Fenglin, a Taiwanese town known for embracing a slower rhythm of life, is using snail races as a way to market that identity and to attract visitors. The town, with around 10,000 residents, has framed the races as both a community event and a tourism effort that aligns with its focus on health, longevity and local connections.
Residents say the push has a practical purpose after the April 2024 earthquake, which killed 19 people and left more than 1,100 injured and also reduced travel in nearby areas. Hsu Lu, a 32-year-old Fenglin resident, said the earthquake had a “relatively big impact on tourism” because people were worried another quake might happen. Hsu also said many people left Hualien because of earthquakes, pointing to the surrounding county and to a history of frequent quakes.
Fenglin’s snail-themed approach is not new. The town has been linked 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 a group of buildings on its back, and Fenglin has leaned into that branding as it has worked to keep people and visitors connected.
The town’s demographic changes have added to its emphasis on slowing down. Fenglin’s population has shrunk threefold over the past few decades, and the town is also an example of Taiwan’s “super-aged” society, with more than 20% of residents older than 65. Residents and organizers have described the races as a way to celebrate quality of life while drawing tourists back to the area in a controlled, gradual fashion.
To kick-start that tourism effort, Fenglin residents decided to host a snail race in the months after the earthquake. Organizer Cheng Jen-shou said residents came up with the idea to give the event a chance to attract people and provide “a small help.” This year, the town held the third edition of the race over the May Day holiday, with six snail races spaced over two days.
At the event, several dozen residents and tourists watched the competitions that featured heats and a final. In each race, snails were slowly pulled across a green carpet while fans cheered, and winners from each heat advanced to compete against each other. Organizers placed the snails near the center of a round table covered with a thin vinyl sheet, and the first snail to reach the edge was crowned the winner.
Competitors ranged from longtime Fenglin participants to families traveling from elsewhere. Li Cheng-wen, a 70-year-old retiree from Fenglin, said he caught snails in his vegetable garden and decided to raise them as pets rather than kill them. Li said he feeds them slices of bananas, papaya and vegetable leaves, showers them daily, and selects snails he considers very active and pleasing to the eye for the race.
Kevin Hong and Tiara Lin traveled from Kaohsiung with their 2-year-old daughter, Murphy, bringing a giant African snail named Aquaman, the couple said. They signed up Aquaman for a previous race in 2024, but Lin went into labor as they were headed for Fenglin, and the family returned for the current event to cheer on the snail.
In the finals, Brother Snail, described as a recurring champion, won the top spot. Despite being larger than most of the homegrown competitors, which were picked from local gardens or along the road, Brother Snail was rather slow, according to the event description. The snail’s owner, 39-year-old Tanya Lin from Hualien, has been raising it since 2024, when it also won a race; this year, Brother Snail crossed the 33-centimeter (13-inch) tablecloth in 3 minutes and 3 seconds and received organic sweet potato leaves as a prize.
Beyond the races themselves, Fenglin has also promoted tourism through other slower-paced experiences, including guided e-bike tours with stops at historic tobacco barns, Japanese colonial-era buildings and a Hakka-minority museum. The slow-living message also appealed to some visitors who came from nearby areas; university students Annette Lin and Tanya Liu rode the train for about 30 minutes from Hualien on Saturday to see the snail race and the town’s “slow vibes.”
Liu said the event and the broader trip offer a “great choice” for travel, but added that living in Fenglin would not be her dream choice.