Liuxing Temple Introduction
Liuxing Temple was founded by General Wang De-Lu. It is said to have close ties with Xinkang Fengtian Temple and Beigang Chaotian Temple, as they all inherit three Mazu statues from the Benkang Tianhou Temple. According to legend, in the second year of Jiaqing (1797), the flooding of Benkang River (now Xinkang River) destroyed the streets of Benkang and the earliest Mazu temple in Chiayi - Benkang Tianhou Temple. The three Mazu statues that were originally enshrined in the temple could only be temporarily placed in the Earth God Temple until the establishment of Xinkang Fengtian Temple, promoted by General Wang De-Lu, in the sixteenth year of Jiaqing (1811). In the sixth year of Daoguang (1826), Xinkang Fengtian Temple and Beigang Chaotian Temple competed to enshrine the Mazu statues, and General Wang De-Lu mediated, with the eldest Mazu enshrined at Xinkang Fengtian Temple, the second Mazu at Beigang Chaotian Temple, and the third Mazu returned to General Wang's home in the north of the river. Later, General Wang established a new temple on the left side of his home (now No. 1-1, Xiknorth Village, Xinkang Township) in hopes of the prosperity of the six villages of Xiknorth, Yuemei, Yuetan, Anhe, Houcuozi, and Liudouzi, thus naming it "Liuxing Temple." In 1906, the Jiayi earthquake caused the collapse and damage of Liuxing Temple. In the third year of Taisho (1914), Wang De-Lu's descendants, Wang Shun-ji, Jiang Ji-zhen, and Li Wu-sha, financed and hired the renowned craftsman Chen Ying-bin to rebuild Liuxing Temple at its current site (No. 65, Xiknorth Village, Xinkang Township). The expansion of Liuxing Temple continued until the 40th year of the Republic (1951), and the current appearance was completed in the 50th year of the Republic (1961). In the 78th year of the Republic (1989), Taiwan Television Company aired the TV series "Mazu Legend," making Liuxing Temple's "Black-faced Third Mazu" a household name.
