After being shunned for decades because of a local superstition, the Great Buddha in Changhua County has begun attracting couples with the beautiful scenery atop the newly reinvigorated Baguashan (八卦山).
According to legend, couples who visit the massive Buddha sculpture are destined to separate, as the Taoist immortal and infamous playboy Lu Tung-pin (呂洞賓), who is known for dismantling romantic relationships, is also enshrined in the temple.
The superstition is strengthened by another legend that a couple died after hanging themselves from the statue, leading residents to either warn couples against visiting it or suggesting taking a partner there if they wish to break up.
Photo: Chang Tsung-chiu, Taipei Times
However, over the past few years, the Changhua County Government has worked to reinvigorate its most famous tourist destination.
In collaboration with the Changhua City Government, it has organized Valentine’s Day and singles events at the plaza in front of the Buddha and enlivened its often-ridiculed market.
At the forefront of its newfound popularity is the new Guashan Village (卦山), which houses 20 shops featuring local artists, and hosts a variety of arts and crafts activities.
Photo: Chang Tsung-chiu, Taipei Times
The city government’s efforts have paid off with rising visitor numbers, transforming the staid attraction into a hot spot for young travelers — especially couples.
On White Day on Sunday, the mountain was packed with visitors enjoying the nice weather.
Among them was a couple wearing traditional Indonesian wedding attire, accompanied by friends and a photographer.
The newlyweds made their way from the archway near the visitors’ center to Nine Dragon Pond, stopping to take photos and receive good wishes from passersby, the Great Buddha omnipresent behind them.
A friend of the couple said that the two would often come with friends both before and after getting married.
To them, the Great Buddha represents Changhua, so they decided it would be the perfect spot to take wedding photos, they added.
The newlyweds said they had never heard of the legend, but would not believe it even if they had, as superstitions have no place in a rapidly advancing society.
“So many people come to take wedding photos,” Baguashan Great Buddha Scenic Association chairman Chang Shih-liang (張世良) said.
People are conflating the Taoist immortal Lu with the legends about him that flourished during the Song Dynasty, he said.
Lu was just a pleasure seeker, not a relationship destroyer, Chang said, adding: “Legends are not facts.”
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS