30-second overview: Taiwan sits at the intersection of tectonic plates; earthquakes are this island's destiny. This article begins with the locally-born legend of the "earth dragon turning over," spans from earthquake records of the Qing administration to the institutional turning point of the 921 earthquake, and explores how Taiwanese people have moved from fear toward "calmness" — and built world-class disaster resilience while the ground shook beneath them.
You know what? In Taiwan, we have a very special "national sport" — it's how we react when an earthquake hits.
When a foreign friend experiences an earthquake in Taiwan for the first time, they usually go pale with terror and start questioning the meaning of life1. But we Taiwanese? We might first glance up at a swaying chandelier and silently assess: "Probably around Level 3." Then we go back to our noodles, or immediately open social media to post: "Earthquake!"2 This isn't because we don't fear death — it's because we've gotten too used to it. This "calmness" is actually muscle memory honed by years of coexisting with earthquakes; it's this island's first survival lesson for us3.
Why Is It Called "The Earth Dragon Turning Over"?
In Taiwan, we habitually call earthquakes "the earth dragon turning over" (地牛翻身). This expression is actually quite interesting — it is a legend about ground movement that originated entirely within Taiwan4.
There are many myths around the world explaining earthquakes. Japan says it is a giant catfish beneath the ground; Chinese legend speaks of a sea turtle rolling over. But in Taiwan, we say it's a cow4. Behind this lies a fusion of Indigenous peoples' imagination of subterranean animals and the "earth grows hair" phenomenon brought by Han Chinese immigrants56. Qing-era documents such as Revised Gazetteer of Taiwan County recorded the strange phenomenon of "earth growing hair" before and after earthquakes — people at the time saw dark or white hair-like strands an inch or so long appearing from the earth's surface, and associated this with the possibility of a massive creature moving below. Gradually these hairs were imagined as "cow hair," and the image of the "earth dragon" (literally earth cow) became fixed47.
| Type of Earthquake Legend | Representative Culture/Group | Core Description |
|---|---|---|
| Earth Dragon Turning Over | Taiwanese Han Chinese, Tsou, Saisiyat peoples | A cow beneath the ground shakes its body, causing tremors48 |
| Giant Deer Extending Its Ear | Atayal people | A giant sea deer extends its ear above the surface, causing earthquakes5 |
| Underground People Pushing the Stone Pillar | Amis people | Underground people push the stone pillar supporting the earth4 |
| The One-Armed, One-Legged Person | Puyuma people | The person supporting heaven and earth moves, causing earthquakes5 |
The cow holds a very special place in Taiwanese culture. It is enormous and strong, yet honest and simple. In traditional society, the cow was the farmer's closest companion — we even called ourselves "Taiwan cattle" to describe our spirit of diligence and endurance4. Imagining an earthquake as an honest cow underground turning over in its sleep actually implies a powerful sense of helpless acceptance and tolerance. After all, cattle and humans were bound together in life; though clumsy, we know it didn't mean to4.
Centuries of Trembling Memory
Taiwan's earthquake history is in fact a history of Taiwanese survival. As early as the 17th century, Dutch records already contained traces of Taiwan's earthquakes9.
During the Qing era, earthquakes were often seen as "heaven's admonishment," and officials would comfort the populace through temple reconstruction5. In the Japanese colonial period, Taiwan entered an era of scientific observation: in 1897 the first seismograph was installed at the Taipei Weather Bureau, beginning a century of precise records9.
| Major Historical Earthquake | Time | Impact and Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Chiayi Earthquake | 1906 | Caused 1,258 deaths; prompted the Japanese colonial government to begin emphasizing earthquake-resistant construction9 |
| Hsinchu-Taichung Earthquake | 1935 | The deadliest earthquake in Taiwan's history, causing 3,276 deaths9 |
| 921 Chi-Chi Earthquake | 1999 | The worst postwar disaster; fundamentally transformed Taiwan's disaster prevention and building codes1011 |
| 0403 Hualien Earthquake | 2024 | The largest earthquake in 25 years; tested Taiwan's modernized disaster prevention resilience1213 |
The 1999 921 earthquake is our generation's shared wound. The 102 seconds of trembling that night took 2,415 lives10. But it was also in the aftermath of that disaster that we learned how to build a world-class disaster medical system and stricter earthquake-resistant construction standards11.
"That night, 102 seconds of trembling, hundreds of aftershocks, followed by collapsed buildings, deaths, terror, and sorrow — it was the largest natural disaster Taiwan had suffered since World War II, a shared memory of all Taiwanese people." — BBC Chinese Service, "921 Earthquake, the 20th Anniversary"1
The Wisdom of Living with Earthquakes
Taiwan sits at the junction of the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate; earthquakes are this island's destiny14. We cannot stop the earth dragon from turning over, but we have learned how to dance with it.
From elementary school onward, we have a standard set of disaster preparedness drills: "Drop, Cover, Hold On"15. This is not a slogan — it is a survival reflex. Our national-level alert system can send a piercing alarm to all smartphones across Taiwan several seconds before seismic waves arrive.
Our "calmness" toward earthquakes is built on these preparations. We know when to run, and when we can keep eating our noodles. That is Taiwan. An island that learned resilience through trembling, learned mutual aid through disaster. The next time the earth dragon turns over, we know in our hearts: this land, and the people on it, are stronger than we imagine.
References
- Things Foreigners in Taiwan Can't Understand: Earthquakes Are So Terrifying — Why Can Taiwanese People Post About It First? — Threads; a foreign resident's perspective on Taiwan's earthquake culture.↩
- Taiwanese People Are Completely Braver About Earthquakes Than Foreigners Who Have Never Experienced One — Threads; real observations on social media about Taiwanese people's reactions to earthquakes.↩
- Taiwan, Japan, and American Citizens Encountering Earthquakes — Taiwanese Are the Calmest — Epoch Times; report on the psychological resilience and reactions of Taiwanese citizens during earthquakes.↩
- The Origin of Earthquakes: Did You Know That "Earth Dragon Turning Over" Is a Ground-Movement Legend That Originated in Taiwan? — The News Lens, exploring how the image of the "earth dragon" (earth cow) was transformed from the "earth grows hair" phenomenon.↩
- A Brief History of Taiwan's Earthquakes: From Myth and Legend to Disaster Response System — Ming Ren Tang, with in-depth analysis of the evolution of Taiwan's earthquake legends and the establishment of the social disaster response system.↩
- A Discussion of Taiwan's Earthquakes and Folk Literature — Taiwan Documents; academic exploration of how earthquakes are reflected in folk literature.↩
- How Did Ancient People Record Earthquakes? A Special Exhibition on Historical Earthquake Disasters in Taiwan and Japan — PanSci — PanSci; introducing earthquake records from the Qing era and the Japanese colonial period.↩
- Types of Earthquake Myths Among Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples — Indigenous Peoples' Literature; compiling different explanations from various ethnic groups for the origins of earthquakes.↩
- Disaster Series: The Restless Earth (Part 1) — Historical Earthquake Disasters in Taiwan — Our Island — Our Island; looking back at major historical earthquake disasters in Taiwan.↩
- 921 Chi-Chi Earthquake — Wikipedia (Chinese) — Wikipedia, providing basic data and historical background for the 921 earthquake.↩
- 20 Years of Aftershocks — The 921 That Transformed Taiwan — The Reporter — The Reporter; special feature on the profound impact of the 921 earthquake on Taiwan's social institutions.↩
- Taiwan Earthquake: Magnitude 7.2 Hits Off Hualien — BBC Chinese Service — BBC Chinese Service; real-time reporting on the immediate impact of the April 3, 2024 Hualien earthquake.↩
- 0403 Earthquake Intensity at Each Location: Analysis of the Largest Earthquake Since 921 — Our Island — Our Island; in-depth analysis of the scientific data and damage from the 0403 earthquake.↩
- Why Does the Taiwan Earth Dragon Love to Roll Over — Distribution of Taiwan's Seismic Zones — Central Weather Administration; popular science on the scientific distribution of Taiwan's earthquake zones.↩
- Earthquake Survival: "Drop, Cover, Hold On" Drills Prove Effective — Chiayi County Government; the official three-step disaster prevention procedure.↩