Is betel nuts a panacea or a carcinogen? Is it a gift or a bad fruit? Is it a treasure of the upper-class society or the favorite of the grassroots public? Are betel nut beauties a kind of street art or immoral practice? Is betel-chewing a Taiwanese local culture or an Asia-Pacific traditional custom? Based on scientific discourse the Taiwanese government frequently states that the betel nuts is carcinogenic and attempts to dissuade people from chewing it. The official propaganda against betel-chewing however seems to be ineffective. The general public understanding and attitude toward betel-chewing seems to be very different from that of officials and modern medicine. In fact the custom of betel-chewing exists several thousand years old and has survived from ancient times to the present in Taiwan and South China. People there prepare and chew “betel quid” in much the same way as people in South and Southeast Asia do. Betel nuts piper betel and slaked lime are the three essential ingredients of betel quid in these areas. Betel-chewing has played a role of fostering and consolidating ethnic and cultural identity; in other words the dietary habit of betel-chewing is a social custom and closely related to cultural edification. It is difficult for health discourse alone to sever the cultural ties between betel nuts and people chewing betel nuts. In order to change the habit we must provide a “substitute” for betel quid with similar function. In order to allow the public to ponder over “issues” caused by betel nuts in Taiwan and understand differences of betel nut culture between the past and the present as well as among groups Academia Sinica especially held “Red Lips with Black Teeth: An Exhibition of Betel Nut Culture” with the integration of the latest academic research and digital archives; the content of the exhibition included:
(1)“Countries and Borders：Distribution of Betel Nuts”: Demonstrates the spread and distribution of betel nut culture and the relative customs described in Data of Chinese Local Records;
(2) “Species and Ecology: Bio-traits of Betel Nuts”: Introduces species and natural traits of betel nuts;
(3) “Xizhangdan (the Pill for Cleaning Epidemics) and Carcinogen: Medical Traits of Betel Nuts”:Illustrates the medical prescription of betel nuts in traditional Chinese medicine and the research report of modern medicine on oral cancer caused by betel-chewing;
(4) “Gifts and Offerings: Social Function of Betel Nuts”: Displays the close connection between betel nuts and life indicating that betel nuts were the gifts for loving social and wedding occasions the offerings for religious rituals and the religious objects for witchcraft practice;
(5) “Literature and Ballads: Interpretation of Betel Nut Culture”: Applies interactive multimedia to showcases the ancient intellectuals’ betel-chewing experiences and their praises for betel nuts and the modern ballads of betel nuts;
(6) “Display and Experiences: Taste Betel Nuts at Betel Nut Stands”: Presents various flavors tools related to household appliances and handicrafts of betel nuts with the actual betel nut stands decorated in the exhibition.
Sincerely welcome everyone to join a “journey of betel nuts” and jointly experience a colorful and diverse “world of betel nut culture.”
Worldwide Distribution of Betel Nut Culture
Lin Fu-shih Institute of History and Philology Academia Sinica•Drawn by Jian Yu-feng•2014 “Red Lips with Black Teeth” Exhibition Info Free of Charge Date: 2014/9/1-2014/12/20 Hours: 9:00-17:00 Opens everyday except Sunday Place: Exhibition Center of Digital Culture 2F Building for Humanities and Social Sciences Academia Sinica (128 Academia Road Section 2 Nankang Taipei) Organizer: Academia Sinica Digital Center For guided tour please contact: Ms. Betty Lin +886-2-26525277 | betty168@gate.sinica.edu.tw For further information please visit: http://betelnut.asdc.sinica.edu.tw | 
The Lastest News
News Review
About Us
Digital Taiwan
)
