Yeliu Baosheng Temple Introduction
Next to the Yehliu Fishing Port in Wanli District lies the Baoan Temple, which is dedicated to the "Kaizhang Shengwang," the most revered deity among local fishermen and a spiritual support for them. According to the elders' oral accounts, the origin of the deity dates back to when the ancestors accidentally discovered a ship at sea, filled with materials for temple construction and a statue of the king. The villagers sought a home for the deity and chose the current site of Baoan Temple. Historically, the temple was smaller, primarily built of stone materials brought over the sea. Many of the construction materials have disappeared after multiple renovations and expansions, leaving only a few stone bases and pedestals for future generations to remember the past. The faith in the guardian deity "Kaizhang Shengwang" in the Wanli area has a long history, with the "Yehliu Deity Purification Cultural Festival" held annually on the 15th of the first lunar month, which has over a hundred years of history. It is one of the few registered as an intangible cultural asset of the folk category and is a festive event on par with "Northern Sky Lanterns and Southern Firecrackers" during the Lantern Festival. Its most notable feature is "coming from the water and going through the fire." The rituals include four major activities: "Purification at Sea," "Full Bounty of Catch," "Deity Purification of the Port," and "Deity Passing through Fire," which constitute a unique century-old traditional religious ceremony in Taiwan.
