Pingxi: Behind the Scenes

Let's go to Pingxi! Alright check the list first: super hip foreigners, check. Confused Taiwanese friends, check. Umbrellas, check. Train tickets, check. Ready to go! Of course I have no idea how long it takes to get there, what we will see or where it actually is, I do know we are going to send up a Sky Lantern. SPOILER ALERT: We did it, see post below.

Here are a few more pictures and a little bit more about this quiet, rural village and how every year it gets flooded with people who want the same things my travel partners and I wanted.

Pingxi (ping-SHE, kinda) is a tiny, rural town about 1.5 hours east of Taipei. About 5,000 Taiwanese call this their home and coming from 2,5000,000 in Taipei city proper, the differences were alarming. For example, Pingxi maybe only has half a dozen 7Elevens - oh the humanity! Like most rural areas, the rail system connects the old with the new and all the places in between. In case you didn't know, Taiwan's topography is seriously bumpy; the train tracks weave along mountainsides, dive through long tunnels, and eek up and down the elevations. Similar to the foot of the Rocky Mountains in the USA or New Zealand's South Island, the steep slopes are always within sight, looming quietly in the distance. Towns like Pingxi seem to exist randomly in valleys, a river cutting through the middle, kilometers away from the next signs of a town.

Still thought of as a traditional town, there isn't anything flashy about it. You aren't going to find the multiplex shopping center-car wash- day spa anywhere near here. Instead, you could small family-owned noodle shops, garment makers, tiny tea houses, one school, a few temples, and during this time of year, sky lantern producers. Tight, cobblestone paths weave around the small town center, only forms of transportation through these streets are scooters and donkeys. But there are no donkeys here so I guess just scooters.

On my drippy weekend visit, the town felt closed for business. Not a whole lot going on, many of the shops locked up in hopes for busier, sunnier days to follow. Still, all the Lantern Festival decorations that adorned the weary town reminded visitors of ongoing celebrations. The Lantern Festival is a robust, widely celebrated holiday in many parts of Asia; the legend of its origin is exciting, full of mystery and intrigue, and so long that I didn't finish it. But for the cliff notes version, you can find it here.

But one thing is for sure, the history of the actual sky lantern. Back in the good 'ole days of late 100s, a brilliant military strategist named Zhuge Liang was trapped behind enemy lines, separated from his forces. To attract attention, he sent up a hot air balloon alarming his friendly forces where he was and they quickly came to save the day in the nick of time, hooray! Furthermore, because of his savvyness and invention, today's lantern retains the shape of his traditional headdress, or hat to you or me, to remember the Chinese Benjamin Franklin.

In Pingxi, there are a mix of traditional and updated sky lantern shops. As detailed in the previous post, the idea is to write your wishes on the lantern, send it to the heavens for you-know-who to read, and hope that your prayers are answered. Wish for whatever you want: endless bowl of ice cream, good health, prosperity, to be on the next season of Dancing With The Stars, good luck. Whatever it may be, slap it on and send it high. To the left is a traditional way of preparing; select what color you want (each color represents a different 'theme'), write down your innermost desires with paint or marker in Chinese or English (for best results, use Chinese), and light the fuse. If you want to look really bad ass, like I always want to, attach a string of fireworks to the bottom, that way everybody will know you mean business.

Here, fellow foreigner Brendan writes down a few of his thoughts. I believe this one is dedicated to the Philadelphia Phillies and their triumphs in the upcoming season.

And here I am. So much pressure! What do I want? What should I ask for? How much Frank's Red Hot do I need for this life and the next? To make it simple, I went with the standards wishing-goodness. And to find a magic lamp with a genie that would grant me three wishes, upper-level thinking there.

On your mark, get set...

Goodbye and good luck! We watched until our magnificent creation floated over a ridge line, into a cloudy, gray abyss. Rain, wind, and cold couldn't stop our beacon of prayers. I was mesmerized, the flicker of candle getting smaller and smaller, a spec of red seemingly miles away shrinking before my eyes. Finally, poof, vanished. Hopefully omnipotent beings can read my sloppy penmanship. Suddenly, chills return to my bones, the damp mountain air reminds me of my earthly fragility. Coffee seems like the obvious solution and look towards the nearest 7Eleven. It is as far to me as my sky lantern is, what hell is this?!? I knew I forgot to wish for something...