White Fungus #17

In the 17th issue of White Fungus takes a deep dive into the world of Taiwanese folk religion. They explore the unusual religious ritual Bombing Lord Han Dan in which participants, mostly members of the criminal underworld, stand half naked on a palanquin and are “bombed” mercilessly by live fireworks in order to please the deity Lord Han Dan.

Banned in the 1980s as an extortion racket, the ritual was later revived and has now become a major tourist event. This is a tale involving the Taiwanese underworld, folk religion, tourism, local politics, and ancient Chinese mythology. The article is accompanied by stunning photographs of the event.

White Fungus invites Melbourne writer Tessa Laird to write about one of her favorite subjects, the order Chiroptera. Laird, the author of Bat, part of Reaktion’s much-loved Animal Series, makes an impassioned defense of the wondrous creatures which she says have been freshly maligned in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Laird recalls art and literature inspired by bats and recounts her experiences volunteering to rescue flying-foxes during forest fires on the east coast of Australia.