From community point of view, the Taiwanese have their own unique belief system. Their polytheistic belief consists of many taboos and rituals, and can vary in the different regions of Taiwan. The Taiwanese people accept these taboos and rituals and have observed them for many years without question.
Religious practices talk about the existence of a world far beyond where we are living now. But is this other world constructed by our imagination, through a collection of stories passed down from generations, or does it really exist because there are signs of connections?
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TVTranscript
00:00 It would not be wrong to say that most religions believe in the existence of an unseen world.
00:07 A world beyond what we can see, hear, smell, feel and touch.
00:12 I continue my journey in Taiwan to find out if there is a place that we enter in the afterlife.
00:18 Or, strange as it may sound, a world that we can visit during any chosen time.
00:24 [Music]
00:33 [Music]
00:39 [Music]
00:45 [Music]
00:51 [Music]
00:57 [Music]
01:03 [Music]
01:13 In Taiwan, the people believe that there is the afterworld after death.
01:19 [Music]
01:22 A place where you are punished for the sins you have committed while living.
01:26 This brings me to the 18th levels of hell.
01:29 A horrible place filled with horrible people tortured for hundreds of years until the negative karma is purified.
01:37 For example, if you lie, your tongue will be ripped out.
01:41 If you steal, bribe or rob, you will continue to burn in everlasting inferno.
01:49 Are these merely tales?
01:51 Or perhaps the levels of hell are told to us to instill the fear of knowing the consequences of our actions.
02:00 And also, perhaps to think that death is not the end of the cycle of life.
02:07 [Music]
02:14 According to Taiwanese traditional belief, the concept of hell is a place where your actions in the human realm are judged,
02:21 much akin to the court of justice in the world that we live in.
02:24 Which part of the hell that we end up in and the duration of your punishment depends on the nature of your sins or bad deeds.
02:31 Once all the punishments are completed, you will be taken to one of the six realms to be reborn or reincarnated,
02:38 either as a human, an animal or other beings.
02:41 We believe in retribution.
02:44 Yen Luo Wang is the king of hell, with his underlings in ten courts and assisted by an officer named Chen Huangye in various regions.
02:58 They rule the whole underworld and the 18 levels of hell.
03:07 In Taiwan, there is a unique traditional belief that the officers of hell attend certain important religious events held in temples.
03:15 They call these officers the Eight Generals.
03:19 I am right now at a temple in Taipei, awaiting a festival or a ritual that seems to be very unique in Taiwan.
03:33 Stay with me and find out more.
03:37 The Infernal Generals
03:41 The Infernal Generals were subdued by Dizang Wang Pusa, a Buddhist deity who vowed to rid the realm of hell by helping the hell beings.
03:52 Originally, the Generals were assistants to Dizang Wang Pusa.
03:56 Later, they became escorts for deities such as Chen Huangye and Ma Zu during annual events to pay respects to the central temple.
04:05 The Eight Generals can be compared to our police officers.
04:13 They capture and arrest ghosts or demons to be questioned by the deities.
04:18 They carry in their hands weapons of torture such as shackles, handcuffs and whip.
04:25 To prepare for the event, we refrain from consuming meat nor engage in any sexual activities for three straight days.
04:34 When the costume is worn, we invoke and embrace the role of the hell officers.
04:39 A friend of mine once saw a ghost kneeling in front of him as if begging for forgiveness when he wore the costume.
04:46 Why do people practice this? Why is this important to the community here?
04:56 From the Taoist point of view, we believe that if there is God, then there is also hell.
05:03 We believe that with God's power, when these ghosts or demons are captured and punished, there will be peace.
05:10 People attend such events to offer thanks to the gods.
05:14 Which means that in the Taiwanese culture, there is a strong belief about the other world that has both gods and ghosts.
05:23 Would I be accurate to say that?
05:26 Yes, you may say so. We believe in it.
05:29 Therefore, this was the first time that I've seen something like this and it is quite unique for Taiwan.
05:35 What intrigues me about Taiwan is that there are a lot of rituals and a lot of festivals that form that tradition, form that culture
05:45 and also gives way to many different paranormal rituals.
05:52 The Ghost of the Taipei Ghost Festival
05:57 In Taiwan, it is very common to engage the services of mediums.
06:15 The mediums are vessels for beings from another world to enter and communicate with those in the human realm.
06:22 I met a lady who has dedicated her life as the vessel for the deity named Qigong,
06:28 who is a legendary Buddhist monk in Chinese folklore.
06:32 He was famous for his eccentric and unorthodox behaviour, but one who was always compassionate.
06:38 I belong to the temple's second generation of mediums.
06:44 I can be a vessel to the deities because of my mother who has been a medium for 30 years.
06:50 My journey as a medium began when I was 22 years old.
06:54 You were very young at 22 years old.
06:57 Were you sceptical at any point when you saw there is signs of the other world?
07:03 Were you sceptical?
07:05 I was very sceptical.
07:07 I remember looking at the effigies of the deities and one of them was the deity of Mazu.
07:13 Suddenly, I saw Mazu's earring move.
07:16 It swung around 180 degrees.
07:19 I was frightened and ran to my mother.
07:23 My mother told me that a deity was present and not a ghost.
07:26 It was her way to letting us know that she was present.
07:29 My mother described to me the deities' appearances and their roles.
07:33 It is all very logical and should not be misunderstood.
07:37 I think it's quite unique because based on my experience so far,
07:41 mediums are normally men, especially those associated with Qigong.
07:46 It is unique because usually the mediums that the deity Qigong chooses are usually men.
07:52 You see, when Qigong materialises, he drinks alcohol and sits with his legs spread wide,
07:57 with exaggerated movement and loud voice.
08:01 It is therefore very special that he has chosen me as his vessel.
08:06 How do you cooperate with Qigong and what is the work that you do for people?
08:10 Before I can invoke him and let him take over my body, I have to first cleanse myself.
08:16 I start to hiccup and vomit to cleanse myself and the magnetic field that surrounds me.
08:22 Then my master will appear.
08:24 At that moment, I will cease to exist.
08:27 There is no Chen Xiaona.
08:31 During the trance, my master will help others who have problems about their careers, relationships and fortune.
08:38 There are also those who come with problems of other spirits disturbing them.
08:43 My master will offer them advice.
08:46 I am just the medium between the spirits and human.
08:49 Taiwanese culture is very much surrounding the existence of spirits.
08:55 The culture is one that is dependent on spirits and therefore also supernatural powers.
09:02 I think generally, Taiwanese respect the existence of other dimensions and worlds.
09:08 So mediums like us are important to people who cannot see or hear the spirits.
09:13 Sometimes they are misunderstanding and naturally this offends the spirits.
09:18 This happens quite often.
09:20 I am glad that after speaking to Xiaona, I have one perspective, which is
09:28 mediums exist in order to facilitate a good connection between spirits and people
09:35 so that they can co-exist harmoniously.
09:38 Now we will wait for Xiaona to return after changing
09:41 and then we will see what happens when she takes trance.
09:44 My name is Lee Kim from the paranormal zone, Malaysia.
09:53 Hello.
10:20 May I know how you chose Xiaona?
10:23 The first step in choosing a disciple is to have a pure heart.
10:32 Not everyone can do it.
10:35 Second, young children cannot understand the words of the elders.
10:41 I speak my words, and she speaks the words that I want to tell everyone.
10:50 The expressions, movements and accent of Xiaona changes the moment she becomes Qigong.
10:55 See how Qigong offers advice and comfort to those who come,
10:59 and see how they react to Qigong's advice.
11:01 What I see is a medium who gives hope to those in need.
11:05 I have met many mediums since we started the paranormal zone.
11:09 And this is one medium that not only solves the worldly problems of those who come to him,
11:13 but also educates them to gain knowledge.
11:16 I asked Qigong why the Taiwanese believe in so many deities,
11:20 and he answered through poetry.
11:23 Every god, Buddha, ghost, person and culture passed down from our ancestors have a great relationship.
11:36 This land is a treasure.
11:40 It is not limited, not narrow.
11:44 It is not limited.
11:46 When people's hearts are broad and clean, their bodies are easy to touch.
11:52 Qigong took the time to come to meet me, and I'm very grateful.
12:01 Amitabha.
12:03 What Qigong said allowed me deeper insight into the Taiwanese beliefs
12:09 from both the historical and cultural point of views.
12:14 I am at the National Taichung University of Education to meet Professor Lin,
12:18 who has done extensive research on Taiwanese traditional culture.
12:22 I find something very interesting about the culture in Taiwan
12:26 is that the mediums and paranormal and spirits and ghosts is a very common thing.
12:32 Professor, can you please explain what is the basis of that acceptance?
12:37 I think religion originated from the insecurity of humans.
12:42 In Taiwan's case, it is quite special because we originated from China.
12:47 During that time, a lot of immigrants were being smuggled into Taiwan,
12:51 and this caused a lot of concerns and feelings of helplessness.
12:55 When this happened, they tend to seek avenues for comfort,
12:59 and religions offer them this, the power of the omnipresent.
13:03 Could it be conclusive to say that actually this aspect of the culture
13:09 is actually a psychological requirement of people?
13:13 There are not many Taiwanese who go to a psychiatrist for help.
13:20 The reason is, when they are worried, they turn to God.
13:23 We find that the older generation do not suffer from depression or anxiety disorders
13:28 because they find solace in religion.
13:31 Every era or generation offers different set of insecurities.
13:35 How would you determine a real medium?
13:40 In general, I would look at the eyes.
13:44 If the medium's consciousness has left the body, the eyes will look sluggish.
13:49 We might not be able to conclude in this program whether the medium is real or not,
13:54 but we can, however, study their function in society
13:58 and how they represent God to comfort their patients.
14:01 As long as the action makes people feel better, that's what matters.
14:05 As for the medium, whether or not he's real or fake,
14:09 that's up to the medium to answer.
14:12 These are human food, but my master will turn the food to a form that are edible for them.
14:22 [Music]
14:27 Earlier, when I was with Chen Xiaona, the medium who becomes Qigong,
14:42 he gave advice about the place we are investigating tonight.
14:46 [Music]
14:51 My master would like to tell you that tonight we are going to a crowded place
15:12 and he would like to offer some blessed wine for your team to be safe.
15:16 May I ask Qigong, what does he mean by crowded?
15:24 [Qigong]
15:31 He only says four words, a lot of ghosts.
15:36 [Laughter]
15:38 [Music]
15:42 The team and I are given blessed wine by Qigong in preparation for the place we are investigating,
15:47 which according to Qigong has many ghosts and lost souls.
15:51 [Music]
15:56 It is a common belief that when someone dies with a lot of burden,
16:02 unable to let go and accept that their lives have ended,
16:06 they stay on in this world as spirits without a physical form.
16:11 In spirit form, they can be very attached to certain emotions and materials
16:15 that they had in their lives before.
16:19 I am in an isolated location that once used to be a place for lepers to stay until they died.
16:26 This hospital was built in 1929 and was the first leprosy hospital in Taiwan.
16:32 A century ago, there was no effective medicine nor cure for leprosy,
16:37 a disease that was considered highly contagious.
16:40 It seems like there is a lot of sad energy present.
16:44 [Music]
16:53 Xiaona is with me.
16:55 With her abilities as a medium,
16:57 we can know what is present in this abandoned hospital beyond our eyes.
17:02 Xiaona, have you ever been to this location?
17:07 I have never come here before.
17:09 Based on my experience, normally an environment like this will normally harbor very sad energy.
17:16 Do you at this point feel anything?
17:19 Once we arrive, I feel some tightness in my head and my body feels heavy.
17:25 Right here, I feel that they are aware that we are coming.
17:29 I think at this time it would be perfect if we start walking towards this abandoned hospital.
17:35 [Music]
17:48 These are human food.
17:50 They can only look at it.
17:52 They can't touch and eat them.
17:55 But my master will turn the food to a form that are edible for them.
18:00 It is dark here.
18:04 [Music]
18:10 There is a long bench inside.
18:13 I saw a lady.
18:15 She didn't look angry.
18:17 She just sits there and looks like this.
18:20 She wants to see who we are and what we do.
18:23 She has no expression.
18:25 [Music]
18:32 Because it is rare to have visitors prepare such offerings here.
18:36 Now there are quite a number of them walking through us slowly to there.
18:41 What is their appearance?
18:46 What do they look like?
18:48 They look like patients but they don't have visible wounds.
18:52 Like what I saw just now, his head was here.
18:56 [Music]
18:59 Oh, I feel cold.
19:01 He was doing this.
19:04 Maybe he was trapped here for a long time.
19:06 Rarely see visitors like us.
19:09 He was hoping if there is anything we can help him.
19:12 [Music]
19:19 Suddenly she felt a sudden drop in temperature and she said she was cold.
19:24 I experienced it the same time she said that it was cold.
19:27 My feet tremendously had a very chilly sensation, colder than the environment.
19:33 [Music]
19:39 I pushed you aside just now because I saw a spirit standing in the middle like this.
19:45 I do not want to go through her.
19:48 So I pushed you like this.
19:51 [Music]
19:53 [Coughing]
20:01 [Music]
20:08 Here, there are a lot of patients that are still not feeling well.
20:13 They are in pain and helpless.
20:16 Just now my master asked me to bring along a bottle of water.
20:21 I will use this water to purify and lessen their suffering.
20:25 [Music]
20:29 [Gurgling]
20:32 This water is blessed.
20:35 We call it great compassion water.
20:38 It gives blessing for human and it can cleanse the spirit's wounds and comfort them.
20:44 It was okay just now but suddenly there are a lot of them here.
20:49 [Gurgling]
20:56 [Knocking]
20:57 [Speaking in Mandarin]
20:58 Did you knock on the wall just now to just inform them we are coming in?
21:02 Yes, no matter where we go, such as hotel and abandoned places,
21:07 when we enter a room, we should knock first to inform that we are coming in.
21:12 I find over here it is a place or a bed that they use to wash the patients.
21:19 After I knock the door, I feel pain in my head.
21:24 I see this long...
21:26 She sits here and swings her leg like that and looks at me like this.
21:32 [Music]
21:36 [Speaking in Mandarin]
21:37 She looks angry as if saying, "Why do you come here?"
21:42 [Music]
21:50 Another medium was invited to visit this abandoned hospital
21:54 where something unexpected happened.
21:57 [Music]
22:01 [Speaking in Mandarin]
22:04 [Music]
22:33 [Music]
22:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]