Taichung City God Temple Introduction
The City God is a center of belief for the public. The City God worships various deities including the City God, Guandi, the Goddess of Birth, the City God’s Wife, the Heavenly Mother, the God of Wealth, Wenchang Dijun, Wen Judge, Wu Judge, General Xie, General Fan, Niu Ye, Ma Ye, and the Yin-Yang Officials. The original temple was built in 1884 during the Guangxu era by Huang Chengyi, the magistrate of Taichung City, in Le Ye Li, East District, which is now the site of the Taichung Sugar Factory. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan was under Japanese rule, and the original temple site was converted into a sugar factory, causing the deity's tablet to be relocated multiple times. In 1921, the reconstruction of the new temple was initiated by local gentry including Lin Ziqin, Wu Ziyu, Lin Yandun, Lin Zufan, Lai Qingyan, and Lin Chengpo at No. 50, Lane 94, Hezuo Street, South District, Taichung City, and continues to this day. The City God enshrined in the Taichung City God Temple is the local official managing the original province-controlled Taichung City. Due to the strong and sincere folk belief, the temple still enjoys a thriving attendance. The 15th day of the 6th lunar month each year is the City God’s festival day, a significant religious event where the temple holds a grand birthday celebration for the deity. Starting from the beginning of the 6th lunar month, large crowds of worshippers from various regions flock to the temple. In addition to the festival, there are parades and traditional performances, and thus the stage in front of the temple is filled with the sounds of drums and gongs as rituals are performed, creating a lively atmosphere.
