Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan: BBQ on the Main Island, "Bo Bing" Craze in Kinmen

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, it’s common to see families gathering outdoors for barbecues and moon-gazing on Taiwan’s main island. But in Kinmen, everyone is armed with dice as “Bo Bing competitions” take place enthusiastically in streets and alleys. The “Bo Zhuangyuan Bing” (literally “Scholar’s Cake Lottery”), which has been passed down in Kinmen for at least 300 years, has been transformed into a tourist event by the Kinmen County Government, now known as the “2014 Kinmen Mid-Autumn Bo Zhuangyuan Bing Festival.”


▲ The “Bo Zhuangyuan Bing,” which has been practiced in Kinmen for at least 300 years, has gradually evolved into a tourism-oriented event in recent years. (Photo / Courtesy of the event organizer’s official website)

The “2014 Kinmen Mid-Autumn Bo Zhuangyuan Bing” was held from August 9 to September 9. In addition to local events in Kinmen and collaborations with three organizations on the mainland (Quanzhou TV Station, Xiamen Strait Herald, and Gulangyu), an online version was also launched, inviting friends from around the world to join the Bo Bing fun via the internet platform. The opening competition took place on August 9, with regional contests held across various townships in Kinmen during the event period. The finals were held on September 7, where the annual top winner (Zhuangyuan) could win a car, while the second (Bangyan), third (Tanhua), and other winners (Jinshi) received prizes such as LCD TVs, refrigerators, mobile phones, and bicycles.

To promote tourism, a “Tourism Market Challenge” activity was also introduced, featuring four levels. Participants could win prizes at each Bo Bing level. Those who became Zhuangyuan qualified to join the September 7 finals. During the event, visitors to shops in Kinmen displaying Mid-Autumn Bo Bing banners could also join Bo Bing experiences and enjoy special offers from each store. The joy of participation and the charm of Kinmen’s traditional culture are key elements of the “Kinmen Mid-Autumn Bo Zhuangyuan Bing” event.

Additionally, there was the “Donate Receipts for Bo Bing” campaign. Participants could bring shopping receipts collected during the event period in Kinmen (regardless of amount, one receipt for one try, limited to five tries per person) to five designated spots—the Lieyu Township Cultural Center, Shishan Fort, Lincuo Fort, Chen Jinglan Western-style House, and General’s Office—to “donate receipts and play Bo Bing.” This allowed people to enjoy the fun of the game while contributing to charity for underprivileged groups. The “Online App Bo Bing” event ran from August 9 to August 28, allowing each person up to 10 Bo Bing plays per day until they became Zhuangyuan. On August 29, a computer program randomly selected the top 300 Zhuangyuan winners, who received a Bo Bing gift pack (containing Kinmen specialties and cultural creative products). Among them, the top 50 qualified for the September 7 finals, and the top 30 won a round-trip flight ticket between Taipei and Kinmen.


▲ The annual Zhuangyuan winner of the “2014 Kinmen Mid-Autumn Bo Zhuangyuan Bing” will receive a car, along with a variety of exciting activities for visitors to enjoy. (Photo / Provided by Kinmen County Government) (Photo / Courtesy of the event organizer’s official website)