National Celebration: Yunlin’s "Qianshui Zhuang" Ritual Invites Deceased Souls to Shore to Voice Grievances

By MOOK Travel Life Network, Reported by Li Xinyi

You may have heard of the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage and the Donggang King Welcome Festival, but the Qianshui Zhuang ceremony—which holds equal significance and has been recognized by the Council for Cultural Affairs as a national-level intangible cultural heritage—remains relatively unknown. This ritual was created to help the souls of those who perished in the devastating flood in Yunlin during the Qing Dynasty find peace. That flood was considered the worst disaster since Taiwan’s settlement, and it was said that even Emperor Daoguang in the Forbidden City ordered relief efforts at the time.

The origin of the Qianshui Zhuang (or Qianshuicang) tradition dates back to when the Kouhu area was predominantly settled by immigrants from Quanzhou. After the flood, descendants performed the traditional Qianshui Zhuang ceremony to honor and guide the souls of those who lost their lives in the disaster. This practice has been passed down for 167 years. Especially on the seventh and eighth days of the sixth lunar month each year, events such as the "carrying of rice meals to honor ancestral spirits" at the Wanshan Ye Temple (Xialiaozi) in Kouhu and Sihu, the Qianshui Zhuang exorcism rituals at the Xiahugang Wanshan Shrine (Han’azai) and Jinhugong Wanshan Ye Temple, are rich in local folk characteristics. The most spectacular sight is the thousands of shuizhuang vessels displayed in front of temples and along roadsides, creating a unique and rare festival in Taiwan.

This year’s Kouhu Qianshuicang (Qianshui Zhuang) Cultural Festival officially runs from July 19 to 26. The main festivities take place on July 25 and 26. On the 25th, activities at the Kouhu Wanshan Ye Temple (Xialiaozi) include cultural performances, rice meal offerings to honor ancestral spirits, and lighting lamps at the Mass Grave. The Xiahugang Wanshan Shrine (Han’azai) and Jinhugong Wanshan Ye Temple both host water lantern releasing ceremonies. On the 26th, the festival continues with rituals such as arranging the shuizhuang, initiating the ritual, guiding the spirits, releasing prayer kites, offering purification feasts, dismantling the shuizhuang, and burning them in a closing ceremony. Among these, the "initiating the ritual" (qizhuang) involves inviting the spirits to possess volunteers, who then bring them to the temple to voice their grievances and seek peace—this is the climax of the entire ceremony.

Qianshui Zhuang Activity Schedule