Robert and I did just that yesterday (November 23). We had been waiting two years for this event.
The temple is Hai Qing Gong, a huge, splendid, brand new temple built (mostly) using centuries-old traditional methods and materials. The temple is dedicated to Bao Qing Tian, a legendary Song Dynasty judge who, like other historic figures who have reached mythical status, has been deified.
We drove down to the town of Santiaolun, which is on the west coast, not too far from Chiayi. As we were driving along the No. 61 expressway, we saw bright lights in the distance, with searchlights. We got to our turnoff, where a two long strings of red lanterns lined the road, guiding the way to the temple. We got to the temple amid a flurry of noise and color, with throngs of worshipers and onlookers crowding the temple plaza, though it was nowhere near as crowded as at the Boat Burning Festival. As far as we could tell, we two were the only foreigners in attendance, and man people seemed surprised to see us there, some asking us how we know about it.
First we explored the temple grounds. Two tents filled with god statues from temples all around Taiwan were set up on either side of the temple plaza, and around the temple was a huge string of firecrackers. In the middle of the temple square, facing the main door, was a tent containing the statue of Bao Qing Tian, which had once taken the place of honor in the old temple in this area.
Firecrackers surround the temple.
A tentful of gods.
We made our way into the crowd in the temple square, where we could watch the activities. The temple doors were sealed, each with two yellow strips of paper forming an X. A ceremony was taking place in front of the doors. We watched as a priest unveiled the plaque bearing the temple name, above the central door. Then five figures ascended the temple steps: they seemed to be Chinese lions, or perhaps a mythical beast called a qilin. To me, their faces looked like cat demons. Their heads would tilt back and forth as a driving 4/4 rhythm of drums and gongs played.
Is it a lion? A qilin? I call it a "cat demon."
Soon the central beast started dancing more wildly. And then the main priest started going into a trance, dancing, whirling, and drawing characters in the air. The cadence of the drums grew faster, reaching a crescendo. More worshippers kept pouring into the area, some carrying large sticks of incense. Then at the appointed moment, the priest started bashing at the door, which after a few forceful thrusts opened wide. The other temple doors opened at the same time, and inside the doors firecrackers started going off, filling the area with sulfurous smoke. With a fanfare of trumpets, the temple god was now being carried on a litter toward the central door, and the smoke rendered his figure an imposing silhouette as he was brought across the threshold. Fireworks were shooting off above us. It was a powerful scene.
The temple doors are flung open!
The god is moved into the temple.
Fireworks shoot overhead.
I searched on YouTube, and someone submitted a video of it! The cameraman was standing about 15 feet in front of where Robert and I were. Click here to see the raw video. The doors are opened at minute 5:19. The god is moved into view at about 5:59. Unfortunately he moves the camera away when the god actually enters, but you can see the crowds and the smoke.
This video shows the part of the ceremony before the above. At about 5:00, you can see a good view of the lions with the twitching heads.
As we explored the area in the aftermath, people were lining up in the temple square to be blessed. There were more lion dances and a city god dance going on around the temple; people were still banging on drums and gongs. A raojing (procession) soon left the area on the way to other temples, and the crowds started to dissipate. A fireworks display was going on around the temple: in my estimation, the display went on non stop for an hour and a half. And these weren't dinky fireworks; they were of professional scale, the kind of big ones one would see at a 4th of July celebration. It must have cost the temple committee a fortune.
Fireworks
We came across some guys who gave us betel nuts to chew, tea to drink and tangyuan to eat, and we chatted a bit, though it was hard with all the noise. Robert had his photo taken with a god.
Finally, after hanging around for a bit longer, we left. As we drove away, we could see the fireworks still going off behind us. We followed the red lantern trail out to the expressway, and drove home, arriving in Taipei around 4 in the morning.
