Taiwan Prefecture City God Temple

Taiwan Prefecture City God Temple

The Taiwan Prefecture City God Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Taiwan Prefecture City God Temple is a Taoist temple dedicated to the worship of the Taiwan Prefecture City God, Duke Weiling, located on Qingnian Road in Tainan City. It is a national second-class historic site. Originally built in the 23rd year of the Yongli era during the Ming Zheng period (1669), it was then known as the Chengtian Prefecture City God Temple. It is the earliest government-established City God Temple in Taiwan and also the most renowned one across the island.

The main deity worshipped at the Taiwan Prefecture City God Temple is the Taiwan Prefecture City God, Duke Weiling. Other deities enshrined include the City God’s Wife, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, Goddess of Birth, Heavenly Holy Mother, God of Earth, the Matchmaker, the Eighteen Arhats, the Civil and Martial Judges, Generals Fan and Xie, Generals Gan and Liu, the Twenty-Four Bureaus, Door Gods, and more. The colorful paintings of the Door Gods are the works of master painter Pan Lishui. A large abacus hangs in the main hall, donated in 1937 by devotee Chen Jiangshan. The upper frame is inscribed with “Taiwan Prefecture City God Temple,” the lower frame reads “Dingchou Year, Offered by Chen Jiangshan,” and the sides feature the couplet: “Good and evil are determined by one’s own actions; right and wrong are judged by law without leniency.” These inscriptions symbolize the City God calculating the merits and demerits of people using the abacus, serving as a moral reminder to deter evil and promote virtue.

In addition, the Taiwan Prefecture City God Temple is also famous for its large plaque that reads “You Are Here” (尔来了), which, along with the single-character plaque at Tainan Tian Tan and the “Understanding the World” plaque at Zhuxi Temple, is collectively known as the “Three Famous Plaques of Tainan.”

Taiwanfu City God Temple

Must-visit reason: Taiwan’s earliest government-established City God Temple