1. Lion Head Painting Promotion Camp "Lion Head Painting Promotion Camp" is an intensive training offered to the local townsmen who are interested in making the painted lion heads. Meanwhile, courses about the history, culture and relics of Taishan are arranged for the townsmen to "train them to be skillful storytellers." A training course of "Taishan Ecological Tour Guide" is also offered to the local people, who are led to travel all the scenery and historical places of Taishan, and are taught the skills of being a tour guide.
2. Creative Lion Painting Show Young children and their parents are asked to use their hands and brains together to exert their creativity on painting lion masks. They can just paint the lion heads according to the images in their minds.From this activity, people are able to understand the meaning of lion dance in Taishan.
3. DIY Lion Experience Course Some lion-related DIY activities are held, including the Lion King Kite Painting, Lion Body Turnover Boards, Lion (Bamboo) Head Hitting Toy, etc. Everybody is asked to develop their creativity, and create lovely and funny children’s toys.
4. Taishan In-Depth Travel Packaged itineraries are arranged, with tour guides introducing the famous relics, scenic spots and delicious snacks of Taishan,and leading visitors to take part in Lion King Cultural Festival. Visitors are able to experience different DIY activities, travel around the local natural scenes and feel the unique cultural features.
5. Birthday Celebration Ceremony of Sianying Ancestral Master "Birthday Celebration Ceremony of Sianying Ancestral Master" is the greatest religious celebration in Taishan. On the 18th day of the 9th lunar month every year, the birthday of Sianying Ancestral Master, both Top Taishan Temple and Lower Taishan Temple hold god-welcoming meeting. The themed lion head and Mr. Taishan are invited to join the patrol activity.
6. Lion Fair
(1) Lion King Championship: Local and foreign famous lion dance troupes are invited to participate the championship. The competition judges from the lion styles, rites, costumes, walking route and drum music.
(2) Lion Constant Exhibition Hall: In Taishan Township Industries and Culture Museum, it is planned to hold Lion Cultural and Antiques Exhibition constantly. In the Museum, there are studying classes, educational experiences, and gift shops available to the public.
(3) Eastern and Western Lion Head Dish: Some activities related to the lion head dish (minced pork ball) are held, such as Creative Boundaryless Lion Head Dish Cooking Contest, Lion Head Dish Eating Contest, and free tasting of lion head dish.
(4) Thousand-People Sand Art Lion King: With lion head taken as the silhouette board of sand art, a thousand students from Taishan Township are invited to paint the lion head silhouette with their favorite colors, and create their unique lion kings.
(5) Kuso Lion Dance Party: The extra-curricular societies of schools, community groups and dancing clubs are invited to perform lion dance in their kuso dancing ways
Top Taishan Temple
Top Taishan Temple (a third-class historic-site) was named for its location in Taishan Township. It mainly worships the ancestral master, Huang Huei-Sheng. Originally, the ancestors of Li Family moved the ancestral master to Taiwan from Pengnei by the side of River An of Chuanjhou in Fujian Province. A lot of joss sticks are found burning in this blessing temple. According to the monks of the temple,Top Taishan Temple was established in the 19th year of Cianlong Reign (1754). The wooden sculptures currently found inside the temple had been kept as from the remodeling made in the 7th year of Showa Reign (1932). The temple was constructed by the famous temple builder,Chen Ying-Bin. Chen Ying-Bin was responsible for the large woodworks (structure), whereasHuang Guei-Li was responsible for the small woodworks (pattern carving).
The columns and wooden sculptures inside the temple were the works of these two great masters. The sculptures not only show the beauty of traditional arts, but also contain the folklore allusions concerning loyalty, piety, dignity and justice, as well as the plots of fictional stories. They deserve you taking time to appreciate them closely. Top Taishan Temple is located at Linkou Terrace, and linked to Ciongzi Lake Hiking Trail. A place around Fude Temple was built with a view-watching pavilion for people to view clearly the areas afar, such as Xinzhuang, Taishan, Wugu, Great Taipei, and even Mountain Yangming.
Mingjhih Academy
Founded in the 28th year of Cianlong Reign in Cing Dynasty, "Mingjhih Academy" was the first academy in Northern Taiwan. Hu Jhuo-You was an esteemed intellectual born in Dingzhou, Fujian Province. As there was no academy in Northern Taiwan at the time, he decided to donated his houses and land, which brought an annual income of over 500 shihs of grains, to be the expenses for the construction of Mingjhih Academy. His donation included "five tile-made houses, together with 12 chambers by its side, a pond in the front, hills and rivers surrounding, and linked with fields." In the summer of the next year,,Yang Ting-Jhang, the governor of Fujian and Jhejiang Provinces, wrote an essay about his great deed, and named the academy as "Mingjhih Academy." The ridge of its roof has ventilation holes laid by green glazed pattern bricks with very exquisite appearance. Yisyuekeng Natural Park Following the path paved by stone plates, people can walk on the greenish bamboo trail winding in the bamboo shoot field, and step on the wood plank road to appreciate the scenery of the woods. They can also directly march to the zone of bird appreciation trails, where there is a bird-appreciation pavilion and a bower for people to appreciate the flying birds, butterflies and the natural ecology, and take a rest after the long walk. Walking for some time on the wood plank road built between the woods, they can find a gazebo for watching distant scenes, including the panorama of Taipei Basin. It is one of the best spots in the suburb of Taipei for watching Taipei Basin. Along the way are densely grown flowers and trees. In spring and summer, groups of butterflies fly around the blossoming flowers, and the birds' singing can be heard everywhere, forming an extremely rich picture of natural ecology. Since the park has bird appreciation trail, butterfly appreciation trail and a future healthcare trail under planning, it is a natural park suitable for the whole family to go hiking, appreciate the scenery, and have sports activities.
Lion Dance Lion symbol has the functions of chasing away the darkness power, repelling the evil spirits, protecting a residence, and attracting the good fortune. Therefore, people like to rely on the awe-inspiring soul of the king of all beasts, lion, and exercise the symbolic behavior of attending the religious ceremony to chase away the evil spirits and bring in the good fortune. This is why lion dance must be performed in every birthday celebration of gods, worshipping ceremony or race held in different townships and cities in Taiwan. Normally, lion dance is mainly performed by two people: one person holds the lion’s head and the other controls the lion’s body and follows the first person’s move closely. Besides, there are two people following them all through the lion dance: one person beats the drum and the other taps at the gong. The one waving the lion head takes the lead. The lion jumps and dances, stands and lies down, waves its head and shakes its tail, scratches its ears and itches its body, touches its beard, sometimes yawns and gives a dizzy look, and then rolls itself over and licks its hair. The acts are as vivid as a real lion.
In a lion dance occasion, we can always see some small characters wearing the masks of smiling Buddha, monkey or rabbit. Most of them are played by children. While making agile, ridiculous and different kinds of naughty acts, they like to use bananas or branches to make fun of the lion, and irritate it. In this way, the whole lion dance is not only lively and vigorous, but is also full of tricky ideas and fun, increasing happy and hustling elements to the carnival atmosphere.
