Liuxing Temple, County-Designated Historic Site

Liuxing Temple was founded by General Wang Der-lu. According to legend, its origins are closely related to Fengtian Temple in Xingang and Chaotian Temple in Beigang, as all three inherited the three Mazu statues from Ben'gang Tianhou Temple. It is said that in the second year of Jiaqing (1797), the Ben'gang River (now Xingang River) overflowed, destroying the Ben'gang street and Ben'gang Tianhou Temple, the earliest Mazu temple in the Chiayi area. The three Mazu statues originally enshrined in the temple were temporarily housed in a Tudigong (Earth God) temple until the completion of Fengtian Temple in Xingang, initiated by General Wang Der-lu, in the 16th year of Jiaqing (1811). In the 6th year of Daoguang (1826), Fengtian Temple in Xingang and Chaotian Temple in Beigang both vied to enshrine the Mazu statues. General Wang Der-lu mediated, allocating the first Mazu (Da Ma) to Fengtian Temple in Xingang, the second Mazu (Er Ma) to Chaotian Temple in Beigang, and the third Mazu (San Ma) was taken back by General Wang to his residence in Xibei for worship. Afterward, General Wang founded a new temple on the left side of his residence (now No. 3-1, Xibei Village, Xingang Township), hoping for the prosperity of the six villages where the temple was located: Xibei, Yuemei, Yuetan, Anhe, Houcuozai, and Liudouzai. Hence, it was named "Liuxing Temple" (Six Prosperities Temple). In 1906, the Chiayi earthquake caused Liuxing Temple to collapse and be destroyed. In the 3rd year of Taisho (1914), Wang Shun-ji, a descendant of Wang Der-lu, along with Jiang Ji-zhen and Li Wu-sha, funded the reconstruction of Liuxing Temple at its current site (No. 65, Xibei Village, Xingang Township) by the famous craftsman Chen Ying-bin. Later, Liuxing Temple was expanded in 1951, a process that continued until 1961, when the current appearance of Liuxing Temple was completed. In 1989, Taiwan Television Company aired the TV drama "The Legend of Mazu," which made Liuxing Temple's "Black-faced Third Mazu" a household name.