Religion
Yimin Ye (Lord of the Righteous) and The Three Mountains King are representatives of the Hakka religion. The Yimin Temple has been hosting public memorial ceremony for over 160 years since the Qing Dynasty. It is sacred and noble in the eyes of the Hakkas.
The Three Mountains King is originated from Guangdong Province. In Taiwan, wherever Hakkas have settled, there will be a temple of the Three Mountains King. |
Baozhong Yimin TempleThe Baozhong Yimin Temple in Xinpu is the most representative Hakka Yimin Temple in Taiwan. The temple’s key feature is it has many plaques inside, especially the plaque given by the Qing Dynasty emperor that read “Baozhong”, meaning “in praise of loyalty”. Another important plaque is given by Taiwan’s Governor-General Hasegawa during the Japanese occupation period that means “repay the country with supreme loyalty”.
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Xinpu Baozhong Yimin Temple originated from the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong period. The imperial court banned the Heaven and Earth Society (rebel organization), Mr. Lin Shuangwen called on the people to confront each other. The local officials defended the hometown to organize the volunteers to assist the officers and men in the chaos. More than 200 people were unfortunately killed in the battle. The Emperor Qianlong built a temple offering those martyrs.
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Important Celebrations – Hakka Yimin Festival: The Hakka Yimin Cultural Festival on July 20th of the Lunar Calendar is the most representative ceremonial event of the Hakka Group to commemorate the ancestors. The Temple Square has the offerings of the devout devotees and the lively celebrations.
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The Hakka Yimin FestivalThe Hakka ancestors who gave their lives to protect the homeland were recognized as “Yimin” (Righteous People), and honored as “Yimin Ye”. In order to pay respect to these ancestors, the Hakka descendants host “Yimin Festival” every July in the lunar calendar. The temple plaza has sacrifice offerings from followers and many celebration events.
“Fengfan” is an important tradition of the Yimin Festival. This tradition is originated from the Hakka people carrying shoulder poles with food and wine to give to the soldiers before the battle. The followers make effort to prepare for “Fengfan” to show their sincerest heart to Yimin Ye (Righteous people).
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Guanghe Temple
TThe biggest feature of the temple building is that the decorations were made through competitions of artists. From the slings above the main gate to the lion sculpture under the beams and the hanging flowers in the main hall, each represents artists’ competition back at the time, a very interesting scene.
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Guanghe Temple was founded in the 10th year of Emperor Xianfeng Era (1860) by the local official, Pan Rong-Guang. It is the religious center of the Hakka people in the Xinpu area. The temple mainly worships The Three Mountains King. The Three Mountains King used to be a local God in Guangdong Province. However, as the Hakka immigrants came to Taiwan, The Three Mountains King gradually became the guardian and a special religion for the Taiwan Hakkas.
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Lanterns Parade
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Handicraft:
the Dried Persimmons & Persimmon Dyes
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Agriculture: TangerineXinpu is known as the Taiwan tangerine kingdom. The Chinese honey orange was successfully transplanted from Guangdong in 1812. The Xinpu tangerine has won many prizes and reached its peak in 1931.
Xinpu is usually windy with drastic temperature difference, the tangerine grew on the hillside and irrigated by mountain spring, and the soil synthesis clay and the stone which has good drainage. The characteristics of Xinpu tangerine are juiciness petal, very thin textile fiber. It is exported to Canada, Japan, Mainland China. Afterwards because of the Pacific war, the sale interrupted and the orchards left uncultivated. After the war ended the government planned to restore the tangerine business, but in 1961 the tangerine was infected by insect pest, most of the agriculture was terminated. In recent years rural population gradually got older, the tangerine output is much less than before but the quality is still being praised. Now it reforms to be the sightseeing orchard, and welcome tourists to take a walk in the countryside and pick the fruit in Xinpu. |
CuisineThe characteristics of Hakka CuisineThe Hakka ancestors who migrated to Taiwan were mostly living in the mountains, which made it difficult to obtain food. Therefore they used dried or pickled methods to make food last longer and easier to store, forming a unique Hakka food culture. As a result, Hakka cuisine is characterized as salty, rich, and fragrance.
"Salty" is for ease to store and prevent food from getting rotten too quickly. It is also supplements the body would need after sweating for hard work. “Rich” is to provide protein needed for a lot of physical strength. "Fragrance" can increase appetite and satisfaction. Dried food can increase the fragrance of the food. Hakka Braised Pork Belly
Hakka Rice Noodles
Ginger silk intestine
Hakka Qi Ba (Sticky Rice Cake)
Hakka Capon & Orange Sauce
Lei Cha
Xinpu Smoked Sausage
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Well known figures of Xinpu
Xinpu area has gone through many battles in different eras, these dominant historical events has created its unique character as a society with the coexistence of ancient and modern cultures.
Its "People" has been a major source of the cultural inspiration and urban evolution, the "protagonist" of the story. And the story of "Xinpu People" plays an essential role in shaping Xinpu as a simple, livable and distinctive city. |
Patriotic poet – Wu Zhuoliu (1900-1976)
Mr. Wu Zhuoliu, was an influential poet and writer born in Xinpu town in 1990. Mr. Wu began his career as a school teacher who was also devoted to compose Chinese poetry. One of his most well-known novel “Orphans of Asia” describes the most profound Chinese experience during the colonial period and how it has reflected and shaped the destiny of the Taiwanese people before World War II.
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In order to encourage aspiring and talented young writers, Mr. Wu founded the "Taiwan Literature Award" in 1969 and was later renamed as "Wu Zhuoliu Literature Award". Mr. Wu is believed to have made a great contribution in preserving Taiwan’s literature during the era of white terror.
Main works: "Orphans of Asia", "The Fig", "Formosan Weeping Forsythia" |
Hakka cartoonist – Mr. Chen Dingguo (1923-1999)
Mr. Chen was one of the most famous comic book artist in Taiwan born in Hsinchu County, the hometown of Taiwanese comic books. Mr. Chen has an exquisite painting style and uses a diverse character and themes to reinforce his motivation in his artwork including; the beauty of Chinese femininity to close-to-life buffoon “Miss Flower”, Mr. Chen’s work can also be seen in the degree of the government as well as advertisements as his art work was not only creative but also has an educational significance and were very thought-provoking.
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Main works:
"Ms. Meng Lijun", "Miss Flower", "White Snake Biography", "Ms. Lu Si Niang", "Taiwan Folk Tales" |
The first Hakka poet – Ms. Du Pan Fangge (1927-2016)
Ms. Du Pan Fangge was borned in Xinpu town and was raised under the Japanese educational system during the colonial period. Her initial literatures were all written in Japanese but had a cross-mindset of Japanese, Chinese and Hakka cultures. With the encouragement of Mr. Wu Zhouliu, poet, she later overcame her language barriers and gradually publish her work to the public.
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Ms. Du joined the “Banboo Hat” poetry society in 1965, and was greatly motivated in composing Hakka poetry and played a vital role is promoting the existence of Hakka literature with articles published in many major newspapers. Ms. Du was also a Hakka Christian missionary. In 2007, Ms. Du Pan Fangge was awarded with the "Outstanding Contribution Award" and the "Taiwan New Literature Contribution Award". She believed that all her achievements were given by God and lived with a heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving.
Main works: "Zhongyuan Festival", "Peace Opera", "Paper Man", "Vegetable Garden", etc |
Air Force Hero – Mr. Wu Zaixi (1935-1966)
ref.http://www.xinpu-ahm.com.tw/famousx-detail.asp?id=2
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Mr. Wu Zaixi, a farmer’s child who pursued and fight for his believe in making his dream a reality. Mr. Wu graduated from Air Force Mechanical School in 1953 with honors and fought during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis (August 23rd) and was rewarded with 9 military combat awards to honor his heroism and outstanding service of achievement.
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In 1964, he was selected to participate in the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance flight unit and were sent to the United States for training. After returning to Taiwan, he joined the Black Cat Squadron and bravely flew into the target area of mainland China for high-altitude reconnaissance. He flew into the mainland six times and successfully completed the given task. Mr. Wu passed away in 1966 when carrying out a special operations mission, the U-2 plane that Mr. Wu was in charged underwent a technical failure and was forced to land in Taichung Waterfront Airport in an emergency. Mr. Wu Zaixi lived a short but valuable life, and his deeds will be well remembers as a true hero.
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Patriotic Educator - Mr. Lu Renxiang
Mr. Lu Renxiang also known as Ueda Boxiang, was born in the 39th year of Meiji (1906), Hakka in Zhaomenli, Xinpu Town, Hsinchu County. Mr. Lu graduated from the Taipei Second Normal School of Taiwan in the 3rd year of Showa(1928). Upon graduation, he served as the director of the four schools; Xinmeng Zhaomen, Pingding, Dayuan and Kansai.
At the end of the Second World War when Kuomintang took over the control of Taiwan, Mr. Lu was appointed as the Principal of Xinpu National School in 1946. At the time Mr. Lu was only 40 years of age, as a young principal Mr. Lu was capable of restructuring the dampened primary education of Xinpu Town through his expertise and passion that he has gained during his time serving in the Japanese education system. |
In 1949 when Kuomintang was defeated during the civil war and escalated to Taiwan. High military generals established a so called "Angry School" in Xinpu Elementary School as a military cadre training school with an aim to fight back mainland China. Mr. Lu was not only involved in rebuilding the Xinpu National School but also assisted in the running of the “Angry School”
In 1969, Mr. Lu passed away in illness during his tenor as a Principal of Xinpu Elementary School. Throughout his 20-years of career as a principal and an educator, Mr. Lu has put in his utmost effort in the educational system. His three sons pursued on with his beliefs and attitude and continued to make a contribution in today’s education system. |
Hakka Folk Custom:
The “Sky Mending Day” in Xinpu
The 20th day of the first month of lunar calendar marks the unique Hakka festival “Sky Mending Day”. Legend has that the goddess Nuwa mended a hole in the sky with a five-colored stone and rescued all the humanity. So this special festival was to celebrate and to remember Nuwa, and hoped that by using this celebration day, the concepts of environmental protection and the healthy lifestyle of the Hakka people can be passed on to future generations, and be promoted to the entire world. This day was designated the “Annual Hakka National Day”. There was a jubilant array of events, including of dancing, music, deity worship, festive lanterns and walking campaigns. The lively activities lightened the sky of Xinpu town during night time. Each group steps on the street, performing along the way and finally arrives at the hundred year old local temple – “Guanghe Temple” to pray for new year good luck at the plaza in front of the temple.
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