Come join a “trawling” adventure—and enjoy 1,000 free Shimen meat zongzi!

▲ Trawling. (Photo / from the Facebook page of the 2016 Shimen Trawling and Zongzi Festival)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong / Comprehensive report

Do you know what “trawling” is? Trawling is a traditional fishing method where fishermen cast a net from the shore and then work together to pull it back in. This practice has become quite rare these days. On May 28th, Shimen District in New Taipei City will hold a “Shimen Trawling Music Festival and Zongzi Festival” at the Shimen coastline. In addition to sampling local specialties, the public can also experience the fun of trawling.

This year’s Shimen Trawling Music Festival and Zongzi Festival consists of two events: the Zongzi Festival and the Windy Trawling Music Festival. There will be hundreds of pounds of Shimen zongzi on site, plus an activity giving away 1,000 mini Shimen zongzi. From 17:00 to 19:00 in the evening, the Windy Trawling Music Festival will be hosted by Ma Nian-xian, featuring performances by the Songshan Community Gong and Drum Troupe and the Impression Orchestra.

The event also allows members of the public to sign up for trawling experience sessions, and includes eco film screenings, a one-day mini tour of Shimen, and more. Organizers said the first round of trawling experience slots was well received, and they plan to open another 40 trawling spots for registration at 09:00 on May 25th. To cherish marine resources, all fish caught during the event will be released back into the sea on the spot. (Event website: http://www.ntpc-trawling.tw/trawling.html)