Taipei  - Tens of thousands of people in Taiwan watched Wednesday's partial solar eclipse, but few said they still believe in superstitions that the eclipse could spell disaster.

In Taipei, clusters of people gathered in squares, parks and on rooftops to try to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon, which appeared as a total eclipse in parts of India, Nepal, China and Japan and a partial eclipse in other areas of Asia.

In ancient times, the people of China and Taiwan believed that solar eclipses were a "heavenly dog devouring the sun," a bad omen for the nation - maybe predicting a coup or a natural disaster.

But few people believe such myths any more.

Taiwan is hit by hundreds of earthquakes and several typhoons each year, so most residents said they regard a solar eclipse as just another natural phenomenon. (dpa)