Datong Temple Introduction
The belief in City God has a long history in China. Originally, it was a guardian deity of the city, but it gradually evolved into a manager of the afterlife, commanding the spirits in the underworld to reward good and punish evil. Consequently, many people associate City God temples with eerie and terrifying images. However, the people of Taiwan, who value ancestral rites, might view the City God as a medium for communication between the two realms, allowing for a closer connection with ancestors in the other world. In the early years after Taiwan's restoration, a group of local people from Hsinchu and Miaoli settled in Pingtung for business and invited the City God to serve as their guardian deity. However, due to the need to return the deity to the original temple in Hsinchu periodically, it was quite inconvenient. Hence, the devotees decided to sculpt their own statue for worship and built a temple in 1964, which was reconstructed to its current form in 1986. The Dou Cheng Huang Miao is a two-building complex, with the main temple dedicated to the City God, while a new hall completed in 2006 is dedicated to the Five Wealth Gods and the Tai Sui Star Lord, among others. Both structures are four-story buildings, showcasing magnificent and grand appearances. Every year, a three-day Peace and Safety Ritual is held starting from the 11th day of the 5th month in the lunar calendar, along with a Universal Deliverance Ritual from July 8th to 10th, both of which are the temple's major annual events.
