Tsai Li-ching, who was a pioneer in promoting the "pacifying the earth bull" activity, explains that early on in Taiwan many people believed that earthquakes were caused by "the earth bull turning over." People in Lukang evolved a scheme to appease this creature. They took hollow bamboo sections, and spun them like tops.
當年推廣「打地牛」的先驅蔡麗卿表示，台灣早年有「地牛翻身」會引發地震的說法，而鹿港先民為了取悅地牛，便用中空竹節做成童玩，仿陀螺原理，以線繩纏繞後抽動，竹節隨即轉動並發出嗡嗡聲。