Fearing that his age and lack of students might cause the practice of fashioning the organs of sacrificial pigs into shapes during Pingtung’s Lantern Festival in the Liouduei region (六堆) to die out, 84 year-old Hsieh You-fa (謝有發) has commissioned the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology to document the practice.
Hsieh, from Sinpi Township (新埤), said that during the ceremony the intestines and inner organs of a sacrificed pig are molded into the shapes of a man or other animals. The practice, called Kan Wan (看碗), is aimed at propitiating the heavens and asking for a prosperous and peaceful year.
“I started learning the practice when I was 18,” Hsieh said, adding that he had been in charge of making Kan Wan for village ceremonies ever since.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The practice sees a pig’s heart, liver, stomach, trachea and kidneys shaped into likenesses of familiar objects, such as pineapples, mountains, rabbits or rats, or into historical figures, such as Jiang Shang (姜尚) — more commonly known as Jiang Taigung (姜太公), Hsieh said.
Jiang was instrumental in aiding Ji Fa (姬發), also known as Zhou Wuwang (周武王), overthrow the Shang Dynasty and establish the Zhou Dynasty.
According to Hsieh, the Kan Wan ceremony reminds people to trust in life to provide their needs and the shapes were also didactic, reminding worshipers to be as smart as a rat, to be of good heart and loyal like a rabbit and to emulate Jiang Taigung’s philosophy that “those willing will bite” (願者上鉤).
The university said that Hsieh was the oldest Kan Wan master in the Liouduei area, adding that they first met Hsieh when the group visited Nanfeng Village (南豐) in September last year.
Hsieh told them that he was worried the practice would be forgotten and he was willing to teach anyone who was willing to learn, the group said, adding that they also hoped that by filming the process of making Kan Wan they would help the spread the practice, currently only seen in Hakka villages.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS