Taiwanese Culture – In Case You Missed It
In this episode of In Case You Missed It, we look back at some of our recent stories about different aspects of Taiwanese culture: religion, betelnet beauties and music.
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00:00Hello and welcome, I'm Eric Dao with news about different aspects of Taiwanese culture
00:20in case you missed it.
00:23Ceremonial crowns for deities are a traditional Taiwanese art form, one that's faced stiff
00:27competition from China.
00:30Louise Wan reports on how the craft has also become a central part of one father and son's
00:34duo's personal journey.
00:37After the burning, we'll soak it and then wash it.
00:44Tai Song Shan is cleaning part of a silver crown, to be laid on the head of a temple
00:50god.
00:51It's an annual ritual that involves using a blowtorch to get rid of dirt and ash.
00:56Once cleaned, it turns back into this, a headdress for the main deity of a temple in
01:02Pingtung County in Taiwan's south.
01:26These crowns are a traditional Taiwanese art form, made by heating silver sheets until
01:32they're soft enough to strike patterns into them.
01:36Sai has learnt the craft from his father, Kuei Ming, who's been in the business for
01:40half a century.
01:51Sai Kuei Ming built his reputation in the 1980s, when lottery winners often ordered
01:57ceremonial crowns to thank the gods.
02:01But the industry has faced competition from China since the turn of the century.
02:12Sai struggled, but his loyal customer base has helped him through the hardest times.
02:28And now his son has joined him.
02:31He's hoping to master his father's trade, and to help secure the future of this distinctly
02:37Taiwanese religious and cultural craft.
02:41Klein Wong and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.
02:46While crowns for deities brought a family closer together, the same can't be said for
02:49an arranged marriage between two deities.
02:52That's caused an uproar among worshippers elsewhere in Taiwan.
02:55Yutzen Lai has more.
02:58This is Mazu, the Taoist sea goddess, and one of the most widely worshipped deities
03:03in Taiwan.
03:05And this is Guan Yu, a legendary Chinese general deified for his accomplishments in battle
03:10and statecraft.
03:12The two arrived on a sedan chair at a Mazu temple in Tainan in southern Taiwan.
03:17Guan Yu worshippers are celebrating a marriage between Mazu and their god.
03:21There's only one problem.
03:23The Mazu worshippers want nothing to do with this wedding.
03:27When the entourage arrived, the Mazu temple workers confronted the Guan Yu worshippers.
03:34But the visiting group tried to pull a fast one.
03:38The outcry was triggered by a post on social media.
03:41The Guan Yu followers posted an image announcing the marriage between the two gods.
03:46But the Mazu temple said this was a one-sided decision.
03:49We don't know if it was a one-sided decision or not, so we are very confused.
03:55Mazu's name in the post even had her bearing Guan Yu's surname, a huge slight to those
04:00devoted to the sea goddess.
04:02Ironically, some accounts of the historical Mazu claim she died protesting an unwanted
04:07marriage as well.
04:08And some even say the fact that she was never married was how Mazu gained her divine powers.
04:14The Mazu would become a Mazu, one of the reasons that because she is a virgin goddess, because
04:20she is a virgin or died as a virgin, so you shouldn't even consider she get married.
04:28It's really not that proper.
04:31But the Guan Yu followers say they're acting in good faith with their divine fan fiction
04:35of their god and Mazu together, as they put the shipping into worshipping.
04:39Those who are against or support the marriage, we hope that you can come forward to address
04:44this issue.
04:45We have no other intentions.
04:46In the modern age at least, marriage is a decision between the two people involved.
04:51In this case, however, arranging marriages between gods may not be the business of mere
04:56mortals.
04:57James Lin, Yu Chenlai, and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
05:03Beetle nut girls used to be a common sight along Taiwan's roads, selling the mild stimulant,
05:07drinks, and other items to drivers.
05:09But as demand for beetle nut declines, the so-called beetle nut beauties are fast disappearing.
05:14Now there's a shop in Taipei that's taking a modern approach to this traditional industry.
05:19Bryn Thomas reports.
05:24If you drive across Taiwan, you will notice women doing business along the country's highways.
05:30In a cultural phenomenon unique to Taiwan, these women, known as beetle nut beauties,
05:35wear revealing clothing to market beetle, an addictive cancer-causing stimulant harvested
05:40from palm trees.
05:56Over the last two decades, growing awareness of the health risks of using beetle and government
06:00controls restricting how much skin beetle nut beauties can show have seen their numbers
06:04drop sharply.
06:06Now a shop and artist collective in Taipei called Baby Beetle Nut is bucking the trend
06:12by modernizing a very traditional industry.
06:32Baby Beetle Nut is taking the aesthetic of beetle nut beauties, the revealing photos,
06:37the fishnet tights, and the neon, and creating their own brand of uniquely Taiwanese influencer.
06:58It's a model that's made them famous in Taipei's nightlife scene and beyond.
07:03The beauties at Baby Beetle Nut attend events in Shanghai and Tokyo and pop up in music
07:07videos for local artists.
07:30Their growing social media presence has seen Baby Beetle Nut's merchandise outsell their
07:34beetle.
07:35They sell traditional items like calendars.
07:51And new items like t-shirts and zines.
08:09And while they may be finding success online by working with local creatives, Baby Beetle
08:14Nut stays true to its roots, selling the same beetle, cigarettes, and drinks as kiosks around
08:19the country.
08:21But they're also finding new ways to keep a disappearing cultural phenomenon relevant
08:25and reduce the harm it causes by brewing beetle into beers and incorporating them into cocktails.
08:32The trick to success?
08:33They say the core of a business remains the same.
08:56While beetle nut shops may be disappearing from roadsides here in Taiwan, the women who
09:01had worked in them are still finding audiences online, proving that while people may be losing
09:05their taste for beetle, they haven't lost their taste for beetle nut beauties.
09:10Ryan Wu, Sandy Chee, and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.
09:16Taiwan's state-funded creative arts organization is teaming up with two of the country's performance
09:20centers to promote Taiwanese pop music on the world stage.
09:24The collaboration will focus on preserving Taiwan's pop music, internationalizing the
09:29industry, and nurturing talent, aiming to put T-pop on the same level globally as K-pop.
09:35Taiwan was once widely recognized as a powerhouse of Mandarin-language pop music, with some
09:39people, including former President Tsai Ing-wen, attributing the success of the industry to
09:44Taiwan's democracy and freedom.
09:48From T-pop to croc-pop, have you ever heard of a singing crocodile?
09:53No, we're not talking about the animal, but Harvard University's oldest a cappella singing
09:57group, the Harvard Crocodillos.
09:59Since the year 2000, the group has performed in Taiwan almost every year, and this year
10:03they marked their 20th tour of the country with a special concert.
10:06Leslie Lau reports.
10:16The Crocodillos are Harvard University's oldest a cappella group.
10:20Founded in 1946, the 12-member undergrad singing group has performed for the likes
10:26of U.S. President Bill Clinton, King Pumipon of Thailand, and jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald.
10:33The Crocs tour the world every summer, taking their talents around the globe.
10:38So we'll be hitting 20 total countries over the course of 79 days.
10:42So it's quite a gauntlet.
10:43The group has come to Taiwan nearly every year since 2000 at the invitation and sponsorship
10:50of Harvard alumnus Ben Fang and his wife, Tang Chou-Ling.
10:54I was president of the Harvard Business School Club here, and Bill King, he was one of the
11:02Harvard Crocs from Taiwan, approached me about if we were willing to sponsor them.
11:08I said, why not?
11:09In 2024, the Crocs are once again in Taiwan, putting on shows around the country.
11:16But the main event this year is a concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of their
11:20first concert in Taiwan.
11:23You don't need to be a Harvard graduate to spot that the anniversary should have been
11:26in 2020.
11:28It's been delayed by four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
11:32But now the group is finally here, with current Crocs joined by two dozen alumni from around
11:38the world for a special reunion concert.
11:41I live just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States.
11:44I actually live in Berlin, Germany.
11:46I live in England, actually.
11:48The anniversary was especially emotional because planning for the occasion started half a decade
11:54ago.
11:55Probably the biggest challenge we run into was the COVID-19 pandemic.
11:58We were planning to come here June of 2020.
12:01We weren't able to, and that's why we postponed it for four years later, which is in 2024.
12:07Crocs both new and old took the stage for a concert unlike any other Taiwan had seen
12:13before.
12:14Ten thousand men of honor gain victory today.
12:21Concert goers were treated to jokes.
12:24But he's decided to pick himself up and make his amends by singing this lovely young lady
12:28a song.
12:29Go ahead.
12:30This song's really embarrassing.
12:31I don't really...
12:32What's your name?
12:33What's your name?
12:34Dance?
12:35And of course, song.
12:57And not just any old songs.
12:59The Crocs included popular local songs in their repertoire, like The Moon Represents
13:03My Heart by famous Taiwanese singer Teresa Tang.
13:21And more contemporary hits like Tonghua by Guangliang.
13:36Learning Taiwanese songs proved a challenge for the Crocs.
13:39But it was well worth it, because they've been a hit with the local audience.
13:44They especially love when we sing a song, Tonghua.
13:47They often start joining in or raising their phone flashlights and all different stuff.
13:52This special concert will be the high point of the Crocodillo's 20th Taiwan tour.
13:58But if the audience's reaction is any indication, they will easily be back for a 21st tour and
14:05beyond.
14:06Yixin Sun and Leslie Liao in New Taipei City for Taiwan Plus.
14:11Thanks for joining us today for In Case You Missed It.
14:14If you want to get more of our stories, head on over to the Taiwan Plus website or download
14:17our app to get updates sent straight to your device.
14:19Finally, take a look at Taiwanese drag star Nymphia Nguyen performing at the Cultural
14:23Olympiad in Paris.
14:24I'm Eric Au.
14:25Take care and we'll see you next time.