Xinzhuang Jiaying Temple Introduction
Jia Ying Temple, located in the Xinxun area, is also a focal point for fishermen seeking peace and safety. The main deity of the temple is King Wang of the Nine Dragons (Jiu Long San Gong Wang Ye), representing Wei Tianzhong, a loyal minister from the late Southern Song Dynasty, along with his father Wei Guozuo and grandfather Wei Liaoweng. Established over 280 years ago, Jia Ying Temple is situated along the busy Provincial Highway 17. Initially, it was a simple grass hut by the seaside, but as the number of devotees grew, the temple was relocated to its current site and gradually expanded to its present scale. The "Chong Shui Lu, Ying Ke Wang" festival at Budai Xinxun Jia Ying Temple is a rare temple activity in Taiwan. Believers believe that every year on the 27th day of the lunar month of March, seven mountain patrolling kings and thirteen sea patrolling kings, totaling twenty "guest kings," gather on an invisible king boat off the coast of Xinxun, Budai Township. The king boat enters Xinxun with the rising tide. To fulfill the host's duty, the deities Yi Wang Ye and Jiu Long San Gong invite nearby temples' statues, such as the Old Three Kings of Nankunshan, the Sugar Goddess of Beigang Chaotian Temple, and the Three Mothers of Puzi Peitian Temple, to welcome them into the sea, with dozens of divine palanquins rushing into the water. This is the origin of the "Chong Shui Lu, Ying Ke Wang" folk celebration. Now over a hundred years old, the "Chong Shui Lu, Ying Ke Wang" has become an annual major festival in Xinxun, attracting devotees from all over Taiwan to participate, making it one of the most iconic activities that combine religion and culture in the coastal area of Chiayi.
