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During the Lunar New Year, it’s common to see people dressed as deities going door to door for donations. But on Tingzhou汀洲 Road in Taipei, a series of strained encounters with the God of Wealth has sparked complaints. According to local business owners, a man in a raggedy costume showed up at their shops, ringing a bell in one hand to pressure shop owners to make a donation. Those who refused to pay were met with unrelenting bell ringing until they coughed up the cash. While some accept it as part of the Lunar New Year traditions, others wonder whether the whole practice is even legal.

A person in a lousy deity costume marches down the road. On one hand, a bell. On the other, a basket. The mission? Begging for alms. But something’s not right.

Shop owners say it’s quite traditional for the God of Wealth to show up during the Lunar New Year. But if he comes, he better had made an effort to look good, instead of looking a mess and badgering businesses. That’s right, if you don’t give this one money, he’ll stay at your door making a racket with his bell.

Wu Wen-yi
FTV reporter
The shabby God of Wealth came down here on Tingzhou Road, asking shops on both sides for money.

Member of public
Would give cash
If they’re begging for alms, I give them. It’s a Taiwanese tradition.

Member of public
Would not give cash
At this time we aren’t doing so well, so we wouldn’t give him money. We can barely feed ourselves. If he just stood there, we’d pay him no mind.

It’s quite common to see people dressing up as deities to ask for donations over Lunar New Year. Some people are willing to cough up the cash. But others are concerned that it’s all a scam. Is this really a traditional custom? Or just a modern-day cash grab?

Liao Ta-yi
Folklore expert
Back in the day, information wasn’t widely accessible, and living conditions weren’t as good. Temple committees would appoint people to take out baskets with incense to collect donations from the public. With the passing of time, some people dress up as deities, but we can’t know if they are legitimate or not.

So is it for real? Or is everyone getting duped? Experts say that such behavior is unlikely to constitute as fraud. But if the visitor won’t take no for an answer, it could be illegal.

Lee Yu-sheng
Lawyer
If a person begs for money in a public place and refuses to stop after being told off, they would be in violation of the Social Order Maintenance Act. If their begging involves forcing a shop to give them money, they may even be guilty of the crime of coercion under the Criminal Code.

So if you encounter a deity on the street, don’t be shy to refuse to give them cash if you don’t want to. If the situation escalates, you can always call the police to spirit them away.

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