An illustrated book that was two years in the making is seeking to give Taiwanese a different angle from which to view their nation by introducing readers to one of the island’s less well-known cultural elements: its rich tradition of folklore.
Taiwan Monsters (台灣妖怪地誌), created by a 37-year-old illustrator who goes by his nickname, Chiaos (角斯), and his group, focuses on the country’s rich, supernatural lore and features characters from Aboriginal legends alongside monsters invented by the book’s creators to explain natural phenomena.
Chiaos said he initiated the project partly out of his own artistic interest, but also in the hopes that the book’s subject matter will serve as a different lens through which to perceive Taiwan.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The illustrator, who is also a designer, said he came upon the idea for the book through a news report about an old man who died in a hotspring because the temperature of the water had gradually increased, instead of staying steady.
“I was puzzled when I heard the news, because if the hotspring became hotter gradually, the man should have had time to realize it and get out of the water, unless there were outside forces preventing him from doing so,” Chiaos said.
That thought led him to reminisce about all the supernatural stories from his childhood, such as the one explaining the parrot-shaped Yingge Rock in Taoyuan County’s Yingge Township (鶯歌), or Chiayi’s “Sun Shooting” legend chronicling the origins of the moon.
Legend has it that when Koxinga (國姓爺) passed through Yingge after defeating the Dutch, he encountered a miasma exhaled by a giant parrot and ordered his troops to shoot at the bird. According to the lore, the rock was formed by the bird’s body when it fell after its neck was broken by a cannonball.
The Sun Shooting legend tells the story of two suns that took turns cycling the heavens, subjecting the Aboriginal people living under them to perpetual daytime. In a bid to end their suffering, the Aborigines chose three warriors to carry three children on a quest to shoot one of the suns down, planting trees along the way to provide food for the returning generation.
The three children grew into adults during the journey and buried the old men who had carried them before slaying one of the suns, which then became the moon.
Chiaos said the trip down memory lane inspired him to start gathering information on supernatural folklore so he could bring the legends to life through his drawings, choosing to focus on monsters and creatures rather than spirits and ghosts, because he felt they are more closely tied to the local culture and geography that they originated from.
To make the illustrations look aged, Chiaos drew the pictures on wooden boards with acrylic and powder. He also illustrated ancient maps of Taiwan so readers can gain an idea of the terrain and geography of the time when the legends were born.
Chiaos included a lot of monsters in the book, such as the Aliakakay giants from Amis’ lore, who were said to have thickly matted hair and cat-like eyes, and abducted children to eat their innards.
He made the legend of the giants his own through the creation of the Meilun Mountain (美崙), which he drew with childish features due to its diet of children’s insides.
A proponent of the anti-nuclear movement, Chiaos also created a mutant creature off the shores of Kenting (墾丁) that he said was his vision of what a shark would mutate into after being exposed to the nuclear waste from the Ma-anshan (馬鞍山) Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Henchung Township (恆春).
Chiaos said the book has given him the chance to be like a movie director in that he had full autonomy over its setting, cast of characters and atmosphere, adding that the project also allowed him to portray his ideals.
A Taiwan Monsters exhibition will be held in Taipei’s Garden City Bookstore until April 20 that Chiaos said he mounted with financial help from online crowdfunding campaigns and NT$150,000 out of his own pocket.
“We hope that the people who come to see the exhibit or who read the book will come away with a new perspective on Taiwan, one in which culture is more prominent,” Chiaos said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS