Though Taiwan has done a better job than most in beating COVID-19, the disease continues to make its impact felt here. The latest victim: one of the season’s most exciting traditional events.
The event’s organizers are nothing if not resourceful, though. They’ve cooked up a safer alternative featuring the one thing that all Taiwanese people can rally around: food!
Taiwan is still in the midst of “Ghost Month”, a period in the late summer when spirits roam the earth and people try to appease them. Some parts of Taiwan have turned appeasing the spirits into a grand spectacle.
For instance, there’s the annual Ghost Month obstacle course event called “qianggu” that’s held each year in Toucheng, Yilan County. In this event, teams scramble up an elaborate contraption made of wood and bamboo in a race to be the first to capture a flag.
This year, though, Toucheng is quiet. The race has been called off due to concerns about COVID-19 and crowding. Instead, there’s a cook-off challenge pitting 30 teams against one another in an effort to create the best locally-inspired food offering for the ghosts.
Fans of the race need not feel too bad, though. Instead, they need only head to Hengchun in Taiwan’s far south, the one other place that also holds this event each year. This year, the number of teams is being cut to prevent crowding. But at least in Henghcun, the race to the top is still on.