Taiwan Today

Lesson 9

Simplified

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Traditional

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Zhn
chun tng de ji qng zi xin di de gu
g

zhn
sh hu rng rn bn yn le yo de jio s mi fng chn ji Qng
g

zhn
mng dun w h qi dng ji r b ln zi shn me d fng de
g

zhng rn du y dng b hu wng j ho ho qng zh y xi dn sh

 chn chn
tng yng de ji r yn wi mi g du fng fng s x gun b
g g

tng r yu b y yng de qng zh fng sh

zi ti wn zu j d fng s ci de ji qng k sun

sh Ti nn yn shu zhn qng zh Yun xio ji de fng po le zi

[ ]
yn shu qng zh yun xio mi yu hu dng y mi yu yu xng r sh

kun
fng d din fng po fng po sh yng w sh zh tin po zu chng
g

de zh yo din rn y zh q t sh wn zh y ji gn zhe sh

chn
ch zo jng rn de xio gu yn wi sh ch de s d h sh
g

xin
ling ji ho m fng ch cho y yng xi rn su y jio fng po
g

[
chn xin chn
yu xi fng po zu dng w mn shn zh q ch h
g g g
]
zhun
tn k de xng fng po
g

chu chu
de q yun fi chng q shu zi Qng cho sh yn wi yn shu
n n

shn chn
zhn f le y d wn y s le w sh zhn mn yn shu
g g

rn rn wi y dng yu gu zu gui su y zi y g Yun xio ji

zhn mn q mio qi shn bng zh t men bng qi d fng yn hu

bin po x wng nng b gu gn zu ji gu yn shu de wn

 y zhn de ji xio sh le cng c y hu mi nin Yun xio ji yn

shu rn du j xng li s de qng zh hu dng n r gu yu j hu

shan
q cn ji qin wn j zhu di r si h n qun mo fu z
g

xin shn
fng po ci n k nng ji bi po xi po le
g g

Traditional festivities in the modern Chinese society play an important role. Every Spring Festival,
Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-autumn Festival etc, regardless of where, Chinese
people never forget to celebrate. Often because of the places different customs, there are different ways
to celebrate one holiday.
In Taiwan, the place that has the most colorful celebration is probably Southern Taiwans Yanshui
with its celebration of the Lantern Festival with bee firecrackers. In Yanshui, celebrating the Lantern
Festival doesnt involve festive lanterns or parades, but it involves crazily lighting bee firecrackers. These
bee firecrackers are made up of numerous firecrackers that shoot up into the sky. Once one is lighted, the
rest shoot up too, causing an astonishing effect. Because of the speed it shoots up and the number of
firecrackers, its just as scary as bees in a hive, therefore, they get the name bee firecrackers. Some bee
firecrackers are made in the shape of an animal, city gate, even in the shapes of cars and tanks.
The origin of bee firecrackers started is very mysterious. It is said that in the Qing dynasty, because a
plague occurred in Yanshui, it killed numerous townspeople. The people of Yanshui believed that this
must have been a ferocious devil doing mischief. So on the day of the Lantern Festival, townspeople went
to a temple to beg God to help them, and they set off fireworks, firecrackers, hoping to drive out the devil.
The result was that the plague in Yanshui really disappeared. From then on, every Lantern Festival the
people of Yanshui would hold a celebration activity like that. If you have the chance to attend, by all
means remember to wear earplugs and a safety helmet; or else once the bee firecrackers ring you probably
will be so scared by the firecrackers sound that you run away!