Yong'an Temple Introduction
At the current location of this temple, there is a thatched hut worshipping three paper-made statues of the King and several clay figures of Tiger General. At that time, unusual events were occurring in the area, with some locals losing their sanity and others falling ill with an unknown cause; the people were not only fearful but also helpless, so they prayed for the King to bless them with peace. The next day, a fisherman passed by the temple and saw flames shooting into the sky, so he entered to investigate; suddenly, the King possessed him to perform rituals to calm the disturbances. From then on, the area returned to peace, and believers offered incense to worship. Surprisingly, a character "Xue" appeared in the incense burner, and thus the local people referred to this statue as "King Xue". The Yong'an Temple in Lugang is an ancient temple closely related to the historical development of Lugang. In historical context, the temple’s main deity, King Xue, was established in the 23rd year of Kangxi's reign after the formation of the Lugang Naval Garrison. In the 37th year of Kangxi, a naval officer named Qiu requested the establishment of an altar for blessings from his ancestral home, making it a long-standing historical site. The secondary deity, Zeng Dalaoye, was a real person, and his military achievements are recorded in the county history. Zeng Dalaoye refers to Zeng Shaolong, who perished in the Chen Zhouquan incident during the 60th year of Qianlong's reign. Afterward, he was awarded a posthumous title and was enshrined in the Changzhong Temple with a fourth-rank official's attire statue. Additionally, although Zeng Dalaoye originated from the martial arts, he was skilled in poetry and literature, privately establishing a school to educate the locals and strongly encouraging students to take the imperial examinations, greatly enhancing the cultural atmosphere of Lugang and winning the hearts of the people. Thus, after being enshrined, Zeng Dalaoye became a figure equivalent to Wen Chang Jun, a deity for believers to pray for success in exams.
