Temple makes unprecedented change to ceremony due to drills

Temple makes unprecedented change to ceremony due to drills

2026-08-12

A temple in Keelung has been forced to make changes to a traditional Ghost Month ceremony due to Taiwan’s military exercises. This Thursday is the first day of the Seventh Month of the Chinese calendar, which this year coincides with the urban resilience drills in Northern Taiwan. Every year, the Laoda Gong Temple attracts large crowds of worshippers to attend a ceremony leading up to the opening of its shrine doors at 2 p.m. But since the military drills will require everyone to clear the streets starting at 2:30, the temple will, for the first time, hold the ceremony 10 minutes earlier. Let’s hear more.

Hsu Kuo-chun
Keelung Laoda Gong Temple
The air raid drill is scheduled to last from 2:30 to 3:00 in the afternoon. Our ritual requires that the shrine door be opened before 2:00. So, we’ll start the worship ceremony 10 minutes earlier. The whole event will start at 1:25 so that the door can be opened before 2:00.

Cheng Ting-ching
Keelung Culture Official
After the ceremony is over, people will still have 20 to 25 minutes to clear the venue. If they don’t make it out in time, they’ll have to wait the drill out, sheltering at the temple.

In Taiwan, the start of the Ghost Month marks the opening of the gates of hell, allowing wandering spirits to roam the human realm for a month. At the Laoda Gong temple, the annual shrine-opening ceremony represents the symbolic opening of the gates, receiving the spirits with offerings of incense. The ceremony has been held without fail every year, even during typhoons, so this year’s early start marks an unprecedented change.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#ghostmonth #ghost #taiwan #temple #religion #keelung #culture #religion

基隆老大公廟開龕門遇演習祭拜儀式首度提早10分鐘

2026-08-12

週四就是農曆7月1日，基隆老大公廟，照慣例會在下午兩點就要開龕門，預估將吸引大量人潮聚集，不過，緊接著兩點半演習就登場，就怕影響儀式，老大公廟的祭拜儀式，今年首度提早10分鐘，確保兩點前完成開龕門，也加派人手加速疏散。

[[基隆老大公廟祕書許國春]]
“因為萬安演習是在兩點半要開始舉行，到三點，然後我們剛好，本廟的祭典科儀是在兩點以前那個龕門一定要開出，所以那個祭拜的時間會提早十分鐘，就是在一點二十五分，讓他在兩點以前，完成那個開龕門的動作”

[[基隆市文觀局副局長鄭鼎青]]
“所以在整個儀式完成之後，大概還有二十到二十五分鐘的時間，是可以讓現場的群眾離開，那如果來不及離開的群眾，也可以暫時待在老大公廟這邊，來做演習的一個因應”

在台灣傳統習俗中，農曆7月是在陰間好兄弟回歸人世放假的時間，老大公廟開龕門儀式，代表打開陰陽兩界之門，正式迎接「好兄弟」（或稱無主孤魂）來到人間接受一個月的香火供奉與普度，早年連颱風登陸，都照常舉行，今年就怕演習中斷儀式，首度提早，要讓儀式順利完成。

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The hot summer months are breeding season for giant snakeheads, an invasive fish in Sun Moon Lake. One fisherman was surprised to discover that larger giant snakeheads were attacking and eating smaller ones. But like the proverbial snake trying to swallow an elephant, the larger fish were unable to eat the smaller ones whole and ended up choking to death.

This school of fish moving beneath the water’s surface are giant snakehead fry. When a fisher scooped up an entire group, he was stunned to discover that some of the larger ones had eaten the smaller ones.

- Lots of the big ones ate the smaller ones. But look, they choked to death.

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I caught a school of fry and put them in a bucket, then about an hour later I discovered something strange. The bigger fish, ones about 15 centimeters long, had eaten smaller ones that were 6 or 7 centimeters. But they couldn’t spit it out or swallow it, so they choked to death.

The fish are still juveniles themselves at only 15 centimeters, but they still attack and eat the smaller fry, even though it’s deadly to them.

Mr. Lee
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Species like the giant snakehead are so aggressive that they don’t even spare their own kind. If they’re left to grow up in Sun Moon Lake, the harm they’ll cause our native fish is unimaginable.

Giant snakeheads have even attacked groupers, which weigh several kilograms, leaving behind only the fish’s head. Pearl grouper, giant snakeheads, and red devil cichlids are three invasive species considered major threats to Sun Moon Lake’s ecosystem.

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#SunMoonLake #giantsnakehead #fish #invasivespecies #ecosystem #conservation #threat

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Sun Moon Lake is cultivating ride leaders to lead cycling tours

Cycling around Sun Moon Lake in Central Taiwan is always a joy. Now, to enhance cyclists’ experience, the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration is training ride leaders to act as tour guides for groups rides. They will lead tourists cycling on five different scenic routes to help give them an appreciation of the natural beauty and indigenous cultures of Sun Moon Lake. Let’s find out more.

Cycling under the shade of trees with the beautiful scenery of Sun Moon Lake next to you is pure bliss. But do you really know the safest way to cycle?

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If you don’t brake properly, you’ll fall off and get injured. And what you might easily overlook is that getting on and off the bike also requires skill.

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They are not just cyclists; they will be ride leaders—guides trained by the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration to help fellow riders complete the course safely!

Chu Ying-chang
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This training for ride leaders will equip us with some specialized safety and technical knowledge, so we can provide tourists with a better travel experience.

The Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration will launch bicycle tours guided by these ride leaders. They will take tourists to explore beautiful scenery along five routes. Through these professional ride leaders, tourists can discover hidden gems of Sun Moon Lake and savor them in detail.

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#Taiwancycling #Taiwantourism #Sunmoonlake #Nantou #centralTaiwan #Taiwanscenery

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PX Mart gets clicks and comments for AI video depicting ghosts

AI videos of people? Nothing new. But AI videos of immortal spirits in a Ghost Month commercial for a supermarket chain? Well, for PX Mart it was an original concept that involved a team of real people and nearly 40 actors. While many praised the commercial for its creative use of AI, others criticized it. Some said the video looked uncanny and artificial, with others believing the video combines elements of Ghost Month and Tomb Sweeping Day, which took place four months ago.

- In Taiwanese, train sounds like “heading home.”
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Traveling by paper planes, sitting on flying wheelchairs, and riding dolphins, this commercial, with its virtual world and comforting narration, has “heading home” as its theme. Yet many netizens feel that the video is mixing elements of Ghost Month and Tomb Sweeping Day.

Liu Hung-cheng
PX Mart Marketing Dept.
We often talk positively about ghosts, about how some ghosts have no home to return to because they don’t have living descendants to pray for them. But because, in general, Taiwanese, like Buddhists with their incredibly kind hearts, pray for these ghosts, which has turned Taiwan into an island of joy. So, we felt like we could use this way of thinking to help these spirits return to this land, just like as if they were to return home.

The company responsible for making the video used a lot of Generative AI techniques as well as AI visual effects, causing both praise and criticism from the general public. The creative director posted videos on social media that showed the filming process; the post also stated that the project, including the script, was the work of a team of real people and that the actors are real people.

Liu Hung-cheng
PX Mart Marketing Dept.
In terms of the production process, in total we hired around 36 actors, who, with green screen technology, were filmed doing normal scenes, so the make-up, the characters themselves, and even the costumes, it was all real people being filmed. Production costs exceeded NT$4 million, so the video isn’t something that could be done with a typical video production budget.

Starting Aug. 13 and ending Sept. 10 this year, the Ghost Festival is here once again, but some prefer their uncanny experiences to be free from AI.

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KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi has missed 5 straight budget meetings

The government’s general budget was supposed to be approved at the end of last year, but now, eight months later, this year’s budget has yet to be approved. This explains why many, including Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu, are pointing the finger of blame at KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi, who has missed five budget negotiation meetings in a row. During a recent verbal outburst, Speaker Han, who belongs to the KMT, called out Fu for his poor attendance record. Fu responded by calling on the KMT to remain united, yet this could become increasingly difficult with the election just a few months away.

KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi is being pursued by reporters, who want to know why he has missed 5 consecutive budget negotiations. Even Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu, also of the KMT, has had enough of Fu’s poor attendance record.

Han Kuo-yu (Aug. 11)
Legislative Speaker
What do your Legislative Yuan Speaker, and your party caucus, even mean to you? Just go ahead and resign as caucus whip; wouldn’t that make things a bit easier for you?

On top of regularly missing budget negotiation sessions, Fu also did not authorize Caucus Secretary-General Jonathan Lin to make decisions on his behalf.

Han Kuo-yu (Aug. 11)
Legislative Speaker
Mr. Jonathan Lin, you have the very important position of KMT Caucus Secretary-General. Yet when it comes to meetings, your party’s caucus whip misses meeting after meeting; meanwhile you’re being very responsible by delivering reports. But does your signature, your consent, have any validity?

Jonathan Lin (Aug. 11)
KMT Caucus Secretary-General
If our caucus whip doesn’t sign his name, then my signature still cannot represent the will of the party caucus.

Han Kuo-yu (Aug. 11)
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Is your caucus whip playing Mahjong as we speak? If Mr. Fu’s using his right hand to hold the tiles, then can he use his left to sign his name, yes or no? The state of the Legislative Yuan is getting worse. It’s awful! Doing everything remotely! To you, how important are your Legislative Yuan Speaker and party caucus? This is ridiculous! You’re playing around with us like monkeys at a circus, am I right or not? The Legislative Yuan is being controlled by dark forces.

The Legislative Speaker calling out his party’s biggest leader, the caucus whip, got the attention of leaders on both sides of the political aisle.

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When the Legislative Yuan Speaker calls for a negotiation, the process might take a few hours. But, in the end, when a caucus party whip doesn’t come, it makes these 2 to 3 hours, or 3 to 4 hours, a waste of time, because he didn’t attend and he didn’t authorize someone to act on his behalf. Isn’t this communicating that those in attendance are a bunch of fools? This, actually, has already happened many times, so the Legislative Speaker has likely gotten to the point where he thinks it’d be more enjoyable to be the KMT’s caucus whip than being the Speaker.

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It’s said “if the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper” and “silence speaks louder than words.” Speaker Han thank you for all your hard work; the KMT must remain united.

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Picky eaters left a sushi chef heartbroken, after they helped themselves to sushi samples, and then put their half-eaten sushi pieces back on the tray. The incident happened at a Japanese food festival at a shopping center in Taoyuan. The sushi vendor was so distraught by what he saw, that he shared the story online. Netizens could not believe the entitlement, and condemned the inconsiderate freeloaders.

A generous slice of beef covers the ball of vinegar rice below. Kissed with a torch and garnished with spring onions… Simply mouthwatering!

A shopping center in Taoyuan is celebrating Japanese cuisine with more than 30 brands and about a dozen chefs cooking up fresh food. Surely nobody would spoil the party, right?

Chen Yen-lin
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A participating shop serving up free torched beef sushi samples was assailed by a picky diner who did not seem to like rice.

Chef
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Just think of all the people who have nothing to eat. But this customer just placed all of the rice back. So unhygienic! He didn’t bother to put it to the side. He just put it back on the sample tray! It’s unsanitary and such a waste.

Let’s check the facts. This is what the sample tray looked like, with one dish containing just rice and no beef. The stand operator posted the photo online, saying “My heart was truly broken seeing the tray looking like this… Someone ate the torched beef on top. If it hadn’t been for another customer who pointed it out to us... Not in our wildest dreams would we have imagined something like this would happen.” The rice, made with love, was discarded without a second thought, leaving the inconsolable vendor lost for words. Sadly, it didn’t just happen once.

Voice of Tseng Yi-ching
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We were very worried about hygiene. After all, it’s the leftovers someone ate. We don’t know if they are sick, or if they have something you could catch. Several people did the same thing.

Member of public
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I would eat the whole thing. If not, then don’t take it. Don’t waste food.

Member of public
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Who would even eat the leftovers when someone already ate half of it? I would’ve called them out. So inconsiderate!

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Steaming white rice is spread out flat and covered with a generous handful of fish flakes before adding egg, pickled vegetables, an entire fried dough stick, and even a hot dog. It’s no small effort to roll it all up.

This stand near Fongsi Elementary in Kaohsiung sells rice balls in three sizes, the largest of which is longer than 20cm. Due to its massive size, people online have taken to calling it a “football fantuan.”

- I’ve been coming here about seven years. The large one’s about this big. The size of a football. Even if you take all day, you can’t finish it.

- I’ve been coming here a few years. They used to be on the other side and moved over here.
- What’s the longest you’ve had to wait?
- A little over an hour.

- It’s huge. Just looking at it makes me feel full. A guy would probably be full after finishing it.
- What about a girl?
- Probably would take two people.

The stand opens at 7am and usually sells out by 9 with the line never getting any shorter. The owner, who took the business over from his parents, said they’ve been selling for over 20 years. Since appetites vary, they offer three different sizes.

Owner
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We’ve been in business 25 or 26 years. Since the prices vary, the more expensive ones are naturally a bit bigger.

These massive rice balls are so big that even a full-grown man has trouble holding it in one hand. A solid cohort of regulars keeps the stand in business, along with new customers who’ve heard about the generous portions. Thanks to the insane value for the money, long lines in front of this small stand have become a regular sight in Fengshan.

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