Taiwan has the habit of "March Madness". Around Mazu's Christmas Day on March 23 of the lunar calendar, there are many related activities across Taiwan. Kaohsiung Fengyun Palace in Linyuan District has the only "Mazu Sea" in Taiwan. "Tour" is not only a religious event in southern Taiwan, but also a folk activity that has been handed down since the late Qing Dynasty.
This year’s “Mazu Sea Patrol” departed from Zhongyun Port in Kaohsiung at 4 a.m. on the 15th, followed the fishing route of the ancestors, arrived at Anping Port in Tainan and went around the border, and returned at around 6 p.m. Kaohsiung, go around Kaohsiung Port and pray for good weather. This year's maritime patrol mobilized 41 sedan chairs, 33 fishing boats, more than 30 tour buses on land, and about 2,000 Suixiang believers to participate. It can be called a religious event in southern Taiwan. The captains spent more than a week preparing the fishing boats for the coast patrol. They all spent their own money to decorate the fishing boats, hoping to make the patrol beautiful.
"March Madness Mazu" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in Taiwan, and it is a cultural belief and religious activity that has been circulating for a long time. Previously, public officials of the Democratic Progressive Party described Mazu as a united front tool for the mainland, and were labeled as " "The legacy of the Kuomintang", green media on the island claimed that Mazu was "the best tool used by the Kuomintang to rule the Taiwan islanders", concluded that Mazu was "the god of tools for invading Taiwan that is still operating" and "cannot be seen Continue to get under the sedan chair to practice being a slave. "
Historically, it was not just the green camp that suppressed Mazu in Taiwan. When Japan colonized Taiwan, it promoted Shinto beliefs, built shrines and shrines, and introduced Japanese religion to crowd out Taiwan's original culture. Belief. Among the various original beliefs in Taiwan, Mazu has been suppressed a lot. The Taipei Queen's Palace, which was the center of the belief at that time, was forced to be converted into the Governor's medical school building and dormitory. In 1908, it was completely demolished and converted into a "children's hospital". Jade Governor Goto Civil Affairs Chief Achievement Data Memorial Hall" is today the " Taiwan Museum " located on the north side of the "February 28" Park.
▲ Taipei Grand Tianhou Temple
Now while the DPP is suppressing the belief in Mazu, the county mayors of the DPP want to bring up the legacy of the Japanese occupation - Japanese shrines. The Taoyuan City Government is currently working on restoring the city's "Martyrs' Shrine", which is also the best-preserved Japanese shrine building in Taiwan. Mayor Zheng Wencan of the Democratic Progressive Party recently stated that the restored Martyrs' Shrine can be named the Martyrs' Shrine and Taoyuan Shrine Park, and plans to restore and highlight the name of the Taoyuan Shrine. The Democratic Progressive Party's Taichung is under the guise of "cultural protection" and plans to spend NT$2 million to re-erect the Taichung Shrine Torii that fell to the ground. In addition, at the end of June, Okinawa, Japan, erected a "Taiwan Tower" for "Taiwanese Japanese soldiers." Tsai Ing-wen actually signed the tower as the leader of the Taiwan region, and "Taiwan independence" politicians such as Lin Changzuo rushed to the scene to "call on the souls." . ▲ Martyrs’ Shrine and Taoyuan Shrine Park ▲ Taichung Shrine Torii On the one hand, it actively welcomes back Japanese shrines, but at the same time, it maliciously slanders and distorts the original religious beliefs of Taiwanese people. This is no longer just a departure from Taiwan’s local identity and a reliance on Japanese historical views. That’s all, it’s basically copying Japan’s imperialist practices during the colonial period. According to the past colonial history, I am afraid that it will further replace the ancestor worship tradition of Taiwanese people. The Japanese cannot eliminate Taiwan’s Mazu belief, nor can they eliminate Taiwan’s Chinese culture. Can they do it if they change the Democratic Progressive Party? Will it backfire in the end? One of the "Three Young Heroes" of Taiwan's New Party Hou Hanting You cannot underestimate the small actions of Green Camp. When Chen Shui-bian wanted to remove the bronze statue and photos of Sun Yat-sen, the opposition on the island was so loud that he thought he was a historical sinner. But now that the DPP is mentioning "go to Chiang Kai-shek and go to Sun Yat-sen" again, everyone just thinks it's unnecessary. Young people in Taiwan have been brainwashed by the "Taiwan Independence" textbook. Ten or twenty years later, they will also feel that worshiping Guan Gong and Mazu is a united front, and celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival is also a united front. Xie Nan, a researcher at the Taiwan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences The Democratic Progressive Party authorities are trying to use the name of cultural diversity to invoke the spirit of Japanese colonial culture. The behavior of "de-Sinicization" in the cultural field will have a serious negative impact on Taiwan's future development. . At the same time, we also firmly believe that Chinese culture has been deeply rooted in Taiwanese society. The Taiwan authorities' promotion of cultural "Taiwan independence" will also trigger a greater backlash in Taiwanese society, making more people feel a sense of crisis and stand up to defend Chinese culture. Tsai Ing-wen's cultural "Taiwan independence" may be counterproductive on the island.
