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| Mazu temple, Hm̂-káng-bóe Thian-hiō-kiong |
Last month, I went to Tainan City for taking winter vacation and celebrating Lunar New Year. I went to a historic Mazu temple locating at Sha-Yin District which is at least three hundred years old. Inside the Mazu temple, I read about its history from an informational plaque.
About one hundred years ago, Mazu sent an emergency message, she said there were a disaster this week, all village residents shall prepare for their safe at moment. After receiving Mazu’s emergency message, residents thought robbers would attack their village. Therefore, residents seal windows, locked the doors and blocked roads to prevent robbers attack the village. However, a giant earthquake happened and no robbers came. A massive earthquake struck the village, causing widespread destruction and many casualties. What’s more, the celestial supervisor accused Mazu of committing a crime by revealing a secret about the future to humans. In the end, Mazu was put into jail.
Several decades ago, a resident saw light shined the temple and a farmer dogged out a stele from his farm. The stele record Mazu’s incident. The villagers interpreted this as a sign that Mazu had been released from imprisonment and had returned to the mortal world. Finally the temple is blooming and getting more and more followers. The temple and village has a lot of elements of Taiwanese culture. I highly recommend visiting the temple and exploring Sha-Yin District.
Modified by ChatGPT
Last month, I went to Tainan City for my winter vacation and to celebrate the Lunar New Year. During my trip, I visited a historic Mazu temple located in Shayin District, which is at least three hundred years old. Inside the temple, I read about its history from an informational plaque.
About a hundred years ago, Mazu sent an emergency message, warning that a disaster would occur that week. She advised all village residents to prepare for their safety immediately. Upon receiving Mazu’s warning, the villagers assumed that robbers were planning to attack their village. To protect themselves, they sealed their windows, locked their doors, and blocked the roads. However, instead of a robbery, a massive earthquake struck the village, causing widespread destruction and many casualties.
Furthermore, the celestial supervisor accused Mazu of committing a crime by revealing a secret about the future to humans. As a result, Mazu was imprisoned.
Several decades ago, a villager saw a mysterious light shining on the temple, and a farmer later unearthed a stele from his field. The inscription on the stele recorded the incident involving Mazu. The villagers interpreted this as a sign that Mazu had been released from imprisonment and had returned to the mortal world. Since then, the temple has flourished, attracting more and more followers.
The temple and the surrounding village are rich in Taiwanese cultural elements. I highly recommend visiting the temple and exploring Shayin District.
