Taiwanese Culture – In Case You Missed It - video Dailymotion

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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.

Taiwanese Culture – In Case You Missed It

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