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00:00Happy Lunar New Year!
00:02It's that time of year again.
00:03Taiwan Plus is proud to bring you our annual Lunar New Year special.
00:07It's the biggest holiday of the year in Taiwan,
00:10and it all kicks off with Chu Shi, or Lunar New Year's Eve,
00:13which is usually spent with family gathered around the dinner table.
00:17No matter where you're watching from, whether you're near or far from home,
00:21we hope that you can feel the spirit of Taiwan's Lunar New Year holiday.
00:25And we're going to show you some of the holiday's biggest traditions,
00:28food, and fun.
00:30It's all here on Taiwan Plus.
00:43This year is the year of the horse, and we're trying to make it the best year yet.
00:47By the way, Leslie, what's your zodiac sign?
00:49Why don't you take a guess, Tiffany?
00:51Well, you kind of look like a snake to me.
00:53Oh, you're really funny. I'm actually born in the year of the horse.
00:56So it's your year?
00:58Maybe it's my zodiac year, but if you're thinking I'm going to have good luck,
01:02well, that's not the case.
01:03Because when it's your zodiac year, that's called your Ben Mingyan,
01:06and that's considered bad luck because you're thought to offend Tai Sui, the god of fortune.
01:10Oh, gosh. Well, I hope nothing bad happens to you.
01:13But that means the rest of us are off the hook, right?
01:15Well, don't be so sure. We ought to check your sign, too.
01:18Well, I'm a rabbit, and it was just my Ben Mingyan a few years ago.
01:21Well, aside from the horse this year, there are a few other signs that need to be careful,
01:25and look at that. The rabbit's one of them.
01:27Wait, what? That's not even fair.
01:29Don't worry. There's something we can do about it. Follow me.
01:39We're here at Zhinan Temple in the outskirts of Taipei, a Taoist temple that was built 137 years ago.
01:47Every year for the Lunar New Year, thousands of people come to pray for good luck.
01:51But if you're like me and Tiffany, and you need to appease Tai Sui, well, they do that here, too.
01:56And with us today, we've got the chair of the temple, Gao Chao Wen, who knows the most about these
02:01traditions.
02:02Welcome back to Zhinan Gong.
02:03Happy New Year.
02:04Thank you so much for being with us here today.
02:06Zhinan Gong is a place of a旅士, a旅士, a旅士, a旅士.
02:09Now, we have the faith of the旅士, and we all努力.
02:12What do you want?
02:13The people who want to come to Zhinan Gong will be able to have a safe place.
02:16So Zhinan Gong has six different types of development,
02:19religion,教育,慈善,文化,藝術,自然生態.
02:23Of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, every year there are a few that are unlucky.
02:28If you think of the zodiac wheel as a clock, and the baminian is 12 o'clock,
02:33then the signs at 3, 6, and 9 are also in need of spiritual help.
02:39For example, this year, the horse offends Tai Sui.
02:43Opposite the horse on the zodiac wheel is the rat,
02:45and the other signs that need help are the chicken and the rabbit.
02:49But Tai Sui isn't just one deity.
02:52It's a roster of 60 historic generals and bureaucrats who are deified for their virtuous spirit.
02:58Each year, they rotate duties as guardians for the year.
03:10This is our 2026th anniversary of the 19th anniversary of the 19th anniversary of the untridden people.
03:16This is Vice-6.
03:18This is Vice-6.
03:20This is the first-year-old new leader.
03:20The second-year-old new leader.
03:20So everyone can see.
03:22As part of a war-class sword,
03:23The same-time word was the war-class sword in the year.
03:25And at the same time in the war-class sword,
03:31Really horrible things can happen to you if you have a sign that offends tai sui, like
03:37car accidents, illness, or relationship issues.
03:40To get around these poor fortunes, people can an tai sui, or appease tai sui, to make things
03:46right for the year.
03:47To do this, we need to register with the temple, who will then keep a small lantern lit for
03:52us throughout the year.
03:53Our names will appear in these little cubbies, and throughout the Lunar New Year, monks will
03:58pray to help relay our wishes to the gods.
04:01There is also a sign that you have a phone call with your phone, which is a connection
04:07with the top of the door.
04:08You know that you are the one that is connected to you.
04:12So you can put this gift to the temple, to the temple, to the temple.
04:16There is a connection.
04:22Hello, I'm An Tai Sui.
04:23Have you been sent?
04:24No.
04:30A little bit of basic information is needed, like your name, address, and lunar birthday.
04:35If you don't know that, that's okay, because they can convert it for you.
04:39Then there's the matter of payment.
04:40You can either use cash or even card.
04:44Once you've finished registering for An Tai Sui, you'll receive a protective amulet.
04:49But its powers aren't activated yet until you pass it over an incense burner outside.
04:55And that's it.
04:57But Jinan Temple doesn't just offer An Tai Sui.
04:59In fact, it offers even more powerful blessings to supercharge your fortune in the new year.
05:04Taiwan's President Lai Qingde and Vice President Bi Kim Xiao keep a ceremonial rice barrel here for good fortune.
05:12On top are a few props for good luck.
05:14A wooden ruler keeps your judgment measured.
05:17Scissors help cut out your destiny.
05:19A scale maintains balance.
05:21A mirror encourages introspection.
05:23And a sword cuts down on sinful thoughts.
05:33Each temple is a little different in their interpretations of these religious traditions.
05:38So if you go elsewhere, your experience might differ from ours.
05:41But for the most part, An Tai Sui is a widely practiced custom.
05:45Well, this year may not be our year in terms of luck.
05:48But at least during Lunar New Year, we can enjoy some good food, right?
05:52Yeah, my family's Hakka, so the meals around this time of year are usually pretty good.
05:56Like what?
05:57Well, Hakka people have their own set of traditions and cuisine for the Lunar New Year.
06:02And as much as I'd like to share them with you, Chris Gorn and Irie Lin are in Shenzhou
06:06to find out what a traditional Lunar New Year Hakka spread looks like.
06:11Thanks, Leslie.
06:12We're at a tea farm in Hualong village of Shenzhou County,
06:14where almost everyone here is a part of Taiwan's Hakka community.
06:18Yes, that's right.
06:18Like many of Taiwan's ethnic groups, the Hakka have their own language, culture,
06:22and importantly for us, cuisine.
06:24Well, lucky for you, I know someone who's trying to keep Hakka cuisine alive during Lunar New Year.
06:29Hey, is that him there?
06:31Oh, hi, Lao Ban!
06:33Hey, nice to meet you.
06:34Nice to meet you.
06:42This is Feng Yao Liang, or who we casually refer to as Lao Ban or Boss.
06:48And he's lived in this Hakka village his whole life.
07:11For decades, Hakka villagers here made their living growing tea.
07:15But as temperatures rose, the village switched to citrus farming.
07:21Many tea farms and processing plants closed down,
07:24leaving historic buildings in this Hakka community abandoned.
07:48Now, his restaurant prepares traditional Hakka dishes using local ingredients,
07:53such as kumquat and citrus sunki, from farms like this one.
07:58Actually, we have a lot of species, but we don't have any species.
08:01But we want to use these things,
08:04and we also have some of the seeds in the market.
08:08We also have some of the seeds in the market.
08:09We also have some of the seeds in the market.
08:13Oh, I'm excited to see how you use them.
08:15Yeah, and I'm hungry.
08:16Should we go to the restaurant?
08:17Let's do it.
08:23Our journey to explore Hakka Lunu New York food begins with four special dishes.
08:28Chicken with kumquat sauce.
08:30Tandering leaves with pork intestine.
08:33Pickled mustard green duck.
08:36And braced pork knuckle with bamboo shoots.
08:39So, Lao Ban, how are these dishes special for the Hakka people?
09:06The citrus flavor really comes through.
09:08It's stronger than most sauces that I've had before.
09:10It's really good.
09:11Okay, now let's try these tangerine leaves with pork intestine.
09:20.
09:21.
09:44It's very, as they say,
09:45Q, very chewy, kind of a bouncy texture to it.
09:49It's really good.
09:52And it was just the perfect balance of the leaves and the crunchiness from the leaves
09:57and the chewiness from the intestine.
10:21The sourness that Chris just mentioned comes from the pickling of these vegetables.
10:26Why is pickling such a special cooking process for Hakka people?
10:55I'm so excited.
11:02It's a bit different if you've ever had German pork knuckle.
11:17It's not crispy like that.
11:19It's much softer but very delicious.
11:21Yeah.
11:22It mixes very well with the bamboo shoots, which are also very soft.
11:27Right.
11:27And the knuckle is braised to perfection.
11:30After the feast, it was time for a quick hike to burn off the calories.
11:39We're at a temple that sits on the top of this mountain in Hualong village.
11:44And I heard that this temple is really important for the local Hualong villagers.
11:47Is that right, Lao Ban?
12:01What's a little bit about Bo Gong, like what does he represent for the Hakka people?
12:34But Bo Gong isn't only worshipped by Hakka people.
12:37Yes, in fact, he's worshipped by people all over Taiwan, even if he goes by a slightly different name.
12:42As it turns out, our colleagues Larry and I are also at one of his temples in New Taipei City.
12:48Here we are at Honglu Di, one of the most famous temples in northern Taiwan, dedicated to Tu Di Gong,
12:55the great lord of the land.
12:57This is my first time here, and he's huge. What do people here do?
13:01They're here to make sure the Year of the Horse is a prosperous one.
13:04Maybe they are looking for professional success, a new job, or just want to win the lottery.
13:10Alright, let's climb this mountain and see if that luck can rub off on us.
13:24Honglu Di, also known as Nanshan Fu De Temple, is located on Nanshan Mountain in New Taipei.
13:32The temple has two sections. One is located halfway up the mountain, the Wells God Temple.
13:38Perfect for those who can't climb all the way to the top, but still want to pay their respects and
13:44seek blessings.
13:46The main temple is located at the very top of the mountain.
13:50This climb doesn't make me feel very lucky.
13:53You're going to work for it a bit, bro. People work hard for money.
13:56Are we going to climb hard for our fortune?
13:59Alright, let's go.
14:10We finally made it to the main temple. We need to find someone who can tell us a little bit
14:14more about this place.
14:15We are honored to learn something else.
14:45What do you think about this year?
14:47It's a year after a year.
14:51It's a year after a year.
14:53From the beginning of the year,
14:55we want to祈福 and祈福
14:57and we want to be able to be happy and happy.
15:02It's a year after a year.
15:10It's like a year after a year.
15:13It's a year after a year.
15:14It's a year after a year.
15:15It's a year after a year.
15:16It's a year after a year.
15:20It's a year after a year.
15:21It's a year after a year.
15:23It's a year after a year.
15:25Seems like you can ask for anything you need here.
15:28But how do you pray like a local?
15:29Let's go through the steps.
15:31It starts with offerings.
15:33It's like when you visit someone,
15:34you always bring gifts.
15:35God's have a sweet tooth too.
15:36One of Turigong's favorites is hua shang tang, peanut candy.
15:40But you can bring fruit or teas too.
15:42We wash our hands.
15:43We take a tray, bow, and leave it as an offering.
15:47Incense isn't just there to make the temple smell nice either.
15:50It's a way to communicate with deities and spirits
15:52with smoke carrying your words to them.
15:53So we light three sticks, walk to each burner, bow, say our prayers,
15:58and place one inside.
16:00So Larry, what are you going to pray for?
16:03Just the easy stuff.
16:04Endless riches, more peace,
16:06a new girlfriend.
16:07Maybe start up small.
16:09What about winning the receipt lottery for next month?
16:12We can try that too.
16:14And you need to be honest when you pray.
16:16Talk to all the gods in the temple,
16:18not only Turigong.
16:19Tell them who you are,
16:20where you live,
16:21why you're here,
16:22and what you really need.
16:23Don't be afraid to repeat yourself.
16:25All of them can hear you.
16:27But what if you like to keep Turigong's good luck with you,
16:30something you can bring home?
16:32That's where one of the temple's most famous options,
16:35qian mu, comes in.
16:37Think of it as seed money.
17:01qian mu literally translates to mother money.
17:04Think of a snowball rolling downhill,
17:06or interest compounding.
17:07We walk to the back of the temple's main hall,
17:09where three statues wait for us.
17:14Here we chou qian mu.
17:16We ask for spirit money,
17:17mu qian,
17:18that attracts even greater wealth.
17:20At this statue and at the next one.
17:22After collecting the two qian mu at the back,
17:25we now head to the final statue to get the last one.
17:28And the third qian mu you can get is from here,
17:31another statue in the main hall.
17:37You can also touch this statue for good luck.
17:40For example,
17:41it's said that touching the gold ingot brings wealth and prosperity,
17:45while touching the staff brings power, status, and good fortune.
17:50After collecting all the qian mu,
17:52we place them in the red bags provided by the temple.
17:55Then, most importantly,
17:57we need to activate the power with Turigong's blessing
18:00by circling the incense banner three times and bow in.
18:04That's how the coins become lucky seed money.
18:07Now you take that little red bag home.
18:09Some common places to keep it are in your wallet,
18:11or maybe at your desk at work.
18:13If you know a good feng shui master,
18:14they can tell you where it'll be the most auspicious.
18:17But in general,
18:18wherever you want it to make the biggest impact is perfect.
18:23The temple has other spaces too.
18:25We didn't even get to show off the Hall of Light,
18:28where thousands of lamps are meticulously arranged,
18:31many carrying the name of a person who came asking for protection.
18:35Honglu Di has something for everyone.
18:37A local, a tourist, someone asking for millions,
18:41or someone who just wants to pass your next test.
18:45So, Larry, what did you pray for?
18:47Oh, that's easy.
18:48Prayed to be Alan and Candice in their mahjong game.
18:50Wow!
18:51Hula!
19:01So this is mahjong.
19:03It's a really popular game in Taiwan,
19:05and a lot of people play it with their family and friends during Lunar New Year.
19:09Alan, do you play with your family during the holidays?
19:11Yeah, I actually play not only during the holidays,
19:13like Lunar New Year,
19:14but I also play in my free time.
19:16So why do you play over Lunar New Year specifically?
19:19To me, because I'm a Taiwanese,
19:22usually on Lunar New Year's Eve,
19:24we would have this big dinner called Tuan Yuan Fan.
19:26And after Tuan Yuan Fan, people will try to find some leisure activities
19:29to fill the time gap between the New Year actually arrives.
19:33Also, on Lunar New Year's Eve,
19:35Taiwanese people usually get, you know, red envelopes with money in it.
19:39So people would want to be a little playful with the money they get.
19:43Mahjong would be a good choice.
19:45That sounds so fun.
19:46When I first came to Taiwan two and a half years ago,
19:49I was introduced to the game of mahjong,
19:51and I completely became obsessed with it,
19:53addicted to it,
19:54and I can play for hours on end without getting bored.
19:57And I don't have any family in Taiwan,
20:01but I do play with friends over Lunar New Year,
20:03and it's a really nice way to spend time together.
20:06You sound so ready for the game.
20:07Let's actually get started.
20:08I'm so ready.
20:09I'm so excited.
20:10Okay, let's do this.
20:19Mahjong is played with majorly four people
20:22and with these green and white tiles.
20:24So basically, for each player,
20:26all they have to do is to discard and pick up new tiles every turn
20:29to try to form a complete hand.
20:31And all the players have 16 tiles.
20:34Yeah, so a complete hand is five sets of three
20:37of either the same tile or three tiles in numerical order,
20:40and then one additional pair of the same tile.
20:43And you win by collecting a complete hand before anyone else does.
20:47So it involves skill and strategy,
20:49but it's also a lot about luck
20:51because it depends on what tiles you pick up when.
20:59Peng.
21:02So basically, Peng means touch in English,
21:04and it means that if I have two of a set,
21:08so I have two of the same card and I need a third one
21:10to complete the three-card set,
21:11then regardless of who puts it down,
21:13I can just pick it up even if it's not my turn.
21:16And this is kind of why you not only need to be paying attention
21:19to your own cards, but you also need to be paying attention
21:22to what other people need
21:23and to make sure that you don't put anything down
21:25that they might need.
21:35This means I won because I have five sets of three
21:38and then one pair.
21:39Okay, so do you guys want to play again?
21:41Yeah.
21:41Yeah, of course.
21:43See how addicting it is?
21:44I feel like I could do this over and over and over again.
21:46So people here in Taiwan do spend a lot of time playing mahjong.
21:49But how did it all start?
21:51There are several theories about the origin of mahjong.
21:55The most widely accepted theory
21:57is that it originated in China's Zhejiang province,
22:01evolving from games that were popular
22:02during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
22:05It became very popular in China in the late Qing dynasty,
22:09and spread to Taiwan around that time, too.
22:12But it wasn't until the Japanese colonial period
22:15that it really took off here.
22:17During the day of the day of the day,
22:19because the mahjong was very welcome in Japan,
22:22many Japanese people came to台
22:24and brought the mahjong over here.
22:26But in the early days,
22:27it became a popular society.
22:29After the 1930s,
22:32because the mahjong was founded,
22:36the mahjong began to expand
22:37to the Taiwan society's different levels.
22:40But the game is played differently from place to place.
22:43Chinese and Japanese styles of gameplay are similar.
22:47Both involve 13 tiles,
22:49and emphasize skill and strategy.
22:51But Taiwanese style mahjong used 16 tiles,
22:54and the expert says it involves more luck.
22:57It's also played differently across Taiwan.
23:00How tiles are used,
23:01how points are calculated,
23:03or even how many people can win
23:05can vary from region to region.
23:07We were also curious about when it started being played
23:10during the LUNA New Year specifically.
23:13This is what our expert had to say.
23:15This mahjong will be a popular game
23:17of Taiwanese people.
23:19It is related to the martial arts.
23:22It is related to the martial arts.
23:23Because the martial arts is not easy.
23:25So everyone would think
23:26that you can play a martial arts
23:28as the martial arts and martial arts.
23:32But careful!
23:34There are several things people believe
23:36you shouldn't do while playing mahjong.
23:39Some say you shouldn't get up from the table
23:41during a winning streak,
23:42to avoid interrupting your flow and your luck.
23:45Others say you shouldn't pat someone
23:47on the back while playing,
23:49because that means you're patting out their luck.
23:52But us, we aren't that superstitious.
23:54We just play for fun.
23:56Okay, I'm gonna go use the bathroom.
23:57Wait, no, you can't leave!
23:59Oh, okay.
24:01So some people, if they're really good,
24:03they can just pick up a tile,
24:05and they can just feel it,
24:06and know what card it is.
24:07So they don't even have to look at it,
24:08and they would just know,
24:09okay, this is a jong.
24:10And that's called mo pai.
24:12Yeah, my grandma could actually do that.
24:14She could identify all the tiles
24:15with just one single touch.
24:17That was really impressive.
24:22Pull up!
24:23For the second time!
24:25I can't believe you won two times in a row.
24:27I'm usually a really competitive person,
24:28but I'll be happy for you
24:30because it's New Year's.
24:31Yeah, it was actually pretty surprising to me too,
24:33because it's been a long time
24:34since I played last time.
24:36But really happy to be here with you guys.
24:38So now that we've shown you
24:39all these popular things to do in Taiwan
24:42over Lunar New Year,
24:43let's go back to the Taiwan Plus office
24:44and celebrate with our colleagues.
24:47Happy Lunar New Year!
24:48Bye!
24:51May happy news come galloping in
24:53and good fortunes full speed ahead.
25:00Treat yourself in the year of the horse.
25:02In the year of the horse,
25:04I want to wish you take the lead
25:06and the gallop to success.
25:08Taiwan Plus! Yeah!
25:11Happy Lunar New Year!
25:15Well, they're the top priority!
25:17Good morning!
25:18Good morning!
25:18Did you really miss out?
25:19Bye!
25:24Happy New Year!
25:31My every
25:32Can this change the that I've ever played?
25:46May peace arise quickly and may the Year of the Horse bring prosperity and plenty of money.
25:52I'm wishing your family buckets no wheel barrels full of money.
26:00May the horse be with you.
26:03Happy Year of the Horse from Taiwan Plus!
26:36Happy Year of the Horse!
26:59Happy Year of the Horse!
27:00May the drill brilliance
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