Hakka Town Meinong 美濃客家莊

I've posted this video before, but here's some more information on Meinong, Kaohsiung. 

The Hakka Culture Center Museum 美濃客家文物館 is a great place to get to know Hakka culture and the Meinong area. Many of the displays have English descriptions and there is at least one guide that speaks English. Call or email them ahead of time to make an appointment so you get the most out of your visit! 
This is the website: http://meeinonghakka.kcg.gov.tw/index.asp

Uh, just checked the website and can't find an email address or English service. Have the hotel call for you and make a reservation with an English speaking guide, then.
This is the number: 07-6818338

At the culture center, you can pick up a map of Meinong, and some of the more interesting spots and areas are noted on it. If you can, bring a bicycle, or rent one when you get to Meinong. It makes getting around much easier. It's a really rural area, so don't count on public transportation or taxi's - I don't think there are very many.

To get to Meinong, you can take a bus from Kaohsiung train station or Zuoying high speed rail station.

Or you can take a day tour on the Taiwan Tour Bus, a tour service endorsed by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau that seems quite nice, but I've yet to personally try it.
http://www.taiwantourbus.com.tw/Schedule/Content/?id=1370

Again, I highly recommend a bicycle or an electric skateboard. Or an electric kick scooter. Heh heh.

Have fun and let me know how it goes!

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7/1/2015的內容：

說到美濃，大家會想到什麼？

跟大家講個影片裡沒機會說的。

之前我只會想到紙傘，但這次比較深入去了解（必竟傘已經介紹了幾百次了）發現，原來還有好多文化內容和故事。譬如說，美濃名字的由來，我原本以為因為日本人佔據過，所以為了紀念，取一個跟日本岐阜縣的城市「美濃」一樣的名字。其實更早，在日本人之前，客家人來台開墾的時候，到了現在的美濃，第一次到這裡，不知道這叫什麼地方，於是就比手畫腳，先用手指頭比著他們踩著的土地，問當地原住民「這裡是哪裡？」原住民以為他們在問「這土裡面種著什麼？」所以就回他們「meinong」。Meinong是地瓜的意思，但從此以後，這地方就被叫做「Meinong」，而日本人把音很像的「美濃」漢字給灌了上去。

美濃還有好多好多的東西可以講，留著改天再分享。大家歡應看這一集，也是上一季台灣好好玩的最後一集，「美濃客家村 保存特殊文化建築」。

20150530 美濃客家村 保存特殊文化建築
http://youtu.be/ReYlpHa19GI

不會當面講的話，就不要上網講

不會當面講的話，就不要上網講。

要批評，就要做有建設性的批評。

「別讚靠北社團，別分享酸文。杜絕網路霸凌。」

https://www.facebook.com/cindyfromtw/videos/669616753138884/?pnref=story

熊本熊，你讓我笑到肚子痛！

太好笑了！くまモン熊本熊的表情⋯牠的臉⋯牠的設計者實在太棒了！

看了三遍了，哎呀笑得我的肚子好痛⋯

https://www.facebook.com/fmone1035/videos/1129625377054719/

美濃名字的來源

說到美濃，大家會想到什麼？

跟大家講個影片裡沒機會說的。

之前我只會想到紙傘，但這次比較深入去了解（必竟傘已經介紹了幾百次了）發現，原來還有好多文化內容和故事。譬如說，美濃名字的由來，我原本以為因為日本人佔據過，所以為了紀念，取一個跟日本岐阜縣的城市「美濃」一樣的名字。其實更早，在日本人之前，客家人來台開墾的時候，到了現在的美濃，第一次到這裡，不知道這叫什麼地方，於是就比手畫腳，先用手指頭比著他們踩著的土地，問當地原住民「這裡是哪裡？」原住民以為他們在問「這土裡面種著什麼？」所以就回他們「meinong」。Meinong是地瓜的意思，但從此以後，這地方就被叫做「Meinong」，而日本人把音很像的「美濃」漢字給灌了上去。

美濃還有好多好多的東西可以講，留著改天再分享。大家歡應看這一集，也是上一季台灣好好玩的最後一集，「美濃客家村 保存特殊文化建築」。

http://youtu.be/ReYlpHa19GI

台北霞海城隍廟 The City's God: Taipei's Xiahai Chenghuang Temple

台北霞海城隍廟

因為媒體宣傳，還有因為尋找人生另一半是一件很重要又令人頭痛的事情，位於台北迪化街的霞海城隍廟吸引非常多國內外民眾到此向月下老人求因緣。這部份常在美體上聽說。

這次採方時學到的是，原來小小兩個房間大的霞海城隍廟曾經有六百多尊神明。妙方說有一陣子台灣很多人相信拜什麼神或什麼神，就會中樂透，賭博就會贏，所以很多人在家裡就養了很多神。熱潮一過，不想養了，就把這些神明帶到妙裡，讓廟方照顧（與其說「棄養」，我們講「養老」好了）。而中國文革的時候有不少宗教文化也被破壞，為了找回這樣的文化和神明，台北的霞海城隍廟就分了四百多尊在這裡養老的神明，到那些中國後來又重建或興建的寺廟～

我覺得這一集跟雅立聊到最有趣的是，很多台灣人即使不信教，或是對宗教沒有很大的信心，還是會去拜拜。過年如果不用值班，我會陪我爸媽進行他們六十幾年來的例行行程，除夕夜三更半夜到松江路的行天宮，萬華的媽祖宮，和龍山寺，有時候還去關渡宮拜拜。我媽總是很多話要跟神明們講，所以我和我爸都很早就拜完，出去外面等。在國外長大，小時候幾乎沒接觸過這種拜拜文化，我就問我的博士老爸，「你是信眾嗎？你相信拜了就有用嗎？」。他就說，「搞不好會靈啊～」。真的是 "keeping an open mind."



The City's God: Taipei's Xiahai Chenghuang Temple

Taipei's Xiahai Chenghuang Temple attracts hoards of visitors every year to its tiny temple every year. Most of them are here to pray to the matchmaking god. Having experienced how difficult it is to find one's soulmate, I understand why these people come. This is pretty much common knowledge to people, but on this trip to the temple, I learned a couple of other interesting things.

At one point, there were more than 600 deities here. According to the temple staff, there was a time when a lot of Taiwanese people that believed if you pray to a certain god (which can vary for different people), you'll have a better chance of winning bets, gambles, the lottery, etc. so a lot of them brought idols into their homes. But when that trend passed, they wanted to get rid of these idols and decided to bring them to a temple to be taken care of there. Rather than calling them "abandoned," let's just say they were taken there to "grow old." During the Cultural Revolution, China lost a lot of its religious culture and temples and shrines, so when some of the centers of prayers were rebuilt or resurrected, Taipei's Xiahai Chenghuang Temple sent some 400 deities over to repopulate those temples.

I found Cédric Jouarie's observation of how a lot of "nonbelievers" pray, to be most interesting. Having grown up in the US, I understood very little about religious culture in Taiwan, but nowadays when I don't have to work during Chinese New Year, I accompany my parents on their temple visiting rituals late at night of New Year's Eve. For more than 60 years, they visit Hsing Tian Kong, Wanhua's Longshan Temple and Mazu Temple, and sometimes Guandu Temple. My mom always has a lot to say to people, including to immortal ones, so I usually end up waiting outside with my dad, who likes to get things done quickly. My dad is usually quite rational and scientific, so one time I asked him, "You believe in these gods? Do you really believe they'll answer your prayers?" His answer was, "It doesn't hurt to pray. You never know." Like Cedric says, people here "keep an open mind."


20141025 霞海城隍廟 千里姻緣牽紅線


The English version (about the same as the Chinese)