【JOTO Tableware Recommendation】When the Moon is Full, May We All Be Reunited
The full moon has yet to rise, but warmth already glows in the night. On September 23, 2025, Typhoon Kagasa brought torrential rains to Hualien County. The landslide dam at the upper reaches of the Matai’an River overflowed, and the resulting flood carried mud and debris into Guangfu Township downstream, causing severe devastation. As of this writing, the disaster has left 18 dead, many missing, and several injured.
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When the waters receded, mud covered the streets, submerged homes, and buried furniture and belongings. In such a moment, self-organized volunteers stepped forward: people from all over arrived with shovels to clear the muck, clean houses, and carry out waterlogged furniture. The media called them the “Shovel Heroes”—a name filled with chivalry and gratitude. Though the moon was not yet full, these actions became beams of light, illuminating a path of hope through the darkness. In the face of disaster, we saw not only human vulnerability but also social resilience and the warmth of the human heart.
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The overflowing mountain stream is the voice of the land itself. The Matai’an River, a tributary of the Hualien River, flows down from Mount Danda through Wanrong, Fenglin, and Guangfu. It once formed a landslide dam due to collapsing slopes; this time, torrential rains pushed it past its limit, releasing floods downstream. Geology and environment remind us: the land is never silent. When we ignore rainfall accumulation, slope stability, or the earth’s carrying capacity, nature responds with floods and mud. At the disaster site, we saw the land declaring its boundaries—and people rushing to answer, with strength, sweat, and heartbeat.
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In the chaos and mud, those who carried shovels into the disaster zone were called the “Shovel Heroes.” They wore no costumes or capes—just rubber boots and masks, holding shovels but bearing hope. They shoveled out mud, moved soaked furniture, and delivered supplies. Many entered the disaster zone during a holiday, risking injury from hidden nails, iron sheets, or broken glass in the mud. Tzu Chi Hospital even reminded volunteers and survivors alike to take extra care. Among them were foreign faces: an Austrian man and his wife joined the cleanup, and a Black volunteer was photographed smiling even as he wrestled with mud.
These Shovel Heroes, their backs bent in the sludge, embody the truest form of tenderness. Their actions tell us: even when faced with chaos, one can choose to step in—and carve a path for others with bare hands.
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We cannot choose storms, nor can we predict disasters. But we can choose how to respond—stand by, or stand together? This time, the people of Taiwan chose the latter. Volunteers from north and south alike traveled to Guangfu, disregarding status or identity, united by one thing: the will to help. They turned the disaster site into more than mud and ruin—it became a canvas alive with the brushstrokes of “solidarity” and “compassion.”
The moon was not yet full, yet osmanthus and pear blossoms still carried fragrance. These actions were sparks in the night, reminding us: when everyone burns together, even the fiercest disaster cannot extinguish warmth. In such moments, national borders, ethnic divides, and urban-rural gaps dissolve. In disaster, we are family. Social resilience lies not in machines lit up by government orders, but in people who willingly wade into mud to catch the cries of others.
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This disaster reshaped the landscape of Guangfu and altered many daily lives. Yet though the moon is not yet full, light continues to grow.
To the victims: may you find renewal in the ruins, and a gentle rhythm in the rebuilding.
To the Shovel Heroes: thank you for walking the land and carving hope into the mud. Your sweat is this island’s deepest confession.
May this disaster teach us more of love, empathy, and responsibility; and may the rains give way to reunions.
The moon will grow full—may we all be reunited.
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