On July 13-14, 2024, A group of over 30 students from Kyushu University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong travelled to Hirado (平戸), Nagasaki Prefecture (in western Kyushu), to attend ceremonies commemorating the 400th anniversary of the birth of Zheng Chenggong (鄭成功). We have organised student field trips to attend these ceremonies for several years now (see earlier posts below), but the 2024 event was special. For the first time in several years, the celebrations were attended by delegates from Fujian Province as well as from Taiwan. And this being the 400th anniversary of Zheng’s birth, the ceremonies this year were on a larger scale than in previous years. In 川内, the village near Hirado where the Zheng Chenggong Shrine is located, the event was marked by a Kamaboko (fishcake) Festival on July 14. Many students commented on the contrasting ways in which different groups at the various ceremonies represented Zheng’s historical significance. As well as being an enjoyable experience, the event also revealed the politics behind the public commemoration of the historical figure of Koxinga / Zheng Chenggong.
The chief dignitaries gather to mark Zheng Chenggong’s 400th birthday, Hirado Cultural Centre, July 13, 2024
The Deputy Mayor of Tainan pays his respects, Hirado Cultural Centre, July 14, 2024
Zheng’s statue is returned to his shrine, Kawachi village, July 14, 2024
A Zheng-themed puppet play, Kamaboko Festival, Kawachi village, July 14, 2024
Several students trying out headgear from Nan’an, Fujian at the Kamaboko Festival, Kawachi