Vol 116

2 0 1 4 TFAC

Eight thousand oyster shells used for decorating

Cigu’s stunning Christmas Trees

Translated by Ching Chun Lin

To celebrate Christmas and the upcoming New Year, Cigu district office utilized its local junks which were the ubiquitous tossed oyster shells to decorate a white oyster shells Christmas tree erected in the square in front of the Ciqu district headquarter. Taiwan’s one and only Christmas tree laden with oyster shells light-ing up Ciqu’s night sky has now become a popular tourist attraction.

Cigu supervisor Chuang Minghao stated the five meters tall oyster shelled Christ-mas tree is a masterful design created by the renowned sculpture artist Yangming Jhong, an active member in the local and international sculpture community for twenty years whose work has been included in various landscape architectural design and planning throughout Taiwan. In addition a black-faced spoonbills miniature is placed on top of the Christmas tree as an ornament symbolizing Ciqu advancing towards 2014.

Translated by Polin Kuo

The Royal Lords (王爺) was one of the most com-

monly worshiped deities in Southwest Taiwan and Taiwanese people believed that the royal lords would prevent epidemic and cure diseases

though plague expulsion (瘟醮). Throughout the

year, many local communities would hold festivals or rituals in different parts of Taiwan to summon deities such as the Royal Lords to ward off the evil spirits and expel the plague.

Water: Staging the plague expulsion for Royal Lords

During the ritual, water is an essential element for people to summon the Royal Lords from the seashores to expel plagues and repel evil for the community.

Fire: The plague offering and the ritual of royal boat sending

At the end of the ritual, fire is the fundamental power in sending the deities from mor-tal realm to heaven. The main idea is to invite deities patrol to the mortal realm to ex-pel plagues and dispel evil.

Heaven: Hunting tour on behalf of heaven

In Taiwan, the Royal Lords express a wide variety of manifestation of deities and their stories. Those beliefs with customary practices were brought to Taiwan by early mainland immigrants and have developed into a range of new practices today re-sponding to the new generation and diverse local characteristics.

People: Praying for safety

People show their respect towards deities and take part enthusiastically in public events. Those festivals and rituals which build the link between men and deities and strengthen societal cohesion are the important events in keeping those beliefs alive over the years.

Exhibition

Connecting People with Heaven

Exhibition

Cultural Affairs Bureau, Tainan City Government

launched the "Chen's point of view character poster

exhibition"

Translated by Jeffery Kao

Surging Waves- Chen's hundred and twentieth birthday East Asia Exhibition Tour is organized by fine arts in Taiwan and Cultural Affairs Bureau, Tainan City Gov-ernment. Starting from Jan 18th, 2014, it’s going to be held in Tainan, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei.

The director of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Tainan City Government Yeh Je-Shan said, it’s Master Chen’s hundred and twentieth birthday next year. The tour is to cele-brate and praise his great achievements. There are going to be 24 scenes of post-ers in each cities, total of 120 posters. The tour ends on Mar 30th, 2014.

Yeh said, the tour includes watercolor, gouache, and calligraphy, total of 500 items, and 200 of them are portraits. Tainan is going to be the first stop, and each city will have its own point of view and angle from its curators.

Translated by Heng-Jui Chang

At the press conference held by Tainan City Government to plug the city’s Countdown celebration, director Wei Te-Sheng said he would debut the soundtrack of his new film “KANO” at the rally.

Following the example of last year’s “Countdown Trilogy,” this year’s countdown celebration sees the collaboration between Tainan City Gov-ernment and the administrative offices of Southwest Coast National Sce-nic Area and Siraya National Scenic Area. The festivity will open with a farewell to 2013 at the Jingzaijiao salt pan in Beimen at sunset, 4:30 to 6 PM. The countdown rally begins at the High Speed Rail Tainan Station plaza at 6 PM and proceeds through 1 AM. After an intermission of four and a half hours, a ceremony from 5:30 to 7AM at the sun-gazing pavilion in Erliao, Juojhen district, will ring in the dawn of 2014.

Mayor Lai Ching-Te said he recommends both the sunset at Jingzaijiao and the sunrise at Erliao, and insisted that the countdown rally be the most environmentally friendly of the country. In step with the low-carbon green policies the government is pushing, traditional pyrotech-nics will be replaced by a light show featuring dancing water, whose wa-ter would be recycled after the show.

Director Wei Te-Sheng, who was the guest of honor at the press confer-ence, said that many scenes in his new film, “KANO,” scheduled to be re-leased in February, were taken in Tainan. The crew is working on the soundtrack at present, and would play its theme in full for the first time at the rally along with the trailer of the film.

Soundtrack of Director Wei Te-Sheng’s New Film to Debut at Countdown Celebration

Tainan Foreigner Assistance Centre

2F, No. 6, Sec. 2, Yonghua Rd., Anping Dist, Tainan City

http://foreigner.tainan.gov.tw/en

06-299-1111 #8244 or 0800-024-111