social changes in the city of Taibei and in Taiwan generally, I had the feeling that senses of place, community and identity, which may have been threatened in the development of the district in its different stages, have been kept alive and, I would say, strengthened by the establishment of Tudi Gong temples. Tudi Gong, in other words, seems to reflect the flexibility of the Taiwanese in adjusting to new names, new streets, new places.
C h e n g d e G o n g ^ $1 I f
On one side of the Santos Hotel,there is the Chengde Gong, Chengde Road, Sect. 3, Lane 51, No. 3 7Mi§j$-3 51 % 3 . The short explanation shown at the entrance of the temple
40 In January-March 1995, 1 pound corresponded to 45 New Taiwanese Dollars.
states that the Chengde Gong was originally established in 1892 by Lian Ti i £ f f , a local man living in the southern part of Niupuzhuang, which was called Niupuxialouzhuang
At that time the temple was very tiny and located at the margins of paddy fields. Its Tudi Gong, however, was believed to be very ling by local inhabitants who decided to appoint Him as their community protector.
In 1948, Gao He-Shun financed the refurbishing of the temple and Liu A-tou
named it Penglai Ci after the li in which it was located ( $ [ $ ] ! ) . The fact that in 1952 Li Shui-Lian and others established two Fude Associations which would also hold celebrations on two different dates ( 15th day of the 10lh lunar month and 15th day of the 111,1 lunar month), makes me wonder whether there might have been some disagreements within the community. In 1963, in fact, the two associations agreed to rebuild the temple with financial contribution from both sides and to name it as Chengde Gong. The date for the annual temple celebration also changed to the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.
Examining the map of the Tudi Gong temples’ territories, one notices that the Chengde Gong territory is quite modest. I was intrigued by such smallness and attempted to find the reason for it. It transpires that during the Japanese period the Chengde Gong was kept by local inhabitants as their only community religious centre, even though the Danshui Railway divided the temple territory into two: the eastern side and the western side where the temple is located.
The main reason seems to have been that many people living on one side possessed land on the other side.
Later, with the development of the locality as well as a reconfiguration of the administrative boundaries of Taibei city districts, the Chengde Gong was assigned to Datong district, while the main territory of the temple was assigned to Zhongshan district. The Danshui Raiway became the dividing line between the two districts.
As the eastern part of the Danshui Railway - that is the current western side of Zhongshan district - became more populated, two local inhabitants Liu A-Shi #] H-# and Zhou Guo-Fa M i f # suggested that a new Tudi Gong temple should be built in that locality. In 1968 the temple was inaugurated and it was given the name of Chongde G o n g ^ i ^ . This is currently located on Fushun Street, Lane 41, No. 2-10$1 41s&2iL 10 and its territory boundaries are as follows:
Chengde Gong
Chongde Gong
Taibei Bridge
West
Danshui Railway.
East
Zhongshan North Road.
South Minzu Road.
North
Minquan Road.
M14. Chongde temple's territory
J in g fu G ong
Visiting several markets in Taibeicity, I noticed that a small temple or an altar dedicated to Tudi Gongis arranged on the market ground. Usually the Tudi Gongimage is associated with that of Guangong. The Jingfu Gong is located in the Lanzhou market flfr j)t| ^ # on Changji Street, No. 55 § 55 $ .
Established in 1994, this is the most recent Tudi Gongtemple in Datongdistrict. Mr. Wu Jie- Shan t i i, who is Yangya li j | lizhangas well as in charge of the temple, told Mr. Gao and myself that during the Qing dynasty the Tudi Gong was a small stone plaque with four characters inscribed on it: Fude Zhengshen Later it was chosen as this locality's
Tudi Gongby the Tuzaikou p 41 and people living in the vicinity.
The stone plaque, which was later flanked by a statue of Tudi Gong, were both placed in a house nearby during the construction of the local government building just above the market.
The plaque and the statue were moved, then, to the second floor of the building. Only recently the city government has given permission to establish the temple which is a room on the first floor of the market compound.
41 The Tuzai kou , which means 'slaughter house,’ was established by the Japanese as a domestic animals market. Because of the frequent slaughtering of animals, whose cries could be heard in the vicinity, the market was given the name of Tuzai kou by local inhabitants (Zhao Ju-Ling 1993: 46-7).
F u s h o u G o n g # '*§
The Fushou Gong, Dunhuang Road, No. 2-3 is located in the upper northern part of the district which, during the Qingdynasty, was called Shanzaijiaozhuang iM W /£ -42 The western part of this locality was incorporated in Daiongtong. On the map on the next page, I have highlighted the small settlement where the Tudi Gongtemple originated. On the ‘censer’
C M ) inside the temple, it is inscribed the date 1863, but the temple may have functioned well before that time.
Just after 1945 the locality belonged to Zhongshandistrict. From 1951, however, it passed under the jurisdiction of Datongdistrict as the railway become the dividing line between the two districts. Despite the administrative changes, the temple seems to have maintained the territory of the original settlement. Its eastern side, in fact, extends to the Xinsheng North Road r r £ « .
In 1982, with the improvement of the Dunhuang Road, the Fushou Gongwas moved from the central part of the road and rebuilt on the current location. On March 20th 1997, Zhongguo Shibao a leading Taiwanese newspaper, reported the news that the city government was planning a further restructuring of the temple as it obstructs the pavement of the Dunhuang
Road. The opposition from local inhabitants forced Chen Shui-Pian , the Taibei city mayor, to visit the temple and reassure them that the temple will neither be moved nor destroyed. The newspaper headline reads thus: A-Pian (the city mayor) discloses a compassionate heart, he will not move the Fushou Gong. Apart from strengthening the city mayor’s popularity among local inhabitants, such a move also shows the respect and consideration that government leaders seem to have especially towards Tudi Gong temples. Whether this is out of political calculation or out of a genuine respect towards Tudi Gongnobody seems to care. The important aspect is that the Fushou Gongwill continue to be there for the people living in the locality, and that, through their Tudi Gongtemple, the 'voice'of the local community has been listened to.
42- it is the current Yuanshan g| ih locality.
M16. Ninth Door route
Qiansui Fude Gong
* m « m t
Fuan Gong $g £ 'g
3
Q ia n s u i F u d e G ong
On the bank on the Danshui river, at Door No. 9 % PI, there was a park being refurbished at the time I left Taiwan (November 1995). Elderly people especially living on the Minsheng Wesf Road have been taking advantage of its proximity for physical exercises in the morning and, later on, tea and chats with friends. The park is also being equipped with several playgrounds C & fii!).
I used to reach that place through Yanping North Road - Minsheng Wesf Road and then enter Door No. 9 on the river. At the beginning of my fieldwork there were two Tudi Gong temples in the park which I refer to as Shetuan Tudi Gong Miao Although located in public areas, they were established by two private and voluntary associations, with around thirty people each, formed because of the common interest of its people in physical exercise.
It was pointed out to me that the F u an M ia o was established almost a decade ago on the 8lh day of the 8th lunar month. Every year on this day, a special celebration is held os it is on Tudi Gong birthdays on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month and on the 15th day of the 8lh lunar month.
The Q ia n s u i F u d e G ong -f- , which was the smallest in the district, was de
stroyed by the local government in March 1995 because those who established it failed to register it with the appropriate authorities, I was told. Despite this, the temple and its Tudi Gong seem to have survived as the association has built a mobile temple at the original location where Tudi Gong is placed in the mornings and carried home by one of the members after the association activities have ended.
Tudi Gong temples, therefore, seem to function here as unifying entities around which people belonging to specific interest-groups may both ‘worship Tudi Gong a t their own conveniencer as well as strengthen their interest as an association around a tangible structure, which can be adapted according to the needs of the occasion.