Xiahai City God Temple, Taipei

The Xiahai City God Temple, located on Section 1 of Dihua Street, was built in 1856 (the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign). Covering an area of approximately 46 ping (about 150 square meters), although it does not boast a magnificent temple appearance, its sphere of influence is extremely wide, and incense offerings are abundant. Whenever there are deity processions and festivals, it is always extraordinarily lively and becomes a major local event, closely related to the development of Dadaocheng. The temple primarily enshrines the Xiahai City God (Chenghuang Laoye), with auxiliary deities including the two judges (civil and military), Generals Xie and Fan (Seventh and Eighth Masters), and the thirty-eight Righteous Braves. The City God's Wife, the Eight Officials, the Eight Generals, the Horse Officer (Ma Shiye), and the Old Man Under the Moon (Yue Lao), among others, are also enshrined. This famous ancient temple currently houses around 200 statues of deities, making it the temple with the highest density of deity statues in Taiwan. At Xiahai City God Temple, apart from the City God himself, what attracts tourists the most is worshipping Yue Lao (the Old Man Under the Moon). Each year, more than 6,000 couples bring offerings to express gratitude. Among the most sought-after items is the 'husband-taming shoes' (also known as 'happiness shoes'), which serve as a famous 'love charm' in Taipei. On average, more than 200 families visit Xiahai City God Temple annually to 'seek shoes'. Legend has it that the City God and his wife have an age difference of about 70 years. Under the belief that 'an old husband dotes on his young wife,' people deeply believe that this 'divine couple' can bring happiness to families, thus giving rise to the 'husband-taming shoes'. According to popular legend, the City God Temple is also associated with a miraculous story. In 1884, during the Sino-French War, French forces attacked Taiwan. At that time, Taipei residents came here to earnestly pray for the protection of the Xiahai City God. The City God indeed displayed great divine power, and ultimately the French forces were defeated only reaching Wudu, failing to capture Taipei. Therefore, the people respectfully refer to the Xiahai City God as Duke Weiling.