Sun, May 24, 2026 page3

• FEATURE: Official’s golden shovels a ‘national birthrate helper’

  • By Wu Chun-feng and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  For more than a decade, Tainan City Councilor Kuo Hong-yi (郭鴻儀) has collected and then handed out more than 37 “golden shovels” used in groundbreaking ceremonies to people seeking luck in pregnancy — a practice he jokingly calls his contribution to the national birthrate.

  The ceremonial shovels have long been prized in Taiwan for their auspicious color and a homophonic pun in Mandarin linking “shovel” with “childbirth.”

  In Taiwanese folklore, placing one under a bed can bring good luck in pregnancy.

  

  Tainan City Councilor Kuo Hong-yi poses with “golden shovels” in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times

  Kuo began collecting the shovels during his time as Rende District (仁德) administrator. He has amassed more than 50 shovels from public works projects, temple expansions and corporate developments.

  Most are stored at his service office, where requests tend to come from older residents hoping for grandchildren.

  At one point, groundbreaking ceremonies were so frequent that new shovels piled up faster than he could give them away, with as many as 32 in storage at once, he said.

  Among the collection, the most sought-after of Tainan’s golden shovels are undoubtedly those signed by President William Lai (賴清德), Kuo said, adding that during Lai’s time as Tainan mayor, shovels bearing his signature were the most requested items and have long been out of stock.

  Since Lai became premier and later president, his staff usually whisk the ceremonial tools away immediately after the event, making them difficult to obtain, Kuo said.

  Not all shovels are up for grabs.

  Kuo said he once obtained a rare specimen signed by Acer founder Stan Shih (施振榮), which he kept.

  However, he said he was willing to give away another rare item — a shovel signed by Olympic badminton doubles gold medalist Lee Yang (李洋), who is now minister of sports.

  Kuo said he gave the shovel bearing Lee’s signature to a long-time supporter struggling to conceive, hoping the “gold medal blessing” would help.

  Of the 18 in his office, most are available unless a specific signature is requested, he said, advising recipients to follow customary practices, such as offering incense to the Recorder of Births (註生娘娘) after receiving a shovel.

  While groundbreaking ceremonies usually include prayers to local earth deities, meaning the items are already considered blessed, “sincerity is what matters,” he said.

  Kuo said a resident surnamed Liu (劉), who was married for eight years without children, received five shovels before his wife became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter.

  Another resident, surnamed Chen (陳), took two shovels in two years and ended up with two sons, he added.

  However, Kuo stressed that couples should first seek medical advice to rule out underlying health issues before turning to folk remedies.

  The shovels are offered in good faith, with the right mindset and without undue pressure, he said.

  The symbolism of groundbreaking ceremonies has shifted.

  Event planner Lu Shang-chien (呂尚謙), who has two decades of experience organizing such ceremonies, said that the focus used to be on the “golden sand” from the site.

  Attendees used to collect sand from construction sites, placing it at home according to geomantic principles to attract wealth — a custom now rarely practiced, Lu said.

  Other construction-related items are also believed to carry fertility symbolism, he said.

  For example, stones used in tunnel breakthroughs are said to aid conception, though such projects are relatively rare, he said.

  For most people, collecting a golden shovel remains the more accessible tradition, he said.
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