Changhua holds international ‘ocean oxen’ culture festival
Changhua holds international ‘ocean oxen’ culture festival
2025-05-26
Taiwan has a unique culture around so-called “sea buffalos,” centered in Changhua’s Fangyuan Township. The tradition has lasted over 100 years, with more than 300 oxen employed to harvest oysters in its heyday. But over time, the intertidal harvest tradition has transformed into a tourist attraction. The county government recently organized an International Sea Buffalo Cultural Festival to attract more people to join in the fun.
An ox grabs an entire stalk of grass. Once it’s in its mouth, how could you get it back?
After eating, it has the energy to start walking, pulling a cart along behind it.
The oxen cart lives up to its name. They’re rarely seen these days, but this one is even rarer: It’s a “sea buffalo” cart. Fangyuan Township in Changhua County is known as being the only place in Taiwan with an ocean oxen culture. Back during the Japanese colonial era, the animals were specially trained to help with cultivating and harvesting oysters in intertidal zones.
Wang Hui-mei
Changhua County Commissioner
During the heyday, there were more than 300 ocean oxen working in oyster harvesting.
Back in 2020, the oyster-harvesting oxen carts became Changhua’s first intangible cultural asset in the category of traditional knowledge and practices. But the oxen have now almost all been replaced by machinery, leaving less than 10 in total.
Wang Hui-mei
Changhua County Commissioner
From only eight before, we slowly, slowly got back to 12.
The Fangyuan International Sea Buffalo Cultural Festival has activities for families, hoping to attract visitors of all ages to experience the township’s unique oxen culture as well as the beauty of its fishing villages.
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#TaiwanCulture #oxen #Fangyuan #Changhua #oysters #oysterharvest #tourism #festival #agriculture
台灣珍貴文化瑰寶 "國際海牛文化節"彰化芳苑登場
2025-05-26
全國獨有的海牛文化，就在彰化芳苑，延續超過百年，全盛時期曾經有超過300隻海牛，參與採蚵，隨著時代變遷，"潮間帶牛車採蚵"轉型成了觀光特色，彰化縣日前特別舉辦”國際海牛文化節” ，吸引不少人前來同樂。
一大把的青草，牛牛一嘴就搶走了，到口的糧草，怎可能放掉?
吃飽了，有力氣，牛牛邁開腳，一鼓作氣拖著走!
名符其實的牛車，在現代社會已經很少見，更何況，這是海牛車。彰化縣芳苑鄉的觀光重點，全國唯一的海牛文化，"潮間帶牛車採蚵"，是從日治時期就有的漁法，透過經過特殊訓練的牛隻，到潮間帶進行蚵田養殖，以及採收作業。
[[彰化縣長 王惠美]]
“過去興盛的時候，有到三百多隻海牛，在做採蚵這樣的經濟行為”
牛車採蚵，在2020年，成為彰化縣第一個，"傳統知識與實踐"類別的無形文化資產，但是，主角牛隻，被機械取代，一度剩不到十隻。
[[彰化縣長 王惠美]]
“從過去的八隻海牛，到現在慢慢慢慢，可以到十二隻海牛”
芳苑國際海牛文化節，也辦親子活動，吸引大小遊客來到鄉間，親身感受海牛文化的魅力，也看見芳苑的漁村之美。
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