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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

Taiwan: Volunteers Educate Students on Neglected Folk Ritual

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • Volunteers are visiting local elementary schools to teach students about the "Kouhu Chian Shui Zhuang" (Water Cart) folk custom.
  • A survey revealed that over 90% of local elementary students are unfamiliar with this national-level folk tradition.
  • The initiative aims to pass on the custom's spirit of remembering ancestors and cherishing the past to the younger generation.

Volunteers from the Kouhu Hanliao Wanshen Temple are actively engaging with local elementary school students to foster an understanding of the "Kouhu Chian Shui Zhuang" (Water Cart) folk custom, a significant traditional event in Taiwan. A recent initiative saw volunteers visit Wenguang Elementary School to conduct a cultural tour, using picture books to introduce the tradition.

Nearly 90% of students did not know about the local Chian Shui Zhuang festival.

— Huang Ai-liA volunteer representative explaining the motivation behind the school outreach program.

This outreach stems from a concerning discovery: over 90% of local elementary students remain unaware of this "national-level culture." Recognizing a potential cultural disconnect, the Wanshen Temple volunteer group has dedicated the past three years to visiting local schools. Their goal is to impart the core spirit of the "Chian Shui Zhuang" – remembrance of the departed and reverence for ancestors – to the younger generation.

The "Kouhu Chian Shui Zhuang" ritual dates back approximately 180 years, originating from a devastating rainstorm that claimed thousands of lives in the Kouhu and Sihhu areas. The annual ceremony, held on the seventh and eighth days of the sixth lunar month, serves as a memorial for those lost at sea and is Taiwan's largest water disaster ritual. The Wanshen Temple, a key site for the ceremony, established its volunteer group 15 years ago to promote local culture, with a recent focus on school outreach.

The ritual carries the spirit of remembering ancestors and cherishing the past.

— Huang Ai-liExplaining the core meaning of the Kouhu Chian Shui Zhuang custom.

Volunteer representative Huang Ai-li noted that even after visiting several schools, the lack of student familiarity persists. She attributes this potential cultural erosion partly to the ritual's "black culture" association, which may cause some families to avoid participation. Some residents might also view it as a routine prayer event, gradually forgetting its deeper meaning of "remembering ancestors, cherishing the past, and respecting the earth." The school tours aim to counteract this by making the cultural spirit more accessible and understandable to children through interactive activities like crafting a "water cart."

This custom should bring people the spirit of remembering ancestors.

— Yang Jie-yuA volunteer reflecting on the cultural significance of the ritual after participating in training.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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