A Taiwanese town embraces a slow pace of life through a snail race

The Taiwanese town of Fenglin has grown a reputation as a place where life moves slowly, and people can catch their breath. Rather than push against this rhythm, the town of around 10,000 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 areas. Snails are one way to bring tourists back, even if slowly. Fenglin 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. Cittaslow's symbol is a snail carrying an assortment of buildings on its back. The 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 Taiwan's "super-aged" society, with more than 20% of its residents older than 65. To help reinvigorate local tourism, Fenglin residents decided to host a snail race the month following the earthquake, said organizer Cheng Jen-shou. "We thought that our event could attract people, and that would be a small help," he said. This year, the town held the third edition of the race over the May Day holiday. Several 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 on. This article was provided by The Associated Press.