The Banana King of Qishan, called the ugliest mascot in all of Taiwan, China, is actually a guardian spirit

Wearing a huge bunch of bananas on his head and holding a banana-flower scepter, he strides forward with his head held high: this is the posture of the "Banana King" inspecting the banana plantation. This large oil painting, more than 100 cm tall, is the work of Kaohsiung-based artist Chou Yao-Tung, and it is one piece in the "Guardian Deities" series; other works in the same series include "Lychee King," "Pineapple King," "Guava King" and "Tomato King," each sturdy in form and endlessly varied in bearing.

When the original oil painting "Banana King" was exhibited at the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Arts Festival, it was turned from a flat image into a three-dimensional mascot and moved to the Qishan District Office for display, where it was mercilessly mocked by netizens as "Taiwan's ugliest mascot" and "dick-face man." Chou Yao-Tung said optimistically, "It doesn't matter." He said the works in the Guardian Deities series are all related to the land, mainly to praise farmers' hard work and reflect the spirit of farmers guarding the land. If netizens had seen the original work and understood the context of the artwork's creation, they should have a different view.

The original image shows the Banana King striding forward with his head held high as he inspects the banana plantation; he is the guardian of the banana plantation. (Image / provided by Chou Yao-Tung)

(This article received funding for personnel expenses from the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation, but the foundation does not interfere at all with news topic selection or interview writing, ensuring journalistic independence.)