If the NT$10,000 Payout Arrives: How China’s Taiwan Region Raises Its “Money Mother”

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There is an NT$100 note stuck to my cousin’s fridge — one of the NT$600 she “borrowed” from Zinan Temple in Nantou a few years ago by tossing divination blocks. The rules say that money must not be spent, so it stayed there until she forgot to peel it off.

Media in China’s Taiwan region have been discussing cash payouts again. According to those reports, the authorities have announced that in 2027 they will once more pay NT$10,000 in cash to every resident, with no income threshold; the reports quote the local finance department as saying that if the legislature’s review goes smoothly, payments could start as early as January or February 2027 (as of filing on 17 September 2026 the review was still pending; the official announcement is the final word). The claim period for the previous NT$10,000 payout closed on 30 April 2026, and according to the region’s Central News Agency about 250,000 people had still not collected it. Local administrations are adding more of their own: Wanrong Township in Hualien County has announced NT$5,000 per person from 18 September (Taiwanese media reports, mid-September).

So what do you do once the money is actually in your hand? Folk practice gives a fairly unanimous answer: do not rush to spend it — “raise” it first.

The best-known set of rules belongs to Zinan Temple in Zhushan, Nantou. Its official website sets out the whole procedure: you ask the Earth God by tossing divination blocks; win a sacred block on the first throw and you may “borrow” NT$600; a sacred block on the second throw gives NT$500; after that NT$400, NT$300, NT$200 and NT$100 in turn; six throws with no sacred block and you come back another time. The borrowed money has a designated purpose — use it to turn funds over, use it as working capital; many people put it in a wallet, press it under a pillow, or deposit it in an account as “seed capital”. That is the so-called “money mother” (according to the temple’s website and reports in the region’s media). Local folklore specialists add one further detail: after you receive the red envelope, you should pass it clockwise three times over the main incense burner.

Strictly speaking, one NT$100 note does not produce another one out of thin air. But the rule does do something useful: it turns “don’t fritter this money away” from a matter of willpower into something you have to account for to a deity (or to yourself). This article covers folk custom only and is not investment advice of any kind.

On 占卜迷指, what many people actually ask is “why does money never stay with me?” A one-line fortune is no answer to a question like that. Describe your situation clearly and it will recommend a suitable method, cast the chart, interpret it and export it, so that you can see at which step the money leaks away.

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Disclaimer: This article covers traditional culture and folklore and is intended for entertainment and self-reflection only. It is not medical, psychological, investment, legal or marriage advice. Do not submit ID numbers, detailed addresses or other sensitive personal information. If you experience persistent insomnia, anxiety or physical discomfort, please see a doctor or a qualified professional.

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