Taiwan's Fenglin hosts snail races to promote slow living and revive tourism

The Taiwanese town of Fenglin has grown a reputation as a place where life moves slowly and people can catch their breathRather than push against this rhythm the town of around 10000 has chosen to embrace it and make it part of its identity Enter the snails Fenglin has been putting on snail races as a way to celebrate its focus on a slower sustainable lifestyle that values healthcare longevity and community connections while bringing in more tourists in the wake of a strong earthquake in 2024 that dampened travel in surrounding areasThe earthquake two years ago had a relatively big impact on tourism because people are worried an earthquake may happen again said Hsu Lu a 32yearold resident Many people have left Hualien because of earthquakes Hsu said referring to the surrounding county and the site of frequent quakesSnails are one way to bring tourists back even if slowlyFocus on quality of lifeFenglin has associated itself with snails since 2014 when it joined the Cittaslow international network of small cities focused on quality of life and locally sourced foods Cittaslows symbol is a snail carrying an assortment of buildings on its backThe designation of a slow city seemed to fit Fenglin whose population has shrunk threefold over the past few decades Today it is also an example of Taiwans superaged society with more than 20 per cent of its residents older than 65To help reinvigorate local tourism after the April 2024 earthquake which killed 19 people and injured more than 1100 Fenglin residents decided to host a snail race the following month said organiser Cheng JenshouWe thought that our event could attract people and that would be a small help he saidThis year the town held the third edition of the race over the May Day holidaySeveral dozen enthusiastic residents and tourists attended the event which featured six snail races spaced out over two days The winners from each race competed in the final but not before posing in front of their audiences while slowly being pulled on a piece of plywood across a green carpet as their fans cheered them onSnail race attracts dozens from near and farLi Chengwen a 70yearold retiree from Fenglin brought several snails to the race He caught them in his vegetable garden snacking on his leafy greens and instead of killing them as some farmers do he decided to raise them as pets he said He feeds them slices of bananas papaya and vegetable leaves and showers them dailyAs to the criteria for choosing snails for the race I usually select those that are very active and pleasing to the eye Li saidKelvin Hong and Tiara Lin also brought a snail to the race The couple travelled all the way from the southern city of Kaohsiung about a fivehour drive away together with their 2yearold daughter Murphy and their giant African snail AquamanThe couple had signed up Aquaman for a previous race in 2024 but just as they were headed for Fenglin Lin went into labour Now the whole family returned to cheer on AquamanBrother Snail a recurring championDespite being larger than most of its homegrown competitors which had been picked out from local gardens or the side of the road Aquaman was rather slowOnce the race started it and nine other snails were placed near the centre of a round table covered with a thin vinyl sheet The first to reach the edge of the table was crowned the winnerThe absolute champion was Guage or Brother Snail Its owner 39yearold Tanya Lin from Hualien had been raising the snail since 2024 when it also won one raceThis year Brother Snail crossed the 33centimetre 13inch tablecloth in 3 minutes and 3 seconds That performance earned it the top spot in a tiny stadium and a prize of organic sweet potato leavesAn alternative to a fastpaced lifestyleBesides the snail race the local government has been trying to attract tourism by offering guided ebike tours with stops at historic tobacco barns Japanese colonialera buildings and a Hakkaminority museumThe idea of a slower pace of life was compelling enough to attract university students Annette Lin and Tanya Liu who rode the train for about 30 minutes from Hualien on Saturday to check out the snail race and Fenglins slow vibesThe friends found the competition unique and enjoyed Fenglins leisurely pace but only as a respite from the busy city lifeI think for travel or a trip its a great choice Liu said But maybe living here would not really be my dream choiceThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever