Liuxing Temple Introduction
Liuxing Temple was established by General Wang Delu. It is said to have close ties with Xinguang Fengtian Temple and Beigang Chaotian Temple, as all three inherit the three Mazu statues from the Benkang Tianhou Temple. According to legend, in the 2nd year of the Jiaqing era (1797), the Benkang Stream (now Xinguang Stream) flooded, destroying the streets of Benkang and the earliest Mazu temple in the Chiayi area – the Benkang Tianhou Temple. The three Mazu statues originally enshrined in the temple had to be temporarily placed in the Land God Temple until the completion of Xinguang Fengtian Temple initiated by General Wang Delu in the 16th year of the Jiaqing era (1811). In the 6th year of the Daoguang era (1826), Xinguang Fengtian Temple and Beigang Chaotian Temple contended to enshrine the Mazu statues. General Wang Delu mediated, assigning the eldest Mazu to Xinguang Fengtian Temple, the second to Beigang Chaotian Temple, and bringing back the third Mazu to his home in Xibei for enshrinement. Subsequently, General Wang constructed a new temple on the left side of his residence (now at No. 3-1, Xibei Village, Xinguang Township), hoping for the prosperity of the six villages: Xibei, Yuemei, Yuetan, Anhe, Houchuozi, and Liudouzi, thus naming it "Liuxing Temple." In 1906, the Jiayi earthquake caused Liuxing Temple to collapse and be damaged. In the 3rd year of the Taisho era (1914), Wang Delu's descendants Wang Shunji and others invested to invite the famous craftsman Chen Yingbin to rebuild Liuxing Temple at its current site (No. 65, Xibei Village, Xinguang Township). Later, in the 40th year of the Republic (1951), Liuxing Temple underwent expansion, which continued until the 50th year of the Republic (1961), completing its present appearance. In the 78th year of the Republic (1989), Taiwan Television Company aired the TV series "Mazu Legend," making the "Black-faced Third Mazu" of Liuxing Temple a well-known term.
