Duchenghuang Temple Introduction
The belief in City God has a long history in China. Originally, it was the protector of cities, but it gradually evolved into the manager of the underworld, commanding the ghostly officials to reward virtue and punish evil. As a result, many people have a rather eerie impression of City God temples. However, Taiwanese people, who place great emphasis on filial piety and respect for ancestors, may view the City God as a medium to communicate between the realms of Yin and Yang. Through this connection, we can establish a closer bond with our ancestors in the afterlife. In the early period after Taiwan's retrocession, a group of local people from Hsinchu and Miaoli moved to Pingtung for business and settlement, inviting the City God to be their guardian. However, since the statue had to be returned to the original temple in Hsinchu periodically, this was rather inconvenient. Therefore, the devotees decided to sculpt their own statue for worship, and the temple was established in 1964, with a reconstruction in 1986 to take its current form. The Doucheng City God Temple is a two-section structure, with the main body of the temple dedicated to the City God, and the new hall, completed in 2006, housing the Five Wealth Gods and the Tai Sui Star Lord among others. Both buildings are four stories tall, featuring a magnificent and majestic appearance. Each year, from the 11th day of the 5th lunar month, a three-day Peace Ritual is held, along with the universal worship ceremony from July 8th to 10th, which are the two major annual events of the temple.
