Chiayi City God Temple
Main Deities
About
Of all the county-level City God temples in Taiwan, only the City God of the Chiayi City God Temple was enfeoffed by the hand of an emperor himself — in 1875 the Guangxu Emperor conferred upon him the title 'Marquis of Suijing,' a rank of divine standing that stands alone. This old temple in Chiayi's East District keeps its incense fires burning bright; the building seen today was reconstructed in 1940, blending Minnan and Japanese-colonial architectural styles. In 2015 it was elevated to a National Monument, a witness to more than three hundred years of faith in Chiayi. Rich in Qing-dynasty plaques, stone steles, and wood carvings, it comes most alive during the seventh-lunar-month City God festival — one of the grandest religious events in the city.
History
The temple's beginnings were humble: in 1694, Zhuluo County first raised a simple City God shrine holding nothing but a spirit tablet. In the winter of 1715, the Zhuluo magistrate Zhou Zhongxuan donated his own salary to build a proper temple, which was reconstructed again in 1765. Its true moment of glory came in 1875, when the Guangxu Emperor enfeoffed the Chiayi City God as 'Marquis of Suijing' — the only county-level City God in all Taiwan to receive an imperial title. The present temple was completed in a 1940 rebuild that preserves the craftsmanship of the Japanese colonial era, and in 2015 it was designated a National Monument.
Chiayi City God Temple
East District, Chiayi City
Visitor Info
Address
No. 168, Wufeng N. Rd, East District, Chiayi City
Region
East District, Chiayi City