200 Chiangs pay respects to ancestors at Tainan tomb

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/04
By: Yang Ssu-jui and S.C. Chang

Taipei, April 4 (CNA) Some 200 descendants of the Chiang (江) clan followed an ancient ritual to pay respects to their ancestors at an ancestral tomb in Nanxi District of Tainan City Monday.

In addition to offering incense and chanting a eulogy, the Chiangs kneeled and bowed before the tombstone that marked their ancestors’ names and family genealogy.

All participants were each given a turtle-shaped rice cake which symbolizes peace and safety before attending a lunch party featuring spring rolls in their clan compound.

Chiang Chin-ching (江晉清), organizer of the annual event, said 30 families currently live in Nanxi Township’s Lutaoyang area, a 3.5-hectare area that is arguably the largest concentration of members of a single clan in Southeast Asia. At its peak, 136 families lived there, forming the Lutaoyang branch of the Chiang clan.     [FULL  STORY]