Xincheng Jiaying Temple Introduction
The Jia Ying Temple located in the Xinwen area is also the center of faith for fishermen praying for safety. The main deity in the temple is King Kuan of the Nine Dragons (Jiulong San Gong Wang Ye), representing the loyal minister Wei Tianzhong from the late Southern Song Dynasty, along with his father Wei Guozuo and grandfather Wei Liaoweng. Established over 280 years ago, the temple is now situated along the bustling Provincial Route 17. It initially started as a simple grass hut by the sea, but as the number of believers increased, the offerings flourished, and the temple was moved to its current location, growing to its present scale. The "Chong Shui Lu, Ying Ke Wang" event held at the Budai Xinwen Jia Ying Temple is a rare temple festival in Taiwan. Believers believe that on the 27th day of the third lunar month each year, seven mountain patrolling deities and thirteen sea patrolling deities, a total of twenty "guest kings," gather on an invisible royal boat off the coast of Xinwen in Budai Township. The royal boat enters the Xinwen area with the rising tide. To fulfill their duties as hosts, the deities of the Jia Ying Temple, King Yin and King Kuan of the Nine Dragons, invite deities from nearby temples such as the Old Three Kings of Nankunshan, the Sugar Mazu of Beigang Chaotian Temple, and the Three Mothers of Putzi Peitian Temple to greet them at sea, with dozens of divine palanquins rushing into the water to receive the deities. This is the origin of the "Chong Shui Lu, Ying Ke Wang" folk celebration. Today, the "Chong Shui Lu, Ying Ke Wang," which has been passed down for over a century, has become an important annual festival in Xinwen and attracts believers from all over Taiwan to participate, making it one of the most iconic activities that combine religion and culture in the Chiayi coastal area.
