The Bombing of Master HanDan (part I)

I had originally planned to return to Ping-shi on lantern festival proper (1/15 by the lunar calendar, which falls on February 9th this year) to re-shoot some long exposure photos. However, the night before, Feiona invited me to join her family on a trip to Taidong, a city in the southeast, to visit a curiously named festival: The Bombing of Master HanDan. I initially thought it would be similar to the more famous Yan-Shui Beehive Firecracker festival, where barrages of rocket firecrackers are fired in all directions and even into the crowd. However, it took a few minutes for Feiona's explanation to register in my head - we were going to witness people deliberately throwing firecrackers at naked men until they're burnt and bloody??? It simply didn't make sense.

Embarking on the 7 hour drive at the crack of dawn, we looped around the northern tip of the island and headed down the eastern coast. After an hour, we headed up the mountain via the Su-Hua highway, with some spectacular views.



We then made a pit stop at the eastern end of the Central Cross-Island Highway in Taroko National Park. Constructed in the 1950s after the nationalists arrived from China, the highway made it possible to travel directly from Hualien to Taichung. It was an arduous and dangerous process, as over 10,000 workers – mostly former KMT soldiers – cut through steep marble cliffs with only axes and dynamite in an area that was prone to earthquakes and typhoons. By the time of completion in 1960, over 200 workers had died.



On the way, we made several stops to visit Feiona's relatives. I found it very difficult to explain the concept of "roommates" - Taiwanese people generally live with their parents until they get married, and rent outside Taipei is so cheap that there is simply no need to live with another person.




One of her uncles is a cultivator of orchid plants, which are surprisingly valuable!

We finally reached Taidong County around 3:00 pm. The first town is Chih-shang – famous for its rice. Restaurants serving Chih-Shang Rice Boxes are found all around the island, but this is the very original shop.





The rice was perfectly chewy and fragrant. I have to say, it lives up to its hype.

Before we left, I tried to take a picture of another rice box shop. Suddenly, two large, muscular women appeared and asked if I wanted to buy anything. When I said no, they rushed towards me, yelling obscenities. As any man who has pissed off a buff woman would do, I ran away.