Sunday, June 06, 2004

Local legend: Taiwan's Taipei Times reports on the lengths to which the town of Neiwan has gone to honor its famous native son, legendary comics illustrator Liu Hsing-chin and his best-known creations, Big Auntie and Ah-San:

"One of these statues of Big Auntie developed its own urban myth. Each time a baby was born, the child was placed in the statue's arms and had its picture taken. The belief was that Big Auntie would give the child the hard-working Hakka ethic for which she was famous. This happened enough that Big Auntie's arm eventually broke off. Now the township is saving to buy a new one made of bronze."