The Worship of Kuan Di in Tainan City

• Main Authors: LIAO SHU FAN, 廖淑芬
• Other Authors: DR.TASI,YUAN-JIE
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/97731711817669963135

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 歷史學系在職進修碩士班 === 94 === Kuan, Yu was a famous general in the Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China. After he died, civilians started to build temples in commemoration of him. The government ennobled him posthumously and promoted him to a higher rank of god in recognition of his loyalty, righteousness, courageousness and chivalrousness. Ever since then, he has been worshiped nationwide. Tainan City is one the earliest developed places in Taiwan, so the cult of Kuan, Yu began to spread from this place. Owing to the government's utmost promulgation, there were quite a number of temples of Kuan, Yu (i.e., Kuan Di Temple) in the Ching Dynasty. Yet the government's religious policies during the Japanese occupation period and the post War II period had tremendous influence on the cult of Kuan, Yu. Because of the diversified employment backgrounds of Guan, Yu's believers, there are several types of Kuan Di Temple in Tainan City. The government-owned Kuan Di Temple is called "Wu Temple", which serves as a facility for educating civilians through the god's discipline. The military-owned Kuan Di Temple is used to pray for victory in war. The private Kuan Di Temple is a religious belief center to pray for good fortune and avoid misfortune for many who migrated from China and settled down in Taiwan. As for Luan Halls, they are places for local gentry to practice asceticism in order to attain the Confucianism's three forms of immortality -" virtue, achievement and speech". The change of times has hugely affected development of these types of Kuan Di Temple, in which the private Kuan Di Temple is the only one that remains prosperous and worshiped by the majority of Kuan, Yu's believers through the years.