Chiayi City God Temple, a National Historic Site

The City God, also known as Chenghuangye, is the guardian deity of the area and the spiritual center for Chiayi citizens. The City God Temple has been deeply intertwined with the lives of the people since ancient times, enjoying flourishing worship. The temple was originally founded in the 54th year of Kangxi (1715). It underwent renovation in the 10th year of Yongzheng (1732). By the 29th year of Qianlong (1764), the temple structure had become dilapidated and worn, facing the risk of collapse, prompting the newly appointed county magistrate Zhang Suoshou to undertake its reconstruction. The current temple structure was rebuilt starting in the 11th year of Showa (1936) and completed in the 15th year of Showa (1940). The current City God Temple was rebuilt under the direction of Master Wang Jinmu of the Quanzhou Xidi school, showcasing magnificent architecture and a noble layout. It exhibits traditional architectural features, typical of a street-house style temple, with grand and opulent construction. It features distinct characteristics in its wood carving art; for example, the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) caisson ceiling in the worship hall, the front porch of the main hall, and the dougong (bracket sets) in the secondary bays are all assembled using mortise and tenon joints, without a single nail or iron, demonstrating exquisite craftsmanship. The Sanchuan Hall (Front Hall) is exquisite and stately, the worship hall's decorations are masterfully crafted, and the main hall is solemn and dignified, with a noble layout that presents an aesthetic of spatial order. The City God Temple preserves over ten precious stele and plaque artifacts from the Qing Dynasty. These include the 'Taiyang Xianyou' plaque, the only one in all of Taiwan's City God Temples to be bestowed by an emperor; the 'Dao Hong Huayu' plaque dedicated by Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent Wang Delu; the 'Reconstruction of the City God Temple' stele erected by County Magistrate Zhang Suoshou; a stele erected by County Magistrate Fan Xueheng to provide funds for incense and lamps; a large abacus donated by Gong Daonan from Jinjiang; a stele erected by County Magistrate Wang Tinggan for the construction of the Yinling Hall (hall for spirits of the deceased); the 'He Sheng Zhuo Ling' plaque dedicated by Instructor Su Fengzao; and the 'Chubao Anliang' plaque dedicated by the Commander-in-Chief of Taiwan and Penghu, Zhang Gaoyuan, along with Brigadier-General Zhou Lide and others, totaling 11 highly valuable items. Located on the shuichedu (water-cart wall) of the worship hall, both left and right sides feature delicate and vivid Koji pottery masterpieces, which are the result of a 'competition' between two masters, Chen Zhuanyou and Lin Tianmu, and possess extraordinary artistic value. The door god paintings were created by renowned master Chen Yufeng. The temple's statues, ridge decorations, paintings, stone carvings, door gods, and wood carvings are all exquisitely crafted.