end to the practice, it seems like they may be backtracking on these promises and ultimately may just keep practicing it until they’re forced to stop.

Preparing a normal sized pig for sacrifice.

Before I focus on the negatives of this years event, I think its best to look at the positives and how things have improved over previous years:

  1. The Pigs of God this year were considerably smaller than years past which shows that a little more care was taken not to abuse the animals and overfeed them as much as in years past.
  2. The Taoyuan City Government promoted the usage of “Environmentally Friendly Pigs of God" (環保神豬) which were art displays made to look like pigs and constructed out of recycled products and paraded around town in the same way that the real pigs would be.
  3. The event organizers planned an alternate activity where local people as well as dignitaries as high up as President Tsai Ying-Wen would come and release water lanterns on the eve of the event.

As for the negatives, one of the things that bothers me most about all of this is how much local politicians have latched onto this event as a way to promote themselves. The event was attended by local and national level politicians from each party who mingled with the people.

The winning pig that was on display was either supported or promoted by a local DPP politician who had his flag next to the dead animal and office employees acting as a type of security in front of the pig.

When support for this event not only comes from local cultural and religious organizations but from politicians as well, it means that it is not likely that things are going to change very quickly and that is likely a sour spot for the animal rights activists who have worked tirelessly to help educate society about what is actually going on here.

At this point it seems like there has been a bit of progress and things have been changing for the better - I know that last year I seemed a little more optimistic that the practice would be ending after this year’s festivities, but right now, I can’t really see that happening.

There will be Pigs of God at the Mid-Summer celebrations next year as well.

If you are interested in watching some live video from the event in Hsinchu, check out this video from Far East Adventure Travel or this video from Taiwan Live

The Pigs of God (神豬)

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.

 I should add however that animal sacrifice is something that has traditionally been common throughout almost all of the different Chinese ethnic groups. 

While there are valid historic reasons why the Hakka people of Taiwan created such a tradition, the contest that has evolved out of it has become 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.

To become a “Pig of God”, the animal is typically raised for anywhere between two to four years during which 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. This allows for the pigs to grow to abnormal proportions with some reaching a final weight nearing almost a thousand kilograms before being slaughtered.

For a bit of clarity - market sized hogs sell when they are at about 250 - 270 pounds (113-122kg) meaning that a “Pig of God” grows to 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.

To achieve such a result 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.

To add to the cruelty involved in raising an over-sized animal like this, Animal Rights groups claim that farmers often force-feed the animals heavy-metals or stones days before the contest takes place in order to achieve a higher final weight.

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 continue to falsely 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.

Pigs of God History

The Pigs of God always attract a huge crowd. 

The origin of the event is a bit difficult to explain, but it is one that coincides with the creation of the original Yimin Temple (義民廟) which was constructed as a place to memorialize Hakka militiamen and patriots who worked together to protect their homes and their families.

The spirit plaque (神位) that was placed in the temple to memorialize the fallen soldiers became known as "Yìmín Yé" (義民爺) and quickly became a community symbol that brought together Hakka people of all walks of life to celebrate their culture, identity and history.

Every year in order to celebrate Hakka culture and the sacrifice of the young soldiers, the Yimin Cultural Festival (義民節) is held in conjunction with Ghost Month festivities (中元節) to honour Hakka ancestors as well as celebrate and promote Hakka culture throughout Taiwan.

The festival, like the Pigs of God has ultimately evolved into something quite different over the years, but the general purpose remains the same.

In the early days of the festival, the community in Hsinpu got together and put on a huge feast to honour Yìmín Yé.

As pork (in addition to chicken and duck) has been one of the most important animals to sacrifice to the gods and has always has been one of the most widely ingredients in Hakka dishes, it was always one of the most predominate features of the feast.

Each year one of the local families would have to raise a pig in order to both offer it up as a sacrifice to the Hakka ancestors and to help feed the community during the feast.

As “Yimin worship” became more predominant and ‘good luck’ was being attributed to paying respect in the temple, the annual feasts gradually became larger as a way to not only show gratitude  but to also show off a families wealth and status in the community.

As mentioned above, 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 to the community.

This rotation went on for quite some time but soon a competition (of sorts) started between families as the pigs raised for the festival became larger and larger.

Ultimately the size of the pig that was offered up each year started to symbolize the wealth and power of a family meaning that as the years went by the pigs gradually became larger and larger as a show of “face” and local power.

When the problem of "face" comes into these kinds of things in Taiwan, a competition is bound to happen, and in this case, despite the tradition of rotating year-by-year it became 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.

Thus the Pigs of God competition became a thing.

With this history in mind we can likely agree that the 'Pigs of God Contest' was one that was born out of simple human vanity. This has nothing to do with culture or religion and that is why I believe that aspects of this tradition can continue while the contest should absolutely be put to an end.   

As I mentioned in my introduction, the weekend of this festival is one of my favourite times of the year and is one that I’ve attended pretty much every year since I’ve come to Taiwan.

As the years have passed I stopped looking forward to the ‘sensational’ aspects of the festival and more so towards the coming-together of the local community to celebrate their culture and their heritage.

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.

I realize that this is a touchy topic and although its not my first time to blog about it, if you have any questions, comments, corrections or more importantly criticisms, don’t be shy - Comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!