Popular Taiwanese Superstitions

Highly educated, full grown adults will tell you very seriously “ghosts exist and they will try to kill you.” Ghosts are definitely the biggest threat. There’s a whole month dedicated to them that comes with its own set of superstitions. Completely straight-faced, my manager told me not to go swimming during ghost month.

Anyway, in addition to ghosts, there are also superstitions surrounding child birth, different types of animals, numbers, hand gestures, gift giving, body art, etc. Most of these double as old proverbs told to teach children some common sense. For example, it’s not very smart to go swimming alone with or without ghosts. Additionally, many Taiwanese superstitions are also bound up with the belief of reincarnation.

A local friend explained that Taiwanese religion doubles as a set of superstitions that control when you die, what you’re reborn as and how many tricks ghosts can play on you along the way. For example, anyone with pierced ears cannot be reborn as a male. (Yes, this patriarchal nonsense still exists.)

Animals

Black animals with white paws are considered unlucky and used to be killed. Aware of this old superstition, many people go out of their way to adopt these animals and get them off the streets.

Numbers

Chinese culture places great importance on homonyms or words that sound the same. (You can probably guess where this is going.) In Chinese, the words four and death sound the same. For this reason, the number four is the Taiwanese equivalent to the western 13. Apartment buildings, hospitals, offices and schools will literally just skip fourth floors. Third floors just happen to have very high ceilings.

Red Ink

This is actually a great classroom management tool for teachers. If there’s a disruptive student, get out your red marker and start spelling out the miscreant’s name on the board letter by letter. It works wonders, especially with younger kids. Let me explain, red ink looks like blood. In Taiwanese culture, you only write names in blood if you intend harm upon that person or want them to die soon. Needless to say, my kindergarten class was not amused.

Gifts

Don’t gift people sharp objects, white flowers, watches or sets of four. When given as gifts, these items mean that you want the recipient to die sooner rather than later. Sharp objects should be self-explanatory. White flowers are reserved for funerals. Watches and clocks, as gifts, mean that the recipient’s time is literally running out. Sets of four remind people of death.

Body Art

I already told you about pierced ears. Compared to Western culture, not many Taiwanese women have them. The lack of earrings is one of the first things I noticed after moving here. Also, people with tattoos are gangsters; although, this is more of a stereotype than a superstition.

Hand Gestures

In the United States, it’s the middle finger. Unfortunately, Taiwan’s taboo hand signal is commonly used in the United States. It’s the one used to beckon people or get attention. You know: palm up with a repeatedly curling index finger. Well, in Taiwan, this is the hand signal for the number four, which of course means that you want the person you’re beckoning at to die soon. Whoops. In the beginning, I accidentally told numerous students to go kill themselves.

Pointing 

It’s rude to point directly at someone and supernatural deities especially don’t like it. If you point at the Moon, the associated supernatural will retaliate by taking off your ear.

Table Manners

You would never casually leave your fork sticking straight up out of a piece of steak. This behavior is generally frowned upon. It’s the same in Asia, but with chopsticks instead of forks. Never leave your chopsticks straight up in your food. Yes, it’s very tempting to stick them in a bowl of rice and leave them there, but don’t do it. Rest them on the table or lay them across your plate. Again, never leave them sticking up. It’s rude and basically translates to inviting death to the dinner table. Little children will look up at you with tears in their eyes, saying “Teacher, I don’t want to die.” Ok, maybe not with tears, but the rest of that sentence actually happened.

Ghosts

These are not Casper, these things mostly just want a chance to kill people, which is why offerings are set up during ghost month to appease them and keep them at bay. Taiwanese ghosts are murderous because their one goal is to move on and be reincarnated into their next life. In order to this, they need another ghost to take their place. In order to have that, they need to kill someone.

Swimming – Don’t go swimming alone and, during ghost month, don’t go swimming at all.

Whistling – Don’t whistle at night. The ghosts will follow you.

Laundry – Don’t hang clothes out to dry at night. Ghosts will steal them, wear them and use them to sneak past your doorman and into your house. Think twice the next time that sock goes missing, because a proper Taiwanese household doesn’t even have a dryer.

Pictures – Don’t take pictures at night or in front of mirrors. Apparently, ghosts like to photobomb.

Attention Disorders – ADD and ADHD don’t really exist in traditional Chinese culture. Instead, there are ghosts that disrupt and block a child’s learning ability.

Ghost Month – Don’t get married, start a business, have a baby or buy a house. Just hermit and wait for the ghosts to go away.

Ghost Brides – If you see a red envelope on the sidewalk, leave it there. Grief ridden parents are probably trying to trick someone into marrying their ghost daughter. If an adult woman dies before she can be married, her ghost will be trapped between worlds and unable to move on. (Can you tell this is a male dominated society?) To help her ghost find peace, her parents are within their legal rights to trick someone into marrying her ghost.

At Taiwanese weddings, money is given instead of actual gifts. More importantly the money is presented to newlyweds in red envelopes. For this reason, grieving parents may plant a red envelope on the ground, then hide and wait for a naive (and slightly greedy) person to pick it up. In recent years, parents have gotten craftier and have started ditching the envelopes in favor of just leaving money on the ground.

Ghost Weddings – There can also be a ghost groom. If two people are engaged and one dies before the wedding, a ghost ceremony will be held during ghost month. This allows the deceased’s soul to move on and allows the living party to find closure or develop attachment issues.

Day Trip: Longdong Bay Cape Trail, Bitou Cape Trail and Golden Waterfall

We’ve taken several day trips to the north coast and this one has the best views by far. You’ll see the steep cliffs of Longdong Bay Cape Trail, then follow up with the Snow Mountain Range along Bitou Cape Trail and end your day with a hidden waterfall under Jiufen.

Start your day with the Longdong Bay Cape Trail. It’s not a challenging hike, more like a casual stroll, but the views are spectacular. As the name suggests, the trail traverses Longdong Cape, leading up to a viewing platform so you can admire the turmoil below. This is Taiwan’s northern most point. Consequently, you’ve got wind coming in from the east and west, creating wild waves below and a soundtrack for the day.

Continue following the Longdong trail, eventually you will come to a paved road. Walk down this until you see a stairway leading down into some trees. Take these stairs; you should see some signs for Longdong village. Truth be told, it’s not much of a village, just a few buildings strung together along the road. Don’t expect much in the way of refreshment.



From Longdong village, walk toward the tunnel. I promise this will all make sense when you’re there. There is a tunnel, you can’t miss it and you can see it from the village. This tunnel is your next destination, because the Bitou trail head is located just on the other side of it. Yes, you do have to go through the tunnel to get to the trail. It sounds intense, but the walk isn’t bad. From Longdong village, the tunnel is probably less than 30 minutes away.

Between Longdong village and the tunnel, you’ll pass through Londong Bay Ocean Park. This is a great spot to eat some lunch and take a break. During the summer months, you can even go swimming in one of the park’s many ocean fed pools. You’ll have to bring your own towel though, the facilities look pretty sparse.



After you get to the tunnel and walk through, you will be right next to the Bitou trail head. It is literally right there. Despite being so close, the views are different from Longdong, but just as beautiful. Instead of sweeping cliffs, you’ll see Taiwan’s northern most mountain range pressed right up against the Pacific Ocean. The terrain is also different. With its inclines and declines, this is definitely the more thrilling trail. That said, it’s still easy and short. You’ll be able to do both trails in one day with no problem.

Early on, the Bitou trail passes by an elementary school. Don’t be confused, this is supposed to happen. I’d hate to have that walk every morning, but at least the students have a pretty cool view. There’s even a really pretty cemetery that you can check out. Other things to look out for include an old army fort, a miniature great wall and bathrooms. (The trail is littered with them.)



The trail is a loop and you’ll end up exactly where you started. From here, hop a bus or hail a cab to the Golden Waterfall. It’s not far and you will not be disappointed. While it isn’t one large falls, like Shifen, Golden Waterfall is beautiful and definitely unique (even if it does look more orange than gold).The waterfall is made up of several tiny falls all clumped together in one place and it’s not small. Honestly, we were expecting it to be a little lackluster and almost skipped it, but are glad we didn’t. They were one of the highlights of the day.

With its beautiful views and hidden waterfalls, this is an amazing trip. Be warned there’s a lot of walking and not much food along the way, so come prepared. There are plenty of great spots for a picnic. We even ran into a few people who had brought little stoves with them and were cooking. Actually, we also ran into someone who was hiking with a rabbit… on a leash… that happened. While I question the sanity of this, I must admit that is was a cute rabbit. It was so happy that it tried to hop right off the mountain while its owners weren’t looking.

Before I forget, you also need to bring sunscreen and toilet paper. Learn from our mistakes and wear sunscreen. I don’t care if it’s a cloudy day in November, you will BURN. Also, bathrooms aren’t a problem, just use them as you see them. There’s one at the beginning of Longdong trail, one at the ocean park and then several along the Bitou Cape Trail. There are even some porta potties set up at the Golden Waterfall. Apparently, the sound of running water really does have that effect on people. That’s it. Remember to bring your camera.

Getting Around

Take bus 1811 from Taipei Bus Station, located just outside of Taipei Main Station. There’s a bus at eight o’clock in the morning and then another one that leaves at nine. Show up a little early so that you can buy bus tickets at the counter and reserve a seat in advance. This will save you so much headache as most people don’t think to do it and then end up without a seat or having to wait for the next bus. Take the bus all the way to the Longdong Bay Cape Trail and from there get started on your day. It’s a comfortable ride that doesn’t break the bank. The one-way trip will cost you just over $100 NTD ($3 USD).

Stay on the bus until after you pass through Nanya village. Once you pass through the village, start counting tunnels. The bus will go through one tunnel and then a second tunnel. You want to get off directly after this second tunnel. In fact, hit the “let me off” button while the bus is going through the SECOND tunnel. From the bus stop, walk back up toward the temple. You’ll see it. This is where the Longdong Bay Cape Trail begins.

To get back to Taipei, I recommend just grabbing a taxi from Golden Waterfall. You might be able to find one that will bring you all the way home for $1,000 NTD ($30 USD). This price split between two to four people is excellent and well worth it. If you don’t want to splurge on a taxi, you can catch the Golden Fulong scenic bus up to Jiufen and from there cue up for the highway bus 1062 back to Taipei. I have friends who swear by this bus. It comes frequently and will get you home for around $100 NTD per person.

ARC Health Check at Renai Hospital

Once you’ve landed in Taiwan and found a job, you will be required to get your alien resident and health insurance cards. The application process for these requires a simple health exam, emphasis on the word SIMPLE. I completely botched my eye exam, came clean about my thyroid problem and still passed. Plus, it only takes about thirty minutes from start to finish, which is amazing since it includes an eye exam, blood test and x-ray. You’d be waiting around an American hospital for three to four hours to get all that done.

When you arrive at the hospital, do not get in line where everyone else waiting at the big reception area. Instead, head to the door marked for ARC applicants, which is located directly opposite the reception windows and behind the chairs. Once inside the door, you will be given a form to complete and asked to present your passport, pictures and current ARC (if you have one). Don’t worry about the form, there are attendants hovering nearby to help both guide and rush you along.

As for the pictures, they need to be passport photos and you have to have two of them. Either have the pictures made ahead of time or make them from a photo booth at the hospital.  I used the photo booth and it was cheap and effective, costing only about $150 NTD for two photos. You should have the photos with you before you step into the ARC applicants’ reception area. If you need to use the photo booth at the hospital, it’s right as you come in the main doors on the first floor, behind the escalator. Just look around, you can’t miss it.

After your form has been completed, you will be given a number and asked to wait to enter the thirty minute rat race that is your health exam. I’ve never waited longer than 20 minutes and the numbers are displayed on an electronic sign above the doctor’s door, so not knowing Chinese is not a problem. (This is an office for immigrants after all.) Once your number is called, step into the tiny room, have a brief chat with the doctor, tell him (or her) all about any health problems and leave. From the doctor’s office, go directly to have your weight, height, blood pressure and eyes checked. This all takes about five minutes. Then the fun starts and you will be directed to the second floor for your blood test and x-ray.

Take the escalator up to the second floor and hook a left. Alternatively, you can just show the nice man at the top of the escalator your paperwork and he’ll escort you the five feet it takes to get to the lab. The lab is a big round circular desk upon which patients present their arms to nurses who are eagerly waiting with their needles at ready. Once you find it, draw a number, take a seat and wait to see which lucky lady gets to poke a hole in your arm. This process may take five to ten minutes, depending on the wait.


After it’s over and you’ve been given your ration of cotton and tape, make your way to “no man’s land,” also known as the radiology department. It’s still on the second floor, just down the hallway and over a bridge.  Really, it is over a bridge, but don't worry, it’s also really easy to find. Just go back toward the escalator and look for the signs. These will take you straight there. Alternatively, you can just look helplessly at the man guarding the elevator again.

At the radiology department, get in line and present your paperwork to the reception desk. From there, you will be instructed by smirking office staff to take off your bra. Around the corner from the reception desk, there are two or three closets that have been converted to changing rooms for this purpose. Ditch your clothes and belongings in one of the plastic baskets they helpfully keep lying around and proudly step into the completely unflattering bag dress that is waiting for you inside the closet. Keep in mind, you only have about 60 seconds to get this all done. Hope you wore flip flops. The x-ray itself is quick and painless. When you’re done and redressed, simply retrace your steps back to the ARC application office, hand in your paperwork and go home. You’re done!

Health checks for ARC applications are conducted at the Renai Hospital, which is located at the intersection of Da’an and Renai Road. The closest MRT station is Zhongxiao Fuxing, which is where the blue line meets brown. From the MRT station, take the exit for Da’an Road and follow the sidewalk until you run into it. Make a right and follow Da’an road until you see the hospital. It’s a short walk that takes a total of ten to fifteen minutes from the MRT station. It’s, also, a really cool area with lots of nice clothing boutiques and a “Hello Kitty” café. Allow some time for exploring once your health check is finished.

Along with your passport and photos, you will also need to bring money. While the health check is relatively cheap, it isn’t free. For first-timers, it costs around $2,000 NTD or $60 USD. If you just need to renew an existing ARC for a current employer, it only costs about half that. Also, be warned, the hospital, like other government offices in Taiwan, closes down between 12:00 and 13:30 for a mid-day siesta. The ARC application office, also, closes rather early, shutting its doors at 17:00. In short, you must have your health check done between the hours of 9 and 12 or between 13:30 and 17:00. Additionally, the office is closed on Sundays and national holidays. Honestly, I recommend going sometime during the week if possible to avoid crowds.