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Sing: Gongxi, Gongxi, Gongxi Ni, hey, (repeat ad nauseum).
Sin Nien Kwai Le (as they might write it in Kaohsiung). We hope everyone is enjoying the long holiday. Nine days of auspicious food, firecrackers, red envelopes, and… relatives!! Should you, however, need a little break from the mahjong table or the relatives, John and Eryk have a few snake stories for you. Not to give too much away, but guess what? John is a snake eater, and he also refrigerates snakes! Eryk is not a fan of snakes; except for a certain fire snake woman, and a certain water snake child.
Cover: Snake art by indigenous people in Southern Taiwan. (Photo by Eryk M. Smith ) and Spring Festival background via Rawpixel.
2025 is the Year of the Snake - but it comes with an element, in this year's case: wood.
Via In Feng Shui.com:
Via Kungfu Connection.net: "The Chinese astrological system operates on a 60-year cycle, a combination of the 12 zodiac animals and the five elements. Each animal is paired with an element every 12 years, and since there are five, the complete cycle spans 60 years. This system not only influences Chinese astrology but also plays a significant role in Feng Shui, medicine, and philosophy."
Via same as above:
Elements are believed to affect the characteristics of the zodiac animals in the following ways:
-- What are some of Taiwan's most-venomous snakes? --
Below two images: Taiwan Habu, Brown Spotted Pit Viper, Chinese Habu 龜 殼花 (gui1ke3hua1)
Status: Protected (Cat.III) HIGHLY VENOMOUS! Via Snakes of Taiwan (a great website, check it out!)
Below two pictures: Chinese Green Tree Viper, Bamboo Viper - 赤尾青竹絲 (chi4wei2qing1zhu2si1)
Status: Not Protected. VENOMOUS!
Below two pictures: Hundred-Pacer, Chinese Moccasin, Chinese Sharp-nosed Viper - 百 步蛇 (bai3bu4she2)
Status: Protected (Cat. II) HIGHLY VENOMOUS!
Below: A "wood snake" in Kaohsiung - "art" by Eryk M. Smith. Happy New Year!
Do us a favor and rate/review the show! It really helps. Do it on Apple Podcasts or here on our website.
Write us with questions or ideas at formosafiles@gmail.com
AND THE BIGGEST REQUEST: tell others about this free, not-for-profit resource about Taiwan.
Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
