Koxinga

Taiwan Prefectural City God Temple (臺灣府城隍廟)

Given that you can find a City God temple in every major city, town or village in Taiwan, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to know that there are close to a hundred of these places of worship throughout the country, celebrating an ancient Chinese folk religious tradition.

Having already published articles about the Xiahai City God Temple (霞海城隍廟), one of Taipei’s most important places of worship, and Hsinchu’s City God Temple (新竹城隍廟), the headquarters of all City God Temples in Taiwan, I figured it was about time to do another deep dive about one of the nation’s other ‘most influential’ City God temples - the one that started it all, namely the Taiwan Prefectural City God Temple (臺灣府城隍廟) in Tainan. 

With a history spanning several centuries, the temple originated during the Kingdom of Tungning era, and has continued to thrive through the Qing era, the Japanese era, and the current Republic of China era.

To put it simply, this City God temple has lived through some of the most tumultuous periods of Taiwan’s modern history, and continues to stand today as one of the nation’s most important places of worship, a national treasure if you will.

That being said, when you see someone claim that it’s three and a half centuries old, it’s true, but not necessarily true at the same time. 

Link: List of City God Temples in Taiwan 臺灣城隍廟列表 (Wiki)

Surprisingly, there are few articles that go into much detail about this important place of worship, both in Chinese or English, so I’ll be doing a bit of a deep dive on this one having spent a considerable amount of time researching its history and architectural design. So with that in mind, I’m just going to get right into it. 

Taiwan Prefectural City God Temple (臺灣府城隍廟)

Few places of worship (or any building for that matter) in Taiwan can claim a history of over three and a half centuries, but if you’re looking for some, look no further than the southern city of Tainan

Tainan as an organized city has changed considerably over the various periods of Taiwan’s modern development, but starting from the Dutch era, the city became an important trading port for the European powers. Things changed considerably however when Koxinga (鄭成功) and his band of pirate ships showed up and forcibly removed the Dutch. The large fleet of ships (fleeing dynastic regime change back in China) arrived in Taiwan hoping to ‘regroup’ in order to go back to China and restore the Ming Emperor.

Koxinga, and his family quickly established a Chinese-style settlement in Tainan, which (at that time) was referred to as ’Hú-siâ’ (府城) in Hokkien, which is where the temple derives its name.

While developing the city, which would ultimately become the capital of the Kingdom of Tunging (東寧王國), it was important for the ruling class that a ‘Chinese style societal structure’ was imposed on the people of the newly formed kingdom. So, they founded a Confucius Temple, the first in Taiwan - which was tasked with training civil servants. It is said that Koxinga placed quite a bit of importance on Confucian thought and philosophy, and the construction of a shrine, where Imperial Examinations (科舉) could be held was important to the fledgling ‘kingdom’ seeking to maintain the traditions of the Ming dynasty.

With the Confucius Temple constructed in 1665, one of the next steps for the Zheng Family was to construct a City God Temple for which they could better instill the values of the newly formed system of governance. One of the things that you have to keep in mind about City God worship (I’ll explain more later) is that the City God is essentially a celestial civil servant, like a governor or a mayor - and it is the role of his court to oversee everything that is taking place within his territorial boundaries. The human rulers of a specific area were required to pay homage to the local City God, while at the same time using his example to teach people about traditional Chinese styles of governance. That being said, life in the early days of an undeveloped Tainan was harsh, and even Koxinga himself died of Malaria, so even though City God worship was beneficial to the ruling elite, it might have also been to their detriment if they weren’t living in a military dictatorship.

Constructed in 1669 as the “Sêng-thian-hú Prefectural City God Temple” (承天府城隍廟), the temple, like its Confucius Temple counterpart, was the first of its kind in Taiwan, and the City God enshrined within was considered to be the highest ranking in the ‘prefecture’, which pretty much meant the entire island of Taiwan. 

Language note: The words “Sêng-thian-hú” are the Taiwanese Hokkien pronunciation for “Cheng-tian fu” (承天府), which was the term used at the time to refer to the governing territory of Taiwan. Similarly, Chinese capitals Nanjing (南京) and Beijing (北京) were referred to as “Ying-tian fu” (應天府) and “Shun-tian fu” (順天府) respectively.

When the temple was constructed over three and a half centuries ago, it was a considerably smaller place of worship than it appears today - As you’ll see in the timeline provided below, there have been numerous occasions where the temple was renovated, expanded upon and restored, culminating in it doubling in size with additional shrines and decorations added later. 

With regard to architectural changes though, I’ll touch more on that later.

What I think is important to note about the City God temple was the special relationship it maintained with regard to the ever-changing political situation over the various eras of Taiwan’s modern history. The temple was regarded as the most important City God temple during the Kingdom of Tungning era, which lasted from 1661–1683. When the Qing took control of Taiwan, it maintained its role as the highest-ranking shrine in Taiwan until 1891 when the Qing court officially recognized the Hsinchu City God Temple as the highest-ranking temple in Taiwan. Not much changed in this regard during the Japanese-era, but when the Chinese Nationalists took control of Taiwan, they constructed the “Taiwan Provincial City God Temple” (臺灣省城隍廟) in Taipei and attempted to shift the balance of power away from the Hsinchu temple, but it doesn’t really seem like many actually paid attention to those efforts. 

These days we have a bit of a delicate situation with three high-ranking City God’s presiding over the nation - but when it comes to people’s attitudes about these temples, the Hsinchu Temple is probably the most popular as it maintains its role as the ‘headquarters’ of all of Taiwan’s nearly one-hundred City God temples. The Tainan temple on the other hand is highly respected as it is the first of its kind in Taiwan, and its history and architectural design are considered to be a national treasure, which is why it has been permitted to keep its name.

And the temple in Taipei… Well, I suppose it was useful for propaganda purposes, but it’s neither historic, nor as widely frequented as the other two.  

Below, I’ve created a timeline of some of the most important events in the temple’s long history: 

Timeline

  • 1661 (永曆15年) - The Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) is established in Tainan by Koxinga and his  army of Ming loyalists. 

  • 1665 (康熙4年) - The Tainan Confucius Temple is officially established nearby in an effort to promote Ming Dynasty-style governance and cultivating a local civil service. 

  • 1669 (永曆23年) - The “Chengtian Prefectural City God Temple” (承天府城隍廟) is constructed in an eastern area of the city then known as ‘Tong-an-hong’ (東安坊) near the East Gate (東門). 

  • 1683 (康熙22年) - The Kingdom of Tungning is annexed by the Qing, who take control of parts of Taiwan. 

  • 1693 (康熙32年) - The temple undergoes its first of many renovation and restoration projects. 

  • 1752 (乾隆17年) - Official records indicate that the renovation project started decades earlier is completed and the the temple design is officially a ‘Two Hall’ (兩段式廟宇) layout.

  • 1758 (乾隆24年) - 1777 (乾隆42年) - Once again, the temple is renovated and expanded on and pretty much doubles in size transforming into the layout that we see today (四進兩廂房式的廟宇建築). 

  • 1827 (道光7年) - The temple undergoes a period of repair (natural disaster related)

  • 1828 (道光8年) - The temple is officially renamed “Taiwan Prefectural City God Temple” (臺灣府城隍廟). 

  • 1862 (同治元年) - The temple undergoes a period of repair (natural disaster related)

  • 1890 (光緒16年) - The temple undergoes a period of repair (natural disaster related)

  • 1891 (光緒17年) - Hsinchu is upgraded as a city in Taipei Prefecture, and the Hsinchu City God temple is upgraded into a prefectural-level temple. 

  • 1895 (明知28年) - Japan takes control of Taiwan.

  • 1907 (明知40年) - Due to Japan’s urban renewal plans, the road in front of the temple is modernized and widened for cars, reducing the size of the front court yard. 

  • 1934 (昭和9年) - The temple undergoes another period of extensive restoration and modernization with celebrations held at the end of the project. 

  • 1937 (昭和12年) - The '爾來了’ plaque is gifted to the temple. 

  • 1945 (民國34年) - Japan surrenders control of Taiwan and the temple starts a long restoration project. 

  • 1947 (民國36年) - The Taiwan Provincial City God Temple (臺灣省城隍廟) is constructed in Taipei and the City God once again is ranked the highest in Taiwan, another awkward situation. 

  • 1952 (民國41年) - After seven years, the restoration project is finally completed. 

  • 1975 (民國64年) - The temple undergoes another period of restoration and new Door Gods are added by a famed local artist named Pan Lishui. 

  • 1982 (民國71年) - Qingnian Road is widened to 15m, reducing the size of the front courtyard (廟埕) and putting the road next to the front door. 

  • 1983 (民國85年) - The temple undergoes a period of restoration paid for by the government.

  • 2005 (民國94年) - The temple is officially designated as a protected historic site (國定古蹟).  

Now that we’ve talked a bit about the history of this temple, to better understand the deities enshrined within, I’ll introduce them individually as briefly as I can. Before I do, keep in mind that even though this temple is primarily a Chinese Folk Religion place of worship, you’re also going to find figures commonly associated with Taoism and Buddhism. The great thing about this is that unlike other areas around the world, here in Taiwan the mixing of religious traditions isn’t a big deal, and everyone has happily gotten along for the past few hundred years. 

The City God (城隍爺)

Most often referred to as the City God (城隍) in English, "Cheng Huang Ye" (城隍爺) is an influential figure in Taoism, and even though he’s considered a ‘tutelary’ deity (and isn’t one of the figures that frequents the Jade Emperor’s celestial court), he is still an important figure within the hierarchy of deities, especially within Chinese Folk Religion.  

Worship of the City God is thought to have originated over two thousand years ago, but is a religious tradition that has evolved over time with changes in political ideology, in addition to societal changes, and the concept of a modern city or town. Once a minor figure within Chinese Folk Religion, worship of the City God was popularized during the late stages of the Ming Dynasty, and continued well into the Qing Dynasty.

Considered to be a protector deity, the City God acts as a liaison between the living and the supernatural and plays an important role in assisting the earthly bureaucracy in making the ‘right’ decisions in addition to assisting governments in maintaining order. The function of the City God, whose name literally translates as the god of "walls and moats" (城 means 'city' while 隍 is a 'moat') was to act as a supernatural 'magistrate' who would make decisions about a city's governance (along with human colleagues). He was also responsible for acting as a judge for those citizens who lived within the borders of the city, in addition to working to keep it safe.

Essentially, the City God is not unlike a traditional court official governing from a throne room with a long list of assistants helping to maintain order. As a supernatural magistrate, City God shrines typically appear in a similar design to what you’d expect from a throne room, and the City God is always surrounded by his officials and protectors. From his throne room, the City God would help to oversee development of the city and its defense, and assist in solving issues for the citizens living within his jurisdiction and more importantly handing out judgement for those who have done wrong. 

Link: City God | 城隍 (Wiki)

The traditional role of the City God has evolved over time and these days fills the role of an ‘all-purpose’ deity who holds authority with regard to matters of life and death within his specific territory, but also offers assistance to people suffering from poor health, or other contemporary issues. With the societal shifts mentioned above, the City God has changed with the times and has transformed from a simple village guardian to a figure regarded as a protector deity of the modern-nation-state. 

One area that sets the City God apart from many of his supernatural colleagues is that in the early days of City God worship, if people prayed for rain and the god failed to 'bring the rain', it was within their ability to hold the god 'accountable' and punish him. Punishments for such heinous inaction on the part of the City God could include leaving his statue out in the hot sun, or having the local governor or magistrate whip him.

This is something that is pretty much unfathomable for the high-ranking members of the Jade Emperor’s Celestial Court, but is an interesting concept where even supernatural beings are able to be held accountable for not holding up their end of the bargain!

These days, worship of the City God has changed considerably, and the notion of dragging him out of his throne room to torture him is probably impossible. Even here in Taiwan where there are ninety-five temples dedicated in his honor, no one mistreated any of his statues during the most recent several-year long drought which caused water shortages around the country.

One thing that most people don’t actually realize about the City God is that his supernatural powers are divided up based on the area that he represents, which is something that is quite significant to this temple; To put it simply, if you come across a City God temple in a small town or city, his influence isn’t as powerful as that of a ‘prefectural’ or ‘national-level’ version.

The City God’s official divisions are as follows: 

  1. National Level City God (都城隍、府城隍), known formally as the Duke Xiang (享公爵)

  2. State / Provincial Level City God (州城隍), known formally as the Marquis of Xiang (享侯爵)

  3. County / Town Level City God (縣城隍), known formally as the Earl of Xiang (享伯爵)

Given that this is the ‘Taiwan Prefectural City God Temple’, the City God that is enshrined within is the National Level City God, who is regarded as the “Duke of Wei” (衛靈公) and is one of the highest ranking in Taiwan. 

Having already read the history of the temple above, you’ll know that when it was first constructed, during the short-lived Kingdom of Tungning era, where its purpose was to serve in the capital of the kingdom, which was located in present-day Tainan. With that in mind, it’s important to note that there is also a ‘Duke of Wei’ level City God in the Hsinchu City God Temple, which is currently the most influential City God temple in Taiwan as it acts as the headquarters for the rest.

Ultimately when it comes to the City God, there is a considerable amount of politics that needs to be taken into consideration, and that is usually something that takes place here with us humans who use these images to our own advantage.  

The Civil and Martial Judges (文武判官)

Accompanying the City God in the main shrine of the temple you’ll find standing statues of two of the City God’s most important officials, the Civil and Martial Judges. Starting on the right, you’ll find the “Civil Judge” (文判官) with the ‘book of life and death’ (生死簿) in one hand and a brush in the other. The function of the Civil Judge is to record both the good and bad deeds in ones life and judge them accordingly when they pass away. On the left, you’ll find the “Martial Judge” (武判官), who is responsible for the enforcement of the City God’s judgements. Holding a mace in his left hand, this judge is a much more opposing and serious-looking figure and is responsible for the scarier aspects of a City God’s duties.  

The City God’s Twenty-Four Officials (二十四司 / 司爺)

Located within a glass-covered compartment on walls to the left and right of the main shrine you’ll find twenty-four statues of the rest of the City God’s spiritual assistants. According to tradition, the twenty-four officials are an imitation of the ancient official system of governance in China with each of the officials performing a specific duty. In a contemporary sense, they are basically ‘department heads’ or ministers of each of their respective bureaus. For brevity, I won’t be going into detail about each of their names or their responsibilities, but for example you’ll find someone who takes care of labor rights, household rights, education, national defense, etc.

For reference: Their names are as follows: 陰陽司、速報司、稽查司、賞善司、罰惡司、註福司、註壽司、功曹司、良願司、提刑司、地獄司、驅疫司、感應司、文書司、檢簿司、掌案司、考功司、保安司、查過司、學政司、典籍司、督糧司、巡政司、儀禮司。

Unfortunately there isn’t very much information available about these guys in English, so if I find some time in the future, I might go into a bit more detail about them with a dedicated article. They’re actually quite interesting and are essentially a supernatural mirror into the way people perceived governance a thousand or more years ago.  

Generals Fan and Hsieh (范謝將軍)

Located at the entrance to the temple, you’ll find shrines dedicated to General Fan (范將軍) and General Hsieh (謝將軍), who together are more commonly known as the “Seventh and Eighth Lords” (七爺八爺), or the “Black and White Impermanence” (黑白無常), and are common figures within Taiwan’s religious scene, especially at temple festivals.

Often appearing in parades with long waving hands, the two generals are important members of the City Gods court and are charged with carrying out the task of escorting the dead to trial to be judged by the City God. 

Link: 范謝將軍 (Wiki)

How does one go about telling the two generals apart? 

Well, their name “Black and White Impermanence” as mentioned above is probably one of the best indications given that one of the generals appears in white while the other is black. General Hsieh, who greets you at the entrance to the temple (right side) is tall and thin, and wears while robes with long eyebrows and a beard. His counterpart, General Fan, on the other hand is short and chubby with dark skin and a black robe. 

Given that the two of these generals play an important role in carrying out the judgements of the City God, (especially with regard to the afterlife), having them at the front door is a constant reminder to anyone who enters that they should be on their best behavior. 

General Hsieh: Wearing white robes and holding a feather fan in his hand. 

General Fan: Wearing black robes and holding a square card connected to a chain that has tiger heads painted on it.

Generals Gan and Liu (甘柳將軍)

Accompanying the smaller statues of General Fan and Hsieh are two of their associates, General’s Gan (甘爺) and Liu (柳爺), who are famously part of the fierce Eight Generals (八家將), and can be commonly found roaming the streets (in human form) during temple festivals. 

Both generals are part of the “Front Line” (頭排) of the group of underworld immortals and are responsible for carrying out executions.

Interestingly, they take turns supervising people’s good and bad deeds during the day, which means that you won’t often find them appearing together unless there is an important event. 

In statue form, they appear quite menacing, but when they’re in human form in front of you on the street with their weapons used for torture, they’re even scarier. Still, they’re part of one of the coolest aspects of Taiwan temple culture, and their appearance at any event is an important occasion. 

The City God's Wife (城隍夫人)

In the rear hall, you’ll find a second City God-related shrine dedicated to his wife, who is known simply as “The City God’s Wife.”

Despite the obvious arguments of gender inequality that come with this, the City God's Wife is an important fixture within any City God temple, and a temple dedicated to the City God couldn’t be complete without a shrine to his wife, who also performs official state functions like her husband. 

While the City God is busy being the all-important political figure, his wife deals with matters of the heart and is known as a ‘Chinese Cupid’ of sorts. Tradition has it that if you’re praying for love, marriage or having children, she’s the one you’ll want to visit in order to take care of all your needs.

Making things even better, if your husband has undesirable habits such as gambling, drinking or sleeping around - she'll also help take care of that!

While it may come across as a sexist tradition to some, the City God's wife is highly respected, and with a palace of her own, she’s just as important as the City God himself. And as mentioned above, taking into consideration that these temples are often a reflection of the ancient Chinese court-system, their shrines mirror that of the roles that leaders of the past would have had.

Interestingly, in many City God temples you’ll often find photos of happy couples posted nearby the shrine to the City God’s wife thanking her for her assistance in helping people to find true love. 

In the case of this temple, the City God’s Wife is located in the Rear Shrine (後殿), but she isn’t located in the main shrine in the centre as you’ll find in other City God temples. Her shrine is to the right of the main shrine, and in another departure from what you’d typically see in one of her shrines, she is accompanied by a statue of her husband, who sits side-by-side with her. 

The Goddess of Child Birth (註生娘娘)

Following along with shrines that are predominately dedicated to women, visitors will find a statue dedicated to the ‘Goddess of Childbirth’, also known as the ‘Goddess of Fertility’ (註生娘娘), who is of the most highly respected fertility deities in Chinese Folk Religion, especially for those hailing from the Southern Fujian region of China - where many of the first immigrants to Taiwan originated. 

Holding a notebook in one hand and a brush in the other, she is in charge of recording the births of every household, and does her best to assist anyone having trouble having children. 

Ms. Linshui (臨水夫人)

Sitting next to the Goddess of Child Birth, you’ll find another Southern Fujianese goddess, “Ms. Linshui” (臨水夫人). With regard to the English translation of her name, I decided to go with “Ms.” instead of “Wife” as is the case with the City God’s partner above.

This is due to the fact that I’m not particularly sure who her husband is supposed to be and the word “夫人” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “wife” as it was a sign of respect (for women) hundreds of years ago.  

According to legend, Ms. Linshui was a well-known Taoist priest named Chen Jinggu (陳靖姑) who became a goddess after death. Known to the Hokkien people as a protector of villages, she is also known as the patron saint of women and children.

Mazu (天上聖母)

Rounding out the shrine dedicated to Southern Fujian goddesses, I’ve saved the most important for last - Mazu (媽祖), or the Goddess of Heaven (天上聖母) is arguably the most important religious figure in Taiwan, and is regarded as the patron saint of the country.

Finding a shrine dedicated to the ‘heavenly mother’ is a pretty common thing in Taiwan, and even moreso in Tainan, but it’s important to remember that when this shrine was constructed, Mazu worship in Taiwan was still relatively new.

The statue of Mazu here certainly isn’t as grand as what you’d find at the nearby Goddess of Heaven Temple (天后宮), but given that she’s situated next to some other amazing Hokkien goddesses, its a pretty important one that represents the power and important role that women play in society.  

Guanyin (觀音菩薩)

Located within the middle shrine in the rear hall is the Buddha of Compassion, known throughout the Mandarin speaking world as Guanyin (觀音菩薩).

Within the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, the Buddha of Compassion is a Buddha who is constantly reborn with the mission to ensure that all of humanity has the opportunity to reach enlightenment. 

In Tibet, the Buddha of Compassion is none other than the Dalai Lama, but in Taiwan, China and other parts of Asia, the Buddha manifests as the mother-like Guanyin. Here in Taiwan, Guanyin is one of the most highly regarded Buddhist figures, and her worship transcends Buddhism, which is why you’ll often find shrines in her honor within Taoist and folk religion temples, like this one. 

With that in mind, as the Buddha of Compassion, whenever something bad happens, Guanyin is always one of the first religious figures that people think of, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there is a shrine in her honor in this temple.

What does surprise me however is that her shrine is located in the middle position, which in most cases should be reserved for the throne of the City God’s Wife. Unfortunately I’ve been unable to find any explanation as to why it was set up in this way. 

The Eighteen Arhats (十八羅漢)

Given that the main shrine in the rear palace is primarily dedicated to Guanyin, a Buddhist figure, you’ll find statues of the ‘eighteen disciples’ of the Buddha located along the left and right walls, with nine on each side. The eighteen arhats are interesting figures, so if you’re visiting the temple, I recommend taking a close look at each of the statues as some of them are likely to appear a bit differently than what you’d expect from one of the Buddha’s disciples. 

Like the twenty-four judges above, I won’t be going into too much detail about the arhats as there is already an ample amount of information about them online. If you’d like to know more, click one of the links below. 

Link: Eighteen Arhats | 十八羅漢 (Wiki)

Ksitigarbha (地藏菩薩)

Kṣitigarbha Buddha, known in Taiwan and China as “Dizang” (地藏菩薩), and Japan as “Jizo”(じぞうぼさつ), like Guanyin mentioned above is another Buddha who has vowed to continue being reborn until his mission is complete. In this case though, Ksitigarbha’s mission is to ensure that all of the people suffering through ‘karmic hell’ are eventually guided through to enlightenment. The role this Buddha plays in countries across Asia differs slightly, but taking into consideration how Taiwan has been influenced by both Chinese and Japanese Buddhist traditions, his worship tends to be a mixture of the two.

Link: Kṣitigarbha | 地藏菩薩 (Wiki) 

In Japan, he plays a role similar to Taiwan’s Earth God (described below), and is also a protector of women and children, and pays special attention to unborn children. In the Chinese tradition, he is the person people visit to pray for blessings to the souls of their ancestors.  

The Earth God (福德正神)

Located along the passageway to the right of the rear shrine you’ll find a shrine set up another one of Taiwan’s most important deities, the Earth God (福德正神).

If I was to make an analogy about deities in Taiwan, shrines dedicated to Mazu would be a bit like Family Mart (全家) while shrines dedicated to the Earth God are like 7-11 convenience stores. This is to say that there are certainly more 7-11’s around the country, but Family Mart is still pretty awesome.

Even though Mazu is regarded as the patron saint of Taiwan, the Earth God remains to be one of the most highly worshiped deities around the country, and temples and shrines in his honor can be found pretty much everywhere. Shrines to the Earth God are likely to be found in almost every major temple, so even though the shrine here isn’t at the forefront of the temple, his inclusion is still a necessity.

Accompanying the Earth God is one of my favorite folk religion figures, the Tiger General (虎爺將軍), who you’ll find located just below the shrine to the Earth God. Legend has it that the Tiger General is so ferocious that only the Earth God can contain him. While it may appear that the Tiger General is the Earth God’s pet, I wouldn’t say something like that out loud.

When it comes to evil spirits, the Tiger General is especially skilled at scaring them off. He’s also known as the protector of children, and is known for his skills when it comes to helping people make money. 

The God of Matchmaking (月下老人)

Last but not least, the temple features a modest shrine to the ‘God of Matchmaking’, known literally as the “Old Man Under the Moon” (月下老人) or “Yue Lao” (月老). You might be thinking, “Hey doesn’t the City God’s Wife already cover that?”, and you’d be right. But within Chinese Folk Religious traditions, the God of Matchmaking is your go-to person for all romance-related problems, whereas the City God’s wife focuses much of her power on taking care of women. 

The shrine to the God of Matchmaking is located along the western wall of the rear hall, and you’ll notice that there are lots of photos of couples next to the shrine. Sometimes the photos of these couples are fun to look at, because they’re all people who visited the shrine looking for love, and came back later to thank the god when they found someone. 

Architectural Design

Even though the layout of the temple has changed considerably over the past three and a half centuries, it continues to maintain what you’d consider a traditional architectural design. Constructed in a North-facing-South (座北朝南) direction, the layout consists of ‘three hall and two-passage-way’ design (三殿兩護龍). What this means in layman's terms is that the temple was constructed according to Feng Shui, and is rectangular in shape with three different sections, a common design for temples.

With regard to the three ‘halls’ (殿), the front reception area (山門) acts as the one of the halls, while the City God shrine is located in the ‘Main Hall’ (正殿), and the ‘Rear Hall’ (後殿) is located behind that and features another shrine room. The two ‘passage ways’ on the other hand are located along the east and west-side walls, and in contemporary terms would be referred to simply as ‘walkways’ (走廊), but in a folk religion setting they are given the official name, ‘protector dragons’ (護龍), and allow visitors to make their way from the front entrance all the way to the rear courtyard in a counter-clockwise direction.

Starting from the front of the temple, you’ll find that the entrance has three doors, known locally as the Dragon Door (龍門), Middle Door (中門) and Tiger door (虎門). Located on either side of the Middle Door you’ll find a pair of beautifully carved Stone Lion Guardians (石獅), each of which date back to 1937 and amazingly continue to have their Japanese-era dates displayed on the base, which reads “Showa Era Year 12” (昭和丁丑). 

The roof of the front hall is designed with a traditional single-layered swallow-tail design (單脊燕尾造型), and is decorated with green porcelain dragons on each of its rising ridges. On the apex of the roof you’ll find the famed ‘Sanxing’ (三星) deities Fu, Lu and Shou (福祿壽) who are considered to the be embodiment of ‘Fortune’ (福), Prosperity (祿), and Longevity (壽), and are commonly found on temple roofs all across Taiwan. You’ll also find other cut-porcelain carvings (剪瓷雕) along the roof, which have become indicative of traditional Hokkien-style architecture in Taiwan.   

Links: Sanxing | 三星 | Hokkien Architecture | 燕尾脊 (Wiki) 

It’s not often that I actually learn new words when I write these articles, but as you enter the temple you are met with an area reserved for prayers referred to as a ‘Chuan-tang prayer pavilion’ (川堂拜亭), admittedly a loose translation.

This part of the temple features an area where guests are free to sit on one of the provided cushions to worship the City God. The reason why I’m learning a new word here is due to the fact that these prayer areas aren’t as common in temples anymore as most people complete their prayers while standing. 

Coincidentally in a lot of temples, this particular area would be a roofless court-like area that allows for natural light to come into the temple and the burning incense to leave. However, as this is a City God Temple, it differs in its design as temples like this are traditionally constructed to be a bit ‘darker’ than your average temple, creating what should be a more solemn and mysterious space like that of a governmental office.

With this in mind, you’ll probably also notice that the elaborate designs and bright gold decorations that you find in other Taiwanese temples aren’t utilized here as the City God prefers a much more subtle throne room given that he has little use for luxurious decorations.

Taking into consideration that there is an open space along the eastern and western walls between the Front Hall and the Main Hall, its important to take note of the network of pillars located between the ‘Chuan-tang’ pavilion and the Main Hall. In total there are eight stone pillars, with four on each side, and while they are decorative they serve a more functional purpose in helping to keep the roof above in place. 

Once you’ve passed through the Main Hall and go to the rear, you’ll find a much more open space  and brighter space featuring an open roof that allows an ample amount of natural light into the rear shrine room. One of my favorite features of the rear hall though isn’t its more bright and spacious design but the round open passage doors along the eastern and western walls. These round doors can be found in some of Taiwan’s older places of worship, but it is an architectural design that has been lost over time, which is a shame. 

Although the rear hall is a lot more spacious and brighter, it is also a bit cramped as it features three shrines in the center, with two more to their sides and another against the wall. With more than eighteen deities featured within the rear hall, its spaciousness can also come across as a bit busy, especially if there are a lot of people visiting. 

Finally, if you continue walking beyond the rear hall to the back of the temple you’ll come across something that is quite odd in Taiwan - grass!

The temple is home to a ‘backyard’ of sorts where there is a very nice public washroom, and a large paper burner next to a garden with grass and a beautiful Chinese-style open air pavilion. The area is quite nice, but with the recent construction of a luxury apartment building to the rear of the temple, the view from the garden isn’t as nice as I’m sure it used to be.

That being said, if you’re doing a walking tour of the area and require a nice washroom to relieve yourself, I highly recommend this one! 

While this is more of a general description of the architectural design of the temple, I do want to focus on a few of the decorative elements that really stand out. If you visit, it’s important that you take note of these things as they’re important cultural relics here in Taiwan. 

Stone and Wood Carvings (石雕/木雕)

While the temple might differ from other temples in Taiwan with regard to its decorative elements, it’s important to note that the major difference is that it doesn’t go over the top. The decorative elements in the temple are subdued, but also aged at the same time. So while you don’t experience the over-saturation of color that you get at most temples, if you pay close attention, you’re going to notice that there is considerable artistic mastery on display throughout the temple, but the devil is in the details, and you really have to take some time to notice it. 

With regard to the stone carvings, you’ll want to pay attention to the pillars mentioned above, each of which feature stone carvings. Located between the Middle Door at the front entrance you’ll find two beautifully carved dragon pillars and several murals along the walls nearby.

Likewise along the eastern and western walls between the Front Hall and the Main Hall you’ll find two large murals of a dragon (天井龍堵石刻) and a tiger (天井虎堵石刻). The murals position, following the tradition of the ‘dragon’ door and the ‘tiger’ door with the dragon on the right side and the tiger on the left. 

When it comes to the wooden carvings, you’ll have to look to the sky to find them. The wooden carvings, which have been masterfully crafted are located along along the network of trusses and beams that help to keep the roof in place and distribute its weight. You are going to find various designs within the carvings, which are usually of ancient Chinese mythical creatures, but are all really beautiful and have been part of the temple for hundreds of years.

The most obvious of all the wood carvings, or at least the one that is at eye-level is the beautifully crafted wooden panel window (木雕門版) on either side of the middle door. When it comes to these hand-carved wooden panel windows, they’re somewhat of a dying art in Taiwan, and in most cases you’ll find them today made of cement, which is a shame.

For foreign visitors looking at the mural, you might think its just a hodge-podge of images, but in actuality both murals, if put together are telling the story of the ‘Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea’ which is one of the most popular Taoist myths. 

Link: The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea (The Daoist Encyclopedia)

The Iconic Plaque (爾來了匾額)

As soon as you enter the temple, you’re met with one of it’s most well-known, and highly-regarded decorations, the “You’re finally here!” plaque.

Considered to be one of Tainan’s ‘four famous plaques’ (臺南四大名匾), it is one of those things that most locals in Taiwan are aware of, even before they visit the shrine as it is often covered in history textbooks in Taiwan’s schools.

For reference: The other three plaques are: 「一」at Tiantan Temple (天壇), 「了然世界」at Zhuxi Temple (竹溪寺), and「大丈夫」at the Martial Temple (祀典武廟). 

The black plaque features beautiful golden calligraphy that, as mentioned above, translates as “You’re finally here!” (爾來了) a phrase that is used somewhat ironically, or in a condescending tone.

The reason for this is quite simple - the City God is pretty much always watching you, and he knows the good things you’ve done, as well as the bad. For westerners, I guess this is comparable to Santa Claus, but unfortunately for children Santa doesn’t have a temple where you can go to apologize for your transgressions. As a judicial deity, the City God has control over Yin and Yang (陰陽), and its his role to deal out demerits for any karmic misdeeds in your life.

So, when people arrive and see this beautiful plaque, its a reminder that you not only have to be a better, more righteous person. You should likewise come often to confess those sins to the City God so that when you pass away, your demerits don’t outweigh the good things that you’ve accomplished. 

The Abacus (大算盤) 

Located in the rafters directly opposite the plaque, you’ll find a giant abacus, which is another one of the most important decorative elements of the temple. Considered to be one of the City God’s most important tools upon which he comes to a conclusion about a person’s life, the abacus is a reminder to people, like the plaque, that you should always be on your best behavior. 

Both the plaque and the abacus were donated to the temple upon the completion of a major restoration project in 1937

Door Gods (門神)

The Door Gods at the shrine are classified as“Martial” (武將) and “Literary” (文官) with Qin Shubao (秦瓊) and his counterpart Yuchi Gong (尉遲恭) located on the middle door (中門). Qin is the lighter-skinned man carrying a sword while Yuchi has dark skin and carries batons.

The two figures are legendary figures who lived the Tang Dynasty (唐朝), and are commonly displayed as door gods on temples thanks to a story that explains how they once stood guard at the door of the emperors bedroom to protect him from angry ghosts, allowing him to rest peacefully.

On the Dragon Door (龍門), you’ll find a ‘Eunuch’ (宦官) holding a peony and an incense burner while the Tiger Door (虎門) on the other side features a ‘Palace Lady’ (宮女) holding a teapot. Both of these door gods are used to indicate that there is a royal palace on the inside. 

Even though the temple itself is hundreds of years old, these beautifully painted Door Gods only date back to 1976 when they were repainted by famed Tainan artist Phuann Lē-tsuí (潘麗水), whose work can be viewed all over Taiwan today in many of the nations most important places of worship. 

Link: Pan Li-shui's art (The Bradt Taiwan Taiwan Guide)

Getting There

 

Address: No. 133, Qingnian Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan City (臺南市中西區青年路133號)

GPS: 120.20906/22.991987

Located a short distance from Tainan Train Station, getting to the City God Temple is relatively easy if you’re coming from out of town.

That being said, if you’re staying closer to some of the city’s larger attractions like the Confucius Temple, or Chikan Tower, there is a bit of a distance between them. Unfortunately, given the temple’s proximity to the railway station, there aren’t too many buses available that will bring you directly to the temple. 

Train / High Speed Rail

If you’re taking a train to Tainan, the temple is less than a ten minute walk away from the railway station, so if you’re not carrying too much with you, you’ll probably just want to make your way on foot. To get there, you’ll turn left from the station front and walk down Beimen Road (北門路) until you reach Qingnian Road (青年路) where you’ll turn right and walk until you get to the temple. 

If you’re arriving in Tainan from the High Speed Railway Station (台南高鐵站), you’ll have to first take the free shuttle bus to the Tainan Railway Station and then follow the steps above. 

Bus

Most local travel sites recommend you take Bus #2, 5, 6, 7, 15, 19, 25, or 26 and get off at the Tang Te-chang Memorial Park bus stop (民生綠園站) and either walk or take a taxi from there. One thing you’ll want to note is that the park itself is located within a traffic circle, so when you get off the bus you have to be careful about which direction you head in when you are making your way toward the temple. 

Link: Tainan City Bus Website

Scooter / Bicycle

While in Tainan you unfortunately won’t have access to Youbikes like other cities around the country, but the city has its own version called “T-Bike,” which you are encouraged to make use of during your visit. Likewise, if you have a drivers license you can also sign up for the convenient GoShare scooter service that’ll allow you to cheaply scoot around the city. 

Links: GoShare | T-Bike

As is the case in most of Taiwan’s large cities, you’ll also find scooter rental shops near the railway station where you can rent a scooter for the duration of your stay. The prices per day are usually pretty fair, but if you don’t have a local license, you might be refused. 

If you’re asking me, Tainan is a very walkable city and one of the best things about a visit to the city is that as you walk around town you’re able to find so many secret crevices in alleys that are hidden from your average tourist. With a distance of less then 10-20 minutes walking from anywhere you’ll want to visit in the historic district, you’ll certainly enjoy your visit better if you walk. 

While in Tainan, you’ll also want to check out the Koxinga Shrine (延平郡王祠), the Confucius Temple (台南孔廟), and the Tainan Martial Arts Hall (台南武德殿), all of which are nearby. Likewise, you may have already heard that it’s pretty much the culinary capital of Taiwan, so if you are wondering where or what to eat, I recommend checking out this article about how to Eat Like a Local in Tainan to help guide you through the city.

Hours: Open daily from 06:00 - 21:00

References

  1. 臺灣府城隍廟 (TW CITY GOD)

  2. 臺灣府城隍廟 (Wiki)

  3. 臺灣府城隍廟 (Taiwan Gods) 

  4. 臺灣府城隍廟 (Taiwan Digital Archives)

  5. 臺灣府城隍廟 (臺南宗教藝術)

  6. 臺灣府城隍廟 (台灣文化部)

  7. 臺灣府城隍廟 (台南咬一口)

  8. 台南-台灣府城隍廟 (Just a Balcony)

  9. 台灣城隍廟{二} (台南顯佑堂安溪城隍爺的部落格)

  10. Taiwan Fu City God Temple (TW CITY GOD)

  11. Taiwan City God Temple / 臺灣府城隍廟 (Travel Tainan / 台南旅遊網)

  12. City God Temples (Premier Hotels)

  13. Chenghuang—City God, Judge, and Underworld Official (Digital Taiwan)


Koxinga Shrine (延平郡王祠)

When people talk about 'history' in Taiwan, the first place that usually comes to mind is "Tainan". The city which was at one time the capital of the island and even though it isn't the political capital today, is still often referred to as the "Capital City" (府城).

Tainan is one of the oldest developed cities in the country and if you've spent any amount of time in Taipei, a walk through Tainan almost seems as if you're been transported to a completely different country.

Tainan's modern history of development stretches back to when the Dutch East India Company established a fort and trading post in the area in 1624. The city then became the capital of the Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) after the Dutch were expelled which was then followed by the Qing, the Japanese Empire and the current Republic of China.

Through all these turbulent periods of political and foreign rule, the people of Tainan have been able to absorb those foreign cultures, cuisines and architectural styles and build a unique city with an identity of its own with arguably the best cuisine in the whole of Taiwan.

While Taipei might currently occupy the position as the political capital of Taiwan, Tainan is certainly the cultural capital and if you want to really experience Taiwan's 'folk culture' at its best, a trip to Tainan is the best recommendation anyone can give you. The amount of historical and cultural sites available for both domestic tourists as well as international travellers is enough to keep you busy for days.

In this post I want to introduce the Koxinga Shrine (延平郡王祠), a shrine of great importance with regard to Taiwan's history. This shrine has a history unlike any other in Taiwan and at over three and a half centuries old has not only withstood the test of time but also several periods of political upheaval as well as destruction on several different occasions.

Before we start talking about the shrine however, I think its important to offer readers a bit of an introduction to the man for which it is dedicated to - a local folk hero in Taiwan who is revered and respected by the people of Taiwan as well as in both Japan and China.

Koxinga (鄭成功)

One of the most interesting figures in the last few hundred years of Chinese and Taiwanese history, the man known as Koxinga (國姓爺) or Zheng Cheng Gong (鄭成功) was born near Nagasaki in Japan in 1624 to Zheng Zhilong (鄭芝龍) a pirate and merchant of Chinese origin and a Japanese woman named Tagawa Matsu (翁氏 / 田川マツ).

Koxinga lived in Japan until the age of seven when he returned to China with his father to further his studies. At the age of fourteen he took an imperial examination and was awarded the status as a 'Xiucai' (秀才) or "scholar" which started him on his path to civil service and in part cemented his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty (明朝).

In 1644, Koxinga began his studies at the Imperial Nanking University, now known as Nanjing University (南京大學). That same year however saw attacks from a peasant rebellion from within the empire which weakened the already crumbling dynasty. Soon after the decision was made to open the gates of the Great Wall to allow Manchu (滿族) armies from the north to come in and put an end the the insurrection.

Unfortunately for the Ming, the exact opposite happened and the Manchu's sought to take tactical advantage of the weakened state and take control of China.

The final blow to the Ming came when Emperor Chongzhen (崇禎) committed suicide rather than being taken prisoner by the Manchus ending the three century old dynasty (1368-1644).

The Qing Dynasty (清朝) was established later that year.

The defeat of the Ming Dynasty and the suicide of the emperor had a tremendous impact on Koxinga's life and saw the young man returning to his home base in Fujian where his family held a considerable amount of power and influence.

As Ming-loyalists, the Zheng family sought to drive the Manchu's out of China and restore the dynasty with the first step being the establishment of the Southern Ming (南明) in Nanjing. Unfortunately the dynasty and its emperor, Emperor Longwu (龍武) were short lived as the Qing quickly consolidated power and moved their forces south to quell the rebellion.

When the Qing invaded Fujian in 1646, Koxinga's father was forced to surrender, his mother (was rumoured to have been) raped and murdered and Emperor Longwu was captured and executed thus ending any hope for either the Southern Ming or the Ming itself.

Despite the loss of the Southern Ming and even the loyalties of his father, Koxinga continued his struggle against the Qing recruiting many to his cause. While Koxinga's forces were considerably smaller than that of the Qing, he used his Naval superiority to his advantage launching raids on Qing-held territories within the Fujian area and enjoyed a series of military successes that caused major headaches for the newly established dynasty.

In 1661, Koxinga turned his attention to Taiwan, which at the time was under Dutch control. The plan was a simple one - force the Dutch off of the island and transform it into military base which could be used by his forces in an attempt to retake the mainland and restore the Ming.

With a fleet estimated at 400 ships and over 25,000 soldiers, Koxinga first seized the Peng Hu islands as a strategic base between China and Taiwan for which to plan attacks on both areas. Less than a year later, Koxinga negotiated a treaty that saw the Dutch vacate Taiwan with their belongings and more importantly their lives and ended 38 years of Dutch rule over the island.

Once in control of Taiwan, Koxinga and his clan sought to make reforms and govern the island as a temporary seat of government for the Southern Ming. This meant that Taiwan would not only become the base of operations for the loyalist movement, but also an example of how Ming governance could be maintained.

Despite progressive reforms and an effort to develop infrastructure in Taiwan, Koxinga died of Malaria only a year into his clan's rule of the island leaving Taiwan under the control of his son Zheng Jing (鄭經) who formed the Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) and ruled Taiwan from the time of his father's death until 1683.

Koxinga died at the early age of 37, but in his short time on this earth he led a very eventful life. Despite having lived in Taiwan for no more than a year, Koxinga is often honoured as one of the most important saints in Taiwanese folk religion known as Kaishan King (開山王) or the Yanping Prince (延平郡王) and has temples, schools, universities, streets, etc. all named in his honour.

In China he is celebrated as a national historic figure who brought Taiwan back under the sphere of 'Han Chinese influence' while here in Taiwan he has been deified and ironically is often associated with a "Free Taiwan" and a figurehead within the Taiwanese Independence movement.

Interestingly the life of Koxinga somewhat mirrors that of former President Chiang Kai-Shek, who (a few hundred years later) in order to regroup and make an attempt to retake the mainland retreated to Taiwan and ultimately died here.

The failure of both men to achieve their goals has for better or worse helped to shape Taiwan into the free, sovereign country that it is today. History has been much fairer to Koxinga than it ever will be to Chiang, who committed terrible atrocities during his governance.

History

The "Koxinga Shrine" that we see today can also be referred to as the "Yanping Prince Shrine" (延平郡王祠) or the "Kaishan King Temple" (開山王廟). Koxinga has been enshrined at the temple for well over 350 years but the shrine itself has ultimately become a bit of a chameleon and a political tool for whichever regime has controlled Taiwan since his death.

I'm going to separate the history of the shrine into a few different sections and give a brief explanation of what happened during each:

- Kingdom of Tungning 東寧王國 (1662 - 1683)

In 1662, the same year Koxinga died, his son Zheng Jing (鄭經) had a small shrine built in his father's honour. The small shrine became known as the Kaishan King Temple (開山王廟) which showed the reverence people in Tainan held for the man who drove the Dutch out and helped to develop the city.

Qing Dynasty 清朝 (1683 - 1895)

Given Koxinga's history of of anti-Manchu aggression, the subject of his worship in Taiwan a bit of an issue for the Qing empire who took control of Taiwan. In order to appease the people of the area and not cause any uprisings the shrine was left intact and renovated in 1745 and 1845.

 - Japanese Era 日治 (1895 - 1945)

As Koxinga was of mixed Japanese ancestry, the shrine became a strategic location for the colonial government to promote Japanese nationalism in Taiwan. The shrine, which was known as the Kaishan King Temple (開山王廟) was converted into the Kaishan Shinto Shrine (開山神社), the first Shinto shrine on the island which showed the importance the Japanese put on appeasing the local population with the inclusion of Koxinga as a Shinto god.

The conversion of the shrine into a Shinto shrine meant that the original design of the structure was changed from that of traditional Chinese to that of Japanese-style while some of the elements of the original design were respected.

- Republic of China Era 民國 (1945 - Today)

At the end of the Second World War, the shrine was in bad shape due to allied bombs which destroyed most of its exterior. In 1947 the government repaired the shrine but in 1963 a major renovation took place that changed the architectural style to that of what would be more common in Northern China removing all elements of Japanese influence.

The shrine was designated a national historic site in 2010 and since then it has been open to the public for tourism purposes.

Design

The design of the Koxinga shrine is surprisingly a lot like that of a typical Confucius Temple. It is a walled structure with a large courtyard and a main hall in the middle. The colours coincidentally are also predominately red and green, which are considered auspicious in Chinese culture. The colours and architectural design are indicative of the Northern Chinese style that we see in the Confucius Temples throughout Taiwan but is honestly a bit confusing considering that Koxinga himself was a resident of Southern China.

The roof of the main shrine building was also constructed in a similar way and is adorned with several different mystical animal sculptures along the trusses.

When you enter the complex you are met with a Japanese-style gate (Tori) which is a remnant of the Japanese Colonial Era and would have indicated the entrance to a Shinto Shrine. Today the top of the gate is decorated with a Republic of China star on the top and is a point of contention for the people of Tainan.

Beyond the gate is the main entrance to the shrine which seems plain from the outside but opens up to an airy and spacious room that offers excellent views of both the courtyard and the main building of the shrine as well as the walls along the perimeter. To both the left and right of the main entrance are two separate shrines dedicated to Chang Wan-Li (張萬禮) and Gan Hui (甘輝) who were fellow Ming loyalists and served in Koxinga’s army as generals.

The main hall is a simple one with a life-like statue of Koxinga in the middle which serves as the main shrine as the temple but also seems as if a king is sitting on his throne, which I’m sure was intentional. The main shrine is a beautiful example of Taiwanese wood-working skills and the intricate carvings on the Taiwanese cypress shouldn’t be missed. The roof of the main shrine is where you’re going to see more of the Northern Chinese architectural influence and further similarity to a Confucius Temple as it is adorned with mystical animals along the trusses.

On either side of the main shrine are rooms with spirit tablets as well as rooms with interactive displays which offer visitors a bit of a history lesson about the shrine and some of the artifacts which remain from when it was originally built.

The entrance to the shrine for Koxinga's mother. 

Behind the main shrine is a small shrine room (similar to the Chongsheng Shrine 崇聖祠 in a Confucius temple) dedicated to Koxinga's mother Tagawa Matsu. Koxinga was a noted momma's boy and the love he had for his mother fuelled a lot of his rage against the Manchu's after her untimely (and precarious) death. The shrine to Koxinga's mother is a simple one with a spirit plate in her honour but also an important one considering the political implications of having a Japanese woman enshrined in the temple.

Outside of the main walls of the shrine is a small park with man-made lakes and a giant stone statue of Koxinga riding a horse facing the road. The small park is tree covered and relaxing while the giant stone statue seems to be a bit out of place, but whatever.

The Koxinga Shrine with its current design is a bit of an enigma. It doesn’t make much sense for a shrine dedicated to a Southern Chinese Pirate-King to be designed with Northern Chinese style architecture. It also didn't make sense for the former one-party state (which had its capital in Nanjing rather than Beijing) to build the shrine in such a way but what you see today is what you get. From the historic photos I’ve seen from the original shrine as well as when it served as Taiwan’s first Shinto shrine, the shrine complex has undergone a tremendous amount of changes over the years and I’m sure will change again sometime in the future.

Getting There

If you're like me, you might want to do a walking tour of Tainan while you've visiting the city. There are quite a few places to visit in the city's historic West District including the Confucius Temple, the Martial Arts Hall, the Hayashi Department Store, the City God Shrine, the Grand Mazu Temple, Fort Provintia, etc.

If you're not like me, I still I highly recommend a walking tour as you'll be able to see a lot more of the intricate details of Taiwan's most historic city that you'd likely miss if you were travelling by car or scooter.

If it is extremely hot though, as it often is in Taiwan, you can take the free shuttle bus from the High Speed Rail station or if you're already in town you can take Tainan City Bus 17, 18 or 100 from the Tainan Train Station.

 

Address: #152 Kaishan Road. Tainan City, West Central District. (臺南市中西區開山路152號)

With a history spanning over three centuries, this shrine has withstood the test of time and has proven that no matter what direction the political winds blow that Koxinga, the Pirate King will remain a constant presence in Taiwan serving as a folk hero for the people of this country and an important historical reminder that Taiwan is a beautiful country with a rich history.


Tainan Confucius Temple (台南孔廟)

When people talk about history in Taiwan, the first place that comes to mind is "Tainan". The city which is in the south of the country was once the capital of the island and is often referred to as the "Capital City" (府城) despite Taipei currently being the capital of Taiwan. The city is one of the oldest in the country and if you've spent any amount of time in Taipei, a walk through Tainan almost seems as if you're been transported to a completely different country.

Tainan's modern history of development stretches back to when the Dutch East India Company established a fort and trading post in the area in 1624. The city then became the capital of the Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) established by Koxinga (鄭成功) and his family after the Dutch were expelled which was then followed by a period of control by the Qing Dynasty (清朝), the Japanese Empire and the Republic of China.

Through all these turbulent periods of political and foreign rule, the people of Tainan have been able to absorb those foreign cultures, cuisines and architectural styles and build a unique city with an identity of its own with arguably the best cuisine in the whole of Taiwan.

While Taipei might currently occupy the position as the political capital of Taiwan, Tainan is certainly the cultural capital and if you want to really experience Taiwan's 'folk culture' at its best, a trip to Tainan is the best recommendation anyone can give you. The amount of historical and cultural sites available for both domestic tourists as well as international travellers is enough to keep you busy for days.

In this post I want to talk about one of Tainan's oldest and most celebrated residents - The Tainan Confucius Temple. The temple with its three and a half century old history was the first Confucius Temple constructed in Taiwan (of which there are now many) and is considered to be the first real "school" in Taiwan. The temple today serves as a popular tourist attraction and is an important historical site where ancient tradition is both practiced and preserved so that future generations can continue to experience not only Confucian philosophical values but also the Taiwanese folk traditions which have helped shape Taiwan into the country it is today.

History

To start, I want to make a bit of a clarification in case you are confused about the name of the temple. The Tainan Confucius Temple (台南孔子廟) goes by a few names, I'm going to be consistent with this post and refer to it only as the "Tainan Confucius Temple", but for clarity sake the temple also goes by "Taiwan Confucius Temple" (臺灣孔廟) as well as the "Scholarly Temple" (全台首學) or “Taiwan's first school" depending on how you want to translate the Chinese name.

Each of the names reflects a period of Tainan's history - The "Scholarly Temple" refers to the fact that the "first" school in Taiwan was founded on the grounds of the temple while the "Taiwan Confucius Temple" receives its name from a time when the temple was the only Confucian Temple in Taiwan and was the place where people would have to go not only to receive an education but to prepare for the Imperial examination (科舉) if they wished to become a civil servant. Today there are more than twenty Confucius Temples in Taiwan and each one is associated with the city in which it resides, so referring to the temple as the Tainan Confucius Temple today makes sense.

The temple easily makes claims as being the first in a few areas - It is considered to be the first educational institution in Taiwan, the first Confucius Temple as well as the first temple dedicated to the veneration of literature and the arts.

With a history dating back to 1665, the temple has gone through several different transformations and has had to be rebuilt several times due to the turbulent nature of Taiwan's political and colonial history. Even though not all of the buildings we see today are over 350 years old, the fact remains that this temple has played an instrumental role in Taiwan's history.

To explain the history in clear terms, I'm going to separate it into different sections based on the different colonial and political eras that Taiwan has undergone and talk a little bit about what happened at the temple during each period.

Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國)

Taiwan's First School!

The Tainan Confucius Temple was originally constructed in 1665 under the instruction of Zheng Jing, the son of Ming-loyalist and Pirate-King Koxinga's (鄭成功). The Zheng family is an important one in the history of Tainan and even though their Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) lasted only two decades (1662-1683) before being overthrown by the Qing Dynasty, they made a lasting impact on the city.

The Zheng Family which set up shop in Tainan in a (failed) attempt to amass the forces necessary to overthrow the Qing dynasty (清朝) and restore the Ming dynasty (明朝) sought to promote the principles of the Ming which included Confucian values of education as well as encouraging the people of Taiwan to take up the civil service exam.

The temple built in 1665 included a small Dacheng Hall (大成殿) where the veneration of Confucius would take place as well as what we now refer to as the Minglun Hall (明倫堂) which is credited with being Taiwan's first place of public education.

Qing Dynasty (清治時期)

During the Qing Dynasty the grounds of the Confucius Temple were renovated and expanded upon several times to include two halls to the east and west of the main shrine as well as the Chongsheng Shrine (崇聖祠), a shrine to the Taoist Earth God (福德正神) and a shrine dedicated to the God of Literature (文昌大地). The Temple was renamed at the time to reflect its importance as Taiwan's first school (全台首學) but was known locally as a Confucius Temple.

The Qing didn't really have a lot lot of influence in the south of Taiwan but the expansion of the temple was an important part of its history and even though the temple we see today isn't the same as what we see today, the Qing government laid the foundations for the current design according to the traditional architectural style of Confucius temples in China compared to what was originally put in place by the Cheng family.

Japanese Colonial Era (日治時期)

During the Japanese Colonial Era the temple initially kept up its role as a place of education and became part of the Japanese public school system. Later, the Japanese built a much larger school on the temple's grounds (Today's Zhongyi Elementary School 忠義國小) and then appropriated neighbouring land to construct the Tainan Martial Arts Hall (台南武德殿).

During the Second World War however the temple suffered the same fate as a lot of other ancient places of worship in Taiwan (Longshan Temple, Taipei Confucius Temple for example) and became a hiding spot for munitions which ultimately made it a target for allied bombing campaigns causing quite a bit of damage with required the temple to undergo a number of repairs and renovation projects.

Republic of China Era (民國時期)

When the Republic of China (under the control of the Chinese Nationalist Party) became the governing authority over Taiwan the government took quick steps to erase Japanese language and traditions among the population. The government came up with a campaign to 'promote' Chinese culture which ultimately stretched beyond Japanese and promoted Mandarin over all of the other languages spoken in the country.

The promotion of traditional Chinese culture became an important aspect of the governments policies and places like Confucius Temples were looked upon as perfect places for the government to achieve their goals.

The Tainan Confucius Temple being the temple in Taiwan with the longest history was thus promoted as an important tourist site and place for people to go and pay respects to the all-important Chinese philosopher and educator while newer temples were constructed in his honour in various other cities throughout the country.

Additions to the Tainan temple were made as well as both repairs and renovations since then with work being done in 1953 (民國42年), again in 1977 (民國66年), 1979 (民國68年) and then once again in 1989 (民國78年) shortly after the site was granted protected status as a national historic site.

While the temple's history has spanned a number of different political eras, a new tradition started when the ROC set up shop on the island. It became a tradition with each of the presidents presenting a plaque to the temple with one of the many sayings of Confucius. Despite the polarizing political situation in Taiwan it is a tradition that has been kept since the time of Chiang Kai-Shek all the way to the current president.

Design

Confucius temples tend to be uniform in their simplicity - Unlike the overwhelming beauty of Taiwanese folk temples and Taoist temples - Confucius temples stand alone in their almost "zen-like" nature in that they don't have shiny gold or bronze decorations and murals all over the walls with hundreds of sticks of incense creating a haze throughout the temple.

The simplicity exhibited in Confucius temples throughout China, Hong Kong and Taiwan is meant to be a show of respect to Confucius as well as the importance of his philosophical views of education and his influence on Chinese culture and history.

One of the common features of all Confucius temples is that there is no imagery or statues of Confucius. This is a rule that goes back almost 500 years to the Ming Dynasty (明朝) when the emperor decreed that all Confucius temples should be uniform and only have "spirit tablets" (神位) rather than images of the sage. Although if you really want to see a statue of the sage there are several temples nearby this one that have shrines dedicated to him.

Dacheng Hall (大成殿)

Dacheng Hall is the main shrine area of any Confucius temple - The hall sits in the middle of a granite courtyard with a large elevated platform in front of it as well as on the sides. Inside the hall is a very simple shrine set up with the Confucius Spirit Tablet (神位) on a nice red table with several plaques above it.

One of the main differences between this Confucius Temple and the others throughout the country is that while we often refer to it as the "Tainan Confucius Temple" it is also known as the "Taiwan Confucius Temple" due to its historical importance. Because of this, it has become tradition since the Republic of China took up shop in Taiwan for each President to place a plaque of their own in the shrine room with each President making their own addition.

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The plaques and their meanings are as follows:

  • President Chiang Kai-Shek (蔣介石): "Education for All" (有教無類)

  • President Yen Chia-Kan (嚴家淦): “The teacher for all ages" (萬世師表)

  • President Chiang Ching-Kuo (蔣經國): "Tao is Universal Through All Times" (道貫古今)

  • President Lee Teng-Hui (李登輝): "The highest of moral character "(德配天地)

  • President Chen Shui-Bian (陳水扁): "The world will flourish if we work together "(中和位育)

  • President Ma Ying Jeou (馬英九): "Confucian Education is Transformative" (聖德化育)

  • President Tsai Ying-Wen (蔡英文): "Equal Education for a Moral Society" (德侔道昌)

This shrine room is a stark contrast to what you'd normally see at a Taoist temple in Taiwan and the plaques are probably the shiniest things that you'll notice when you walk in the room. The simplicity of the shrine room is something that is common with all Confucius Temples where priority is placed not on the man as a "god" but as an extraordinary philosopher and educator.

On either side of the Confucius shrine there are additional shrines dedicated to the four sages (四配) Yan Hui (顏子), Zengzi (曾子), Zisi (子思) and Mencius (孟子) who were Confucius scholars and authored books which expanded upon the Confucian philosophy and has had a lasting impact on Chinese culture and the diaspora of Chinese people's throughout the world.

The building is the highest building within the main complex and is elevated off the ground. In the front of the hall is a stone carved mural of a dragon with several more dragons on the roof. In the middle of the roof there is a 'seven-levelled' pagoda which is thought to suppress evil.

What most tourists don't realize about the temple is that while it is advertised as having an over 350 year history, it has since been reconstructed several times and the Dacheng Hall that we see today was actually reconstructed in 1977 making it only about 40 years old.

Dacheng Gate (大成門)

The Dacheng Gate acts as the entrance to a Confucius Temple. The gate typically forms a perimeter around the courtyard and the Dacheng Hall. In most cases the gate is likely to be the most ornate part of the entire temple with murals to the sides of the main entrance as well as intricate designs on the roof.

The Dacheng Gate and the courtyard in front of it at the Tainan Confucius Temple is a popular meeting place for the people of Tainan and is often the site of quite a few events with seniors coming out to practice Tai Chi in the mornings, sing karaoke in the afternoon as well as various other activities.

Taking into consideration that the front of the Dacheng Gate is often a busy place, it is often quite difficult to get wide angle photos of the main shrine without a bunch of people crowding up the picture. For a photographer it can be a bit annoying but truthfully I think the fact that the temple is so busy is a great thing.

The gate also acts as a place where you need to pay an admission fee to gain access to the main part of the shrine. In most cases I wouldn't pay admission to gain access to a temple, especially a tourist temple, but in the case of the Tainan Confucius Temple I'm happy to pay the 25NT entrance fee as the money goes towards the upkeep preservation of the building.

The Gate was constructed in 1715 and was restored between 1987 and 1989. The murals on the outside of the gate are in excellent condition and were wonderfully restored. The roof is constructed with a three ridged Swallow-Tail ridged roof (燕尾脊) design.

Chongsheng Shrine (崇聖祠)

The Chongsheng Shrine is traditionally situated behind the main Dacheng Hall in all Confucius Temples and is used as a shrine room to venerate several generations of the ancestors of Confucius as well as the various Confucian sages and philosophers throughout history. This shrine room is not unlike a shrine room that you'd find in any large Taiwanese home and is an important place for ancestral worship for the descendants of Confucius.

Those descendants have spread out throughout China, Taiwan and Korea so the Confucius Temple's throughout Asia also act as an ancestral shrine giving them a place to worship.

The shrine venerates five generations of Confucius's descendants and is a windowless room made of wood with eighteen beautiful red pillars. The shrine was constructed in 1723 but underwent repairs most recently 1985 and 1986.

Education Hall (明倫堂)

The Education Hall or "Minglun Hall" is probably my favourite part of visiting the Tainan Confucius Temple. As I've mentioned above, Confucius Halls are for the most part uniform in design but this one is able to get away with being a little different thanks to its historical importance.

The Education Hall at the Tainan Confucius Temple actually predates the temple itself and is the reason the temple gets its name "Taiwan's First School" (全台首學). The hall was built in 1663, expanded again in 1700 and then renovated and restored between 1987 and 1989. It consists of a main gate with a courtyard and the main building which is usually open and has excellent air circulation.

Design-wise, the exterior of the Education Hall follows a lot of the same design techniques as the Confucius Temple especially when it comes to the roof. The interior however is what separates this small hall from the rest of the temple complex.

The interior is a calligraphers wonderland and features a beautiful wall of calligraphy taken from "The Great Learning" (大學章句), one of the four books authored by Confucius and is a recreation of the work of Zhao Mengfu (趙孟頫) one of the greatest calligraphers to have ever lived.

While the main attraction to the hall is the wall of calligraphy that faces the exit, there are also two large characters on each wall facing each other that read "忠孝節義" and refer to loyalty and filial piety which are the cornerstones of the Confucian philosophy.

 Wenchang Pavilion (文昌塔)

Behind the Minglun Hall is the Wenchang Pavilion, which actually looks more like a pagoda than a pavilion. The pavilion is often open to the public but usually only the weekends.

The pavilion has three floors and has a very narrow stairway that allows guests to walk up the old wooden stairs. Each floor has a shrine to a Taoist god with there being a shrine dedicated to the Great Master Kui (魁星) - whom interestingly I heard a young Taiwanese man in front of the shrine refer to as "Kui-Ge" (魁哥) which is a Taiwanese colloquial way of calling him "Brother Kui."

The third floor is dedicated to the Wenchang Emperor (文昌大地), the Taoist God of Literature and is an important god for students who want to score well on tests or gain admission to a good school.

The best part of the old pavilion is the view you get from the windows on the second and third floor which give you a nice vantage point to check out the roof of the Confucius Temple.

Getting There

 

The Tainan Confucius Temple is considered to be one of those must-visit tourist spots not only in Tainan, but also in Taiwan. The temple is more than three centuries old and is taken care of extremely well. The modern history of Taiwan through all of its political turmoil and modern development are written all over the storied walls of this beautiful temple complex. A stop here not only offers tourists a chance to learn about Taiwanese history but allows guests to really appreciate a bit of peace and quiet in Taiwan's first place of higher education.

If you are visiting Taiwan, I can't tell you how important it is that you make it a priority to get out of Taipei and spend some time visiting Tainan. The history of this country is put on display in every little nook and cranny of this beautiful city and the Confucius Temple is one of those places where you get to enjoy it in whatever language you speak!

For more information about Taiwan’s Confucius Temple’s please check out my Confucius Temple Guide.