The ritual practice known as fen qi jiao, unique to the Passing of the Incense Burner ceremony, vividly reflects the strong sense of community and mutual support among the thirteen villages of the Wugu tradition.
Translating Hometown Stories Through Picture Books: YunTech and Lian-Mei Elementary School Promote Local Folk Culture Education
To promote one of Yunlin County’s designated folk traditions—the intangible cultural heritage of the Wugu Kaitai Zunwang ritual—National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech), through its Intelligent Regional Design Service Research Center, has been conducting a traveling storytelling program at elementary schools across Yunlin County. The fourth stop of the tour took place at Lian-Mei Elementary School in Dapi Township, where the university and the school jointly hosted the event “The Sacred Red Altar: The Majestic Treasures of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang” Picture Book Storytelling IV on January 22.
The belief in Wugu Kaitai Zunwang and its associated “Passing of the Incense Burner” ritual spans six townships across Yunlin and Chiayi counties, encompassing five ritual divisions and thirteen villages. Lian-Mei Village in Dapi Township belongs to the Si-Fang division within this ritual network, and Lian-Mei Elementary School serves as the local school for the community. Holding the picture book storytelling event at this school was therefore particularly meaningful. Notably, Lian-Mei Village served as the presiding host village for the ritual in 2022 (the Year of Renyin), making local students relatively familiar with this major folk event. Through the picture book storytelling sessions organized by YunTech’s Intelligent Regional Design Service Research Center, local children are given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their hometown’s folk traditions, with the hope of fostering future transmission of Yunlin County’s distinctive intangible cultural heritage.
Associate Professor Wang Jing-Yi, Vice Convener of the Wugu Kaitai Zunwang cultural site at YunTech’s Intelligent Regional Design Service Research Center, noted that culture is accumulated and passed down over generations. Traditionally, parents and grandparents would bring children to participate in local folk rituals, allowing ceremonies that originated more than a century ago to remain vibrant community events today. However, in the digital age, many children have become less familiar with their local cultural traditions. By using picture books and encouraging family reading—where parents and grandparents read stories to children and then take them to experience the rituals in person—cultural heritage can be integrated into everyday life as a living, dynamic practice.
The “The Sacred Red Altar: The Majestic Treasures of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang” Picture Book Storytelling IV event was led by Associate Professor Wang Jing-Yi from YunTech’s Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation, together with graduate students Chen Ying-Rong and He Xuan-Yi, as well as postdoctoral researcher Dr. Zhuo Jia-Xian from the Intelligent Regional Design Service Research Center. During the session, students browsed the picture book and listened attentively as the two storytellers shared the narrative, allowing the illustrations and stories to leave a lasting impression and help the children become more familiar with the stories of their own community.
YunTech’s Intelligent Regional Design Service Research Center has partnered with four elementary schools to organize the traveling “The Sacred Red Altar: The Majestic Treasures of Wugu Kaitai Zunwang” picture book storytelling series. The events were held on November 7, 2024, at Shigui Elementary School; December 11, 2024, at Zhenxi Elementary School; January 16, 2025, at Goubai Elementary School; and January 22, 2025, at Lian-Mei Elementary School. Special thanks are extended to the Chinese Wugu Kaitai Zunwang Association for its support in advancing this initiative. Through this storytelling program, YunTech demonstrates its commitment to social responsibility by working together with local schools and community organizations to preserve and pass on Yunlin County’s intangible cultural heritage.
Before the storytelling session began, the two storytellers first invited the students of Class 4A to share their previous experiences participating in folk cultural activities.
The storytellers introduced the traditional place names of Lian-Mei Village and highlighted the distinctive features of its local industries.
The storytellers explained that the Passing of the Incense Burner ritual and the Red Altar are cultural assets unique to Yunlin County.
Group photo after the event (from right to left): Teacher Ding Yu-Juan, Teacher Chen Mei-Yu, Director Lin Long-Cai, graduate student Chen Ying-Rong, graduate student He Xuan-Yi, and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Jhuo,Jia-Sian.
Organizing Unit: Intelligent and Local Design Service Center
Director: Hwang Shyh-Huei
Contact Person: Jhuo,Jia-Sian
Telephone: +886-5-534-2601 ext. 2870
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