Aug 14, 2009
It’s called a “Tanghulu”
Near Yilan is the Center for Traditional Arts Center 國立傳統è—è¡“ä¸å¿ƒ, which is dedicated to preserving and showcasing traditional arts and customs of China and especially Taiwan.
All forms of art, from clothing to jewelry to daily-use objects, and even writing brushes, are exhibited in the shops that line the street.
The center has lots of exhibits, artisans, artifacts, performances, hands-on activities, in a festival atmosphere.
The aim of the center is to maintain a link to the past lifestyle, in this fast-paced and ever-changing society. Many people in Taiwan are only one or two generations off the farm, but modern city life is quite different from life only 50 years ago.
One form of candy is made from spinning malt sugar until it’s crystalized, and can be formed into lollypops. Put a sour plum in the middle, slap it onto a stick, and you’ve got yourself a yummy treat.
Another candy is made with cherry tomatoes on a stick, rolled in boiled sugar that hardens as it cools. Don’t forget the soda pop in a bottle that has a marble for a bottlecap. Push the marble down into the bottle to open it up. Yummy!
Tang hulus are the BEST. I like the strawberry ones. But why did they leave the hulls on?
I knew that big brush looked familiar! Anne went there in the summer of ’08 and posed next to it. She loved the whole village.