Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Temples of Taiwan
In Taiwan anyone can have a temple built, and it seems almost everyone
does. Government statistics from 2009 show there are 14,993 registered
temples, or approximately one for every 1500 residents (just a little higher
than the average for convenience stores). This figure does not include unre-
gistered temples, family shrines and the ubiquitous Earth God shrines.
What's more astonishing is that the majority of these temples are relatively
new. In 1930 there were 3336 registered temples; by 1981 there were 5331.
Taiwanese clearly love their temples. And why not? In addition to being houses of wor-
ship, temples fill the role of art museum, community centre, business hall, marketplace,
recreation centre, orphanage, pilgrim site, and even recruitment centre for criminal gangs
and fronts for money laundering.
Homonyms are an important part of Chinese visual art. Bats, for example, are commonly
used motifs because bat (
fú
) sounds like (fú) which means good fortune. Other common
homophonic symbols include a vase (
píng,
meaning peace), a pike and chime (
jíqìng,
or
auspicious), and a flag and ball (
qíqiú,
or to pray for). For examples see Xiahai City God
Temple in Taipei.
History
Historians generally divide temple development in Taiwan into three periods. In the early
immigrant stage (16th to 17th centuries), settlers, mostly from Fujian province, estab-
lished branch temples based upon the gods worshipped in their home villages. These
temples were sometimes little more than a thatched shrine covering a wood statue brought
from China.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, as Taiwan grew wealthier, the small shrines were re-
placed with wood and stone temples. Wages for craftsmen were high and top artisans from
China were eager to work here. Most materials were imported. This era also saw the es-
tablishment of Hakka temples.
The modern period began with the colonisation of Taiwan by the Japanese in 1895.
Though Chinese masters were still used, several highly talented local schools developed
and much of the fine work you'll see today comes from them.
