Ji Gong道濟禪師, 濟公~The Drunk Monk(a bit more)

He goes by many names. Commonly known as Ji Gong (Chee Gong), Dao Ji(Daoji) and Ji Gong Huo Fuo. Also; Master Ji, Rinpoche Ji Gong, Li Xiuyuan, Hu Yin (Recluse from the Lake) and Elder Fang Yuan (Square Circle) and colloquially; The Mad Monk, The Drunk Monk and The Crazy Monk.

Ji Gong, along with Chi Yeh, Ba Yeh, Ba Jia Jiang, San Tai Tz etc. are certainly the most commonly seen figures in marching troupes during street parades and festivals here in Taiwan. Ji Gong is also one of the better known and understood gods by the general populace due to the popular TV series Ji Gong. Surprisingly there is very little English literature about him. In my three main Taiwanese folk religion references (one is English, two are Chinese) he is only mentioned in one, and then only in passing. Apparently the most influential work about Jigong is the 評演濟公傳(1898-1900)Pingyan Jigong Chuan, which has Ji Gong helping the poor and righting wrongs; much like a magical Chinese Robin Hood who is a martial arts master. When I asked about Ji Gong at a Taoist temple, I was told he was a Buddhist god, at a Buddhist temple on the same day I was told he was a Taoist figure. This follows Taiwanese folk religion in general, but it seems Ji Gong’s place in the pantheon is more murky than most.

Belying his popularity amongst Taiwanese, Ji Gong ranks only as a minor deity in the Chinese god pantheon. Ji Gong(1130-1209), was born a mortal, Li Xiu Yuan, to parents who were unable to have children yet, obviously, had one anyway. It is said that upon his birth in a temple, a statue of Mahakasyapa fell off its throne, signifying that the luohan had descended to earth. After his parents death he entered the monastic life in the Ling Yin Temple in Hangzhou. Differing from other monks, Li Xiu Yuan ate meat, drank wine and basically spurned the vinaya (traditonal code for monastics). For this and other eccentric behaviour, Li Xiu Yuan was expelled from the monastery.

For the remainder of his life, Li Xiu Yuan wandered from village to village in the coastal parts of Zhejiang 浙江 helping people. Through his good deeds, compassion and continued cultivation of Buddhism he gained magic powers. He died at the Jing Ci monastery on May 14th (solar-17 June 1207. Not long after his death, Ji gong was deified in Taoism and later recognized in Buddhism.

Some other interesting things about Ji Gong is his ties to the boxers, Taiwanese spirit-writing, spirit-possesion and spirit painting. As well as gambling. I am planning a Ji Gong temple trip around KHH and Tainan counties with a friend to find out more about this colorful fellow.

It’s a Boy!

My wife

Alas

Her stomach

Our boy at one day

Vilian

The day after

Our first boy, Vaji, at 1 year 6 months.

On The Beach~William Mellot

William, a Flickr friend of mine will be having a photography show at Hud La Voos on the 28th of June. Details above. Some great photography, well worth checking out. Photographs and info below:

they leave their dead to rot kodak tmax 100 2300

a can in the sand ilford delta 100 2800

a message refused ilford delta 100 3300

a question or a threat ilford delta 100 3000

an investigation kodak tmax 2100

and we all fall down provia 100f 4000

broken moments delta 100 2000

flapping has ceased provia 100f 3000

Not too sure what happened to all the photos below, but just as well, come to the show and see them live. Much more impressive.

home ilford delta 100 2100

introverted provia 100f 3800

once more we remember provia 100f 2600

orifice provia 100f 4000

rearing ilford delta 100 4000

sand ideas ilford delta 100 2800

tasty ilford delta 100 2200

the vertical shell kodak tmax 3800

William is a self proclaimed camera geek who is never to be found without a camera. His photographs are an exploration of color, theme and subject. In ‘On The Beach’ William comes out with a quietly introspective body of work. Of his photographic subjects in this series William says “for most people these things are often just something to step over, garbage. With this series I ‘m interested in examining things that we often ignore and transforming the way we see them. In these photographs everyday washed up objects become both what they are and possibly what they aren’t. Sense of scale and size are often challenged by the macro lens and the way things appear”. William’s photographs pose many questions, of which he says “answers are open to each viewer’s individual interpretation”. Where the photos are quiet and unassuming, the titles speak volumes. He says the titling process comes easily, noting he doesn’t want to lead the viewer, but prefers to give a starting point. Some are funny, some are simple and some are deep, but all are decidedly poignant and relevant.

All shots in the series were shot with the Holga 120N using close-up filters. Since focus with the viewfinder is impossible with the Holga, he has tied a string to the camera marked with the focus distance. All photographs were shot in a single day at Tainan’s Gold Beach. Objects were shot as found. Nothing was moved or planted in the sand for compositional reasons. Three different types of film were used: Fuji Provia 100F Slide Film, Kodak Tri-X Black and White Film and Kodak Tmax Black and White Film. The slide film was cross-processed E6->C41(slide film processed in C41(negative) chemistry).

links: The Real Taiwan INCKU William’s Blog William on Flickr

Ji Gong-The Drunk Monk

Just a quick post before I go to bed. I promised these people I would post their pictures. Went to Nan Kun Shen for Wang Yeh’s Birthday celebrations last Sunday. Sadly, I was too late. The previous two days had been hopping as was the previous weekend. But quiet wasn’t necessarily bad. There was still a steady procession of worshippers and I could stop and talk with them without being worried about missing some action elsewhere. A friendly lady introduced me to Ji Gong. I was quite apprehensive as he was busy healing people, but she had no such qualms and shoved me in front of him. He told me to take lots of photos and he wanted to see them. Unfortunately it was very difficult light so I have nothing stunning. Here they are:

Thanks for the nice opportunity to take photos of you.

Their temple is in Chia Yi and I will post their address, as they asked, when I find it.

Will write something more interesting about Ji Gong, one of my favorite gods, when I have more time. I’m also hoping to follow up on this Ji Gong as he seemed to be a strong healer. Alas, my wife, is now in her last couple of weeks of pregnancy and I am having to pick up all the slack around the shop.

P.S. My wife’s name is Alas, so that comma is actually in the right place.

Wu Shan Monkey Preserve 烏山獼猴生態保護區

One of my favorite places for a short day trip in Tainan is the Wu Shan Monkey Preserve in Nan Hua Township. Throngs of monkeys roaming free in their natural environment. Last Monday my family and I went on a quick afternoon trip. I’m posting some new monkey photos with an old article for information about the area and how to get there.

Wu Shan Monkey Preserve

Originally Published in the China Post

and

South Magazine

Text and Photos by Richard Matheson

The Wu Shan Scenic Area( 烏山風景區) near Nan Hua Village(南化村) is a fantastic place to visit. There are several large and active temples, a bee farm, some great hikes, tea and coffee shops perched on the hillside and great views of Tainan County. But don’t miss the main attraction in the area, the Wu Shan Monkey Preserve(烏山獼猴生態保護區).

The Formosan Macaque’s (Macaca Cyclopis) (台灣獼猴) original habitat extended from sea level to 3000m in Tainan, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hengchun and Taidung counties. Now, due to overcrowding, hunting and pollution, these monkeys are becoming increasingly harder to spot. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Lin(林先生), who started taking care of Formosan Macaque monkeys in 1989, we can still observe them in their natural habitat.

Straddling the Tainan/Kaohsiung border in Nan Hua Township(南化鄉) is Mr. Lins’ legacy–the Wu Shan Monkey Preserve. Following the Number Three Provincial Hwy north towards Yu Jin(玉井), turn right up 176 or 176-2 from Nan Hua Village. Signs along both these roads will lead you to the privately owned monkey area. There is no charge for entering the area but food for feeding monkeys, such as peanuts for 50NT, and refreshments are sold to help support the preserve.

The area consists of a parking lot, a few tin shelters where vendors and an altar are set up and a trail leading up the mountain. The monkeys are usually thronged at the entranceway waiting for food. Go through this area and there is a large paved path heading up the hill. The monkeys can be observed in a more natural environment a little further up the path. There are large rocks that the monkeys sunbathe and relax on and monkeys can be seen resting in branches or swinging through the bamboo and deciduous forests.

Weighing up to 7kg with a maximum body length of 40-65cm and a tail extending a further 35-45cm, the macaque is not particularly large. They are not to be underestimated however, they are wild animals. If feeding the monkeys, it is advisable to hide the bag of food or they will jump up on you and steal the food. Also, keep a hand on your valuables like keys, purses and wallets as the monkeys are very playful and will try to steal interesting things from people. Further, bringing your own food to feed the animals is not permitted as their diet needs to be controlled.

In the area of the preserve there are also some great walks, the most notable being the Wu Shan Health Trail(烏山健康步道), which will take you from the monkey preserve all the way to Hwy 20. Most of this trail is in protected area so, if you are lucky, you will see macaques in their natural habitat. The trail can be found by finding a trail and following it straight up until you are on a ridge. Two of the better marked trails head up from behind the Tz Zhu Temple(紫竹寺) and there is a well marked paved farmer’s road leading to Jin Guang Shan Pagoda(金光山觀景台). From behind the pagoda, walk up the cement stairway and follow the trail until you are on the ridge. The Wu Shan Health Trail follows the Hsue Bi Ya Lake Ridge(霍比亞湖山列) (roughly the tail end of the Alishan Range) and reaches a height of 800m. The portions of trail I have walked have been beautifully marked and followed the ridge giving awesome views of both Tainan County to the west and the Chishan river valley in Kaohsiung to the east. As nice as the trail is, a good dose of common sense is needed as some parts are quite remote and both sides of the trail tend to be very steep. Be prepared and walk carefully if attempting to hike to the South Cross Island Hwy.

Any walks in the area will be rewarded with great views and a good workout. Walking to Jin Guang Shan Pagoda(金光山觀景台) is pleasant and will open up the view to Jing Mian Dam(鏡面水庫) as well as more of the Tainan flatlands. Behind the temple there is an old cave (sometimes called the bat cave) at 700m above sea level that was mined by the Japanese. The cave extends about 30 meters into the mountain. There are also 52 species of birds, 18 butterflies and at least four mammals known to live in the area to gratify the hiker.

There are several large and active temples with great views of the flatlands below. The Tz Zhu Temple is the highest of these and a great place for watching the sunset. The temple has a breakfast and lunch on Saturday’s and Sunday’s which are open to anyone. Payment is by donation. While tasty meals are to be had, if you are looking for peace and quiet, this is not the time to come. Temple followers and tourists looking for a free lunch flock to the area creating a lively atmosphere.

For other food options there are some great tea and coffee shops dotting the road up the hill. In the late afternoon pick one of the quaint tea or coffee shops nestled in the hillside and watch the sun set over Tainan’s moon world — while enjoying dinner or a coffee. A perfect way to end your day in the Wu Shan Scenic Area.

Photography Resource for Tainan

One of the main reasons for starting this blog was in the hopes of helping Tainan Xpats to find photo stuff. I bought my very first SLR here in Taiwan in 1991. It was a gorgeous fully manual silver Nikon FM2. I don’t remember what lens I bought with it, just that it was a cheap Tamron zoom. Got the whole kit stolen while I was sleeping on a ship in the Philippines a few months later. The waist strap had broken that day and I tied it under my cot. when I woke up, it was gone.
Anyway, I bought that first FM2 down in Kaohsiung on the advice of a friend, but have since bought almost every camera, lens and accessory in Tainan city, where I live.
My first BW darkroom was given to me by a friend in Canada, once that was set up I was hooked. I set up two more in Tainan. The final one was “Dee-Luxe“. I rented a whole apartment for it, built eight feet of sinks a light lock door (so people could come in and go out while I was working) and a nice overhead extractor system. Sadly, both digital and my lack of darkroom skill (I think I am better at building) converged and the darkroom is now long gone.
Well, the point of this preamble is: I have bought a lot of equipment over the years and feel qualified to give advice on where to buy photographic equipment.

So, this will grow as I have time to write but will put up a draft and add to it over the years. I have now settled in to my favorite stores and haven’t actively looked for new places in a while so anyone that knows of some good shops let me know via e-mail or comments.

If you want to know where to find something, ask. I may know.
liefintaiwan@gmail.com

Camera Stores

Horng Sheng (previously called Home Lai ) Image Equipment Store
宏來照相器材行~弘陞影像器材坊

#222 Ming Chuan Road Sec. 1, Tainan City
台南市民權路1段222號

Tel: (06) 228-9895
Here’s a map:

Great for new stuff. Boss used to be a camera repairman, then opened camera shop about 20 years ago. No grey market stuff, All Nikon products from Lin Trading company, so full warranties and service. Only criticisms would be that they once tried to sell my friend a brand new Leica M? for her first novice camera. Not saying this is not a fine camera but sheesh, pretty expensive for a first camera. Two, they can be a little dismissive of large amounts of money being dropped. When I drop wads, like I have many times there, I expect to be treated well. Minor points.

Here is a link to an article I wrote in 2004

Da Hua or Gloryman Used Camera Specialist
大華相機 — 二手相機專賣店

大華地址：台南市西門路二段362-1號
Tainan City, #362-1 Hsi Men Road Sec. 2
TEL：06-2208581 / FAX：06-2205523

營業時間：星期一至星期六下午2:00~10:00
（星期日及國定假日公休 ）
Open Mon. to Sat. 2:00PM to 10:00PM
Yes, that’s 2PM. Many a time I have gone earlier to find him closed.
Closed Sundays and Holidays
E-mail：gloryman2975@yahoo.com.tw
map:http://tw.lifestyle.yahoo.com/biz.html?bizid=902fb67a5c32eb39

Awesome shop. Lots of great lenses, go at beginning of the month for best selection. The boss, Alex Chen, speaks great English and is very knowledgeable and helpful. Tripods, medium format, lighting, macro, lots of adaptors and fun odds and ends for DIY projects.
Here is a link to an article I wrote in 2004
Great website. You can see what he has in stock: www.gloryman.com.tw

Rising Sun Teams
東升經營團隊

Two locations:
旗鑑店/台南市民族路二段34號 TEL:06-228-6128 FAX:06-228-3386
Kirin Store
Tainan City, #34 Ming Tzu road, Sec. 2
TEL:06-228-6128
青年店/台南市青年路197號 TEL:06-228-2505

Ching Nian Store
Tainan City, #197 Ching Nian Road
http://www.risingsun.com.tw

Opened June 6th 2001 on Ching Nian Rd, I noticed them for connectivity. The boss was into microscope photography and was the man to go to for connecting stuff. I was going to connect a consumer telescope to my 801s. never did though. They still do this kind of stuff but have moved across the road and opened a new branch on Ming Tzu. I don’t know if the boss is still around. Their web site says first and second floors of Ming Tzu are display areas, 3 and 4 floors are management areas and the 7th floor is where the altar is. Funny, I never noticed the second floor. Mental note to check that out. I always check there if I can’t find some odd knick-knack and know several people who recommend them for camera gear. Probably a good place for birders with spotting scopes.

Hong Ming Specialist Camera Shop

Tainan City, #122 Ming Tzu Road, Sec. 2

Great shop. Always good for flash equipment, specialty holders, reflectors, soft boxes etc. Sleek design, one of the first shops to embrace digital, hence, doing quite well now. Great for Olympus or Sony digital systems. Slobber over the 200,000NTD lens in the window.

Shuang Mei Camera Shop

One of the oldest shops in town, and one of the few left on old gov. circle. There was a time when there were at least eight camera shops on the circle, now there may be three. Worth checking out for lenses, cheap film (says William) and other knick knacks like bags, tripods, and those silica packets that suck moisture out of your camera bag. June 12th, 2008-just drove by and it was totally cleared out. saw the boss directing so am assuming (hoping) it is just a renovation.

Darkroom Equipment
Standard
horng Sheng
circle

Developing/Printing

B+W

Standard
Color
horng Sheng(slides)
circle
Agfa
Shen Bao

Framing
Ming Tzu/Hai An
Dong Men
Ebu’s friend

Cloth

For backdrops darkening windows etc. here are some shops that sell cloth and canvas:

Place just off old gov. circle on Jung Jeng road (past fire station) sells canvas stuff. good white , but never bought black there. Sure they could get some if you ask.

there are some shops on dung men, heading towards Ren De freeway on-ramp. left side of road after Jung Hua East. they sell canvas covers for blue trucks and those lovely waterproof canvasses you see on big trucks. sizes made to order. decent value. also add grommets and straps.

cheapest shop for material is a little hard to explain. don’t have address offhand. going west on Ching Nian raod, cross tracks and bei men road. take first left onto ?? street. there are two shops, both on right hand side of street. the first (smaller) shop is cheaper.

Easier to find shop is on corner of you ai jie and Ching Nian.

Cosplay Tainan

Updated Website

Pawl from randomized design has updated my website:

(click pic to get there)

Still under construction, but all the pics are there.

Tzuhu Presidential Mausoleum 慈湖陵寢

On our way to Snow Mountain we made a quick pit stop in Da Hsi 大溪, Tao Yuan County (just off Natl. Hwy #3) to check out Chiang’s resting place before/if he is moved. Lovely place. Gorgeous forest scenery, flowers and lakes. Well worth a stop.

Originally Chiang Kai Shek had a residence built by the lakes that he called Tzuhu(motherly love lake) as it reminded him of his hometown in Fenghua, China. When he died in 1975, his body was placed in a large black marble sarcophagus in the main hall in preparation to be shipped to Fenghua after reunification with mainland. As reunification has not yet materialized, he still lays in Tzuhu. There have been several attempts to move or bury Chiang, but so far nothing has happened.

The picture above is of a ceremonial guard in front of the mausoleum. When I was there I asked three different military police who were stationed there when Chiang Kai Shek died. Strangely, not one of them knew. They were all very helpful and apologetic that they couldn’t answer, though.

I think this would be a far cry from the mausoleums heyday. According to Wikipedia, before the late 90’s, people would line up for hours to gain entry to the park for a chance to pay homage to their former leader. When we were there, there were very few people and this was apparently normal.

What I was particularly eager to see was all the Chiang statues that are slowly filling up the park as they are being removed from military and public places. It’s pretty cool. Will try to go in a few more years when there are even more. Would love a statue on my land in (appropriately enough) San Ming. When I first came to Taiwan every room of every school had a picture of Chiang Kai Shek in the back and Sun Yat Sen in the front. That’s a lot of pictures. Where did they all go?

Aboriginal Food

I have been very sporadic( perhaps an overly generous term) about updating, poor manners, I think, with such a large photo for the last entry.

Sorry.

Here are some pictures I have been working on. Some aboriginal food pictures. This was a fun topic as I have been taking snaps of my wife’s cooking and life in the village for quite some time now. Sadly most are just that, snapshots, but often the subject matter makes up for the poor technical quality. Here are some of my favorite ones along with some to give a simple introduction to aboriginal food(for a more informative article, go here):

These are some mountain rats ready for cooking in San Ming(from now on Namasia, the name was changed to its original aboriginal name recently). They have had their hair burnt off with a small blow torch, which is the usual way of preparing animals for cooking. My wife cooked these particular rats just like three cup chicken() the same as done at our restaurant. Quite tasty. Come on by and try some!

All the above were taken at Malatangia in Namasia County, Kaohsiung. They are performing several different traditional ceremonies and these pictures depict: drinking millet wine, eating and hunting; arguably aboriginals favorite things.

Boar….Pigs. Very important in Bunong culture. Celebration….. have to kill a pig, or kill a pig as a celebration. Traditionally, the most important event of the year is the Malatangia, or shooting pigs ear festival where the young hunters practice hitting a pigs ear and the young warriors come of age and hunt and kill a pig. Getting married, how many pigs did you kill? more pigs, more face.

Every Bunong man knows how to carve up a pig, and it is a social event. Neighbors come over to help and take some of the pig home. The first two pictures are my relatives carving the pigs I killed when I married my Bunong wife. I have no idea why my brother in law is biting the raw flesh. Third picture, another pig on another day. the innards are always boiled into a delicious soup upon coming out of the pig. A delicacy of course. I don’t think my brother in laws respected me until I had killed my first boar. I mean, what kind of man hasn’t killed a boar with a hunting knife?

Alcohol. Aboriginals love alcohol. A stereotype, yes. But true. My wife makes a very tasty millet wine in the mountains which we sell at our pub. Pictured above the millet wine is served by my sister in law from a bamboo cup. Taiwan Story host drinking millet wine in Hud La Voos(second from left). Hud La Nooms wine slush(middle) and some millet.

From left to right; Rat on a wok in the mountains, iced boar skin at Hud La Voos Pub, boar in a wok, mountain bird meal at Hud La Voos and fried hornet larvae at Hud La Voos.

A flying squirrel, five colored pitta, and mountain boar. All captive (and all eaten at time of writing). A Taiwan Macaque in the nan hua monkey reserve. More pigs, chickens and hunting.

Left to right: Betel nuts are a traditional and contemporary Aboriginal food. Aboriginal cousins tea plantation in Le ye township Alishan. Ai Yu dryingin the sun in Da Bang, Alishan. Cabbage growing in the high mountains, Mo Tien, Taidung. Tropical Peach, Namasia, Kaohsiung. Ai Yu dryingin the sun in Da Bang, Alishan.

The first and last photos were taken at a Christmas day potluck celebration in Ming Shen Village, Kaoshiung. The photos show a table filled with snared rats. Surprisingly, this table was the first to go empty. The feast was held in a basketball court and there were lots of tables filled with hunted food, notable were the raw pickled flying squirrel intestines. Ever tried that?

The two middle pictures are of a freezer full of hunted meat. The head in the second is what my wife calls a fox. I looked it up and found ?? to be its name, and in the third you can see a flying squirrel in the front. I find monkeys to be the freakiest to see. They look so human like.

Pounding and husking rice/millet. The left most photo was taken at a friends wedding in the Zhou village of Hsin Mei in Jia Yi. I think he is pounding a sweet potato. I will have to ask Eric what it was. The final three are from a competition to see who can husk the most rice in a certain time. Namasia, Kaohsiung.

My wife collecting Balang Balang(an edible leaf) in Namasia, Kaohsiung.