On a given signal, the groups of four young men, each holding onto the ends of a bamboo sedan chair carrying the image of a local deity, leaped in turn into the chilly winter waters of a northern port.
Making their way back to land they then carried the sedan chairs barefoot across a bed of burning coal in the annual “harbor cleansing” festival in the port of Yehliu (野柳), seeking the protection of the deity for fishermen and residents.
The tradition began a century ago after a shipwreck in the area killed hundreds and locals took to having statues of the deity patrol the shore, but now, like many other festivals across the nation, it’s finding a new role in a more modern day need: increasing tourism.
“Today, we host this special harbor purification ritual and combining this with our unique tourism attractions, I believe we will attract more tourists from Taiwan and abroad,” New Taipei City (新北市) Mayor Eric Chu said.
NEW CAMPAIGN
The Tourism Bureau recently launched its latest campaign under the slogan “Taiwan — The Heart of Asia.” Officials hope it will become a vehicle for the development of a broad range of other industries, helping offset the nation’s traditional reliance on high-tech exports.
The new logo and slogan, the first change in 10 years, will be rolled out in an ad campaign worldwide. Leading entertainers from Japan and a US baseball team have already been invited to come and visit for other tourism promotion initiatives.
The most attention, though, is on visitors from China.
Since mid-2008, when Chinese tour groups were first allowed in, visitors from China have spent about US$3 billion in the nation. Last year, Chinese tourists overtook those from Japan, which for decades had been the biggest source of visitors.
SOLO TOURISTS
Talks to allow in individual Chinese tourists are expected later this year and a number of luxury hotel chains have opened new properties in anticipation.
There will be plenty for those visitors to enjoy, especially on holiday occasions such as those seen during holiday times, such as when the Lunar New Year festivities traditionally draw to a close on the fifteenth day of the new year in the lunar calendar
Not to be outdone by the Yehliu men, in Taitung, men volunteer to dress up as the god of wealth and have fireworks thrown at them. Getting burned shows strength and brings prosperity.
In Tainan, towers of fireworks called “beehives” are set off in the middle of crowds of people, many of whom believe that the more fireworks that hit their bodies, the more luck they will have.
For a more relaxing experience, the Taipei kicked off the nationwide, 12-day Lantern Festival on Thursday, complete with performances from overseas dance groups.
The bureau said it is expecting 6 million visitors, including 50,000 from overseas, during the festival.
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