Today is Double Ninth Festival (
Although many still know of the festival's existence, observance has waned and its origin has largely been forgotten.
The oldest known story of the festival's origin dates from the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220) and goes as follows:
Huan Jing (
Whether history or legend, the story of Huan Jing contains all the elements of the festival that would be celebrated for the next two millennia. Friends travel to the suburbs, climb a hill, drink chrysanthemum wine, roast meat, and compose and recite poetry.
Chrysanthemum wine, made of fermented flowers, is China's best known medicinal liquor. It is credited with curing headaches, paralysis and numerous minor ailments. Wealthy families made lattice frameworks that held hundreds of pots of chrysanthemums so the festival was also called the "Chrysanthemum Festival" (菊節) or "Golden Festival" (
Dogwood, a bitter herb said to ward off evil, was sewn into small pouches to be carried or worn on one's clothing. Chinese medical explanations for these Double Ninth customs are that chrysanthemums and dogwood eliminate the dangers that arise from an excess of yang or, simply, that exercise and fresh air are healthy in late autumn, a time of decay and epidemics.
As with most Chinese festivals, food is important on Double Ninth day. Traditional foods include pickled crabs, persimmons and fish flavored with chrysanthemum petals. Flower Cakes decorated with dates and prunes are also offered as gifts. A rural folk belief states: "If you don't eat cakes at Double Ninth, you won't have any coffin bearers when you die."
In former times, parents would invite their married daughters home to eat these cakes so the festival also became known as the Festival for Daughters (
In 1947, the mountain climbing element was used as a military exercise so that Double Ninth was renamed the Festival of Physical Exercise (體育節). Then, in 1953, at the suggestion of Taipei citizens, the government renamed the day the Festival for Honoring the Elderly (
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
RSS