Taipei Xiahai City God Temple

In 1853, immigrants in Monga were involved in a fierce gang fight. The people from Tong'an County were defeated and, amidst the flames, rescued the golden statue of Xiahai City God, retreating to Dadaocheng. In 1859, the Xiahai City God Temple was established there, becoming the spiritual center of Dadaocheng. The Xiahai City God Temple is not large in scale. Although it enjoys thriving incense offerings and a large number of followers, it has maintained its original appearance for over a century without expansion. This is because the temple's location is considered a "hen's nest" (a propitious spot) in Chinese geomancy (feng shui). It is believed that disturbing it would destroy the nest and bring unrest to the area, thus followers dare not renovate it freely. Inside the temple, you can see many deity statues arranged in a tiered fashion, from top to bottom. In the main shrine, the City God (Chenghuang Ye) is enshrined. In ancient times, "城" (cheng) referred to the city, and "隍" (huang) referred to the moats. Therefore, the City God is the local guardian deity within the city moats, overseeing human virtues and vices, and the whereabouts of spirits in the underworld. This encourages followers to harbor good intentions and refrain from wrongdoing. The 13th day of the fifth lunar month marks the City God's birthday. On this day, followers hold various processions and festive events to express gratitude for the City God's blessings, making it one of the liveliest temple festivals in Taipei City.