Daxi Furen Temple

Date CapturedJanuary 4th, 2020 at 08:29 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR IIApertureƒ / 8Shutter Speed1/250 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO100Exposure Value14.0 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

A temple on Daxi Old Street founded in 1813 and dedicated primarily to Kaizhang Shengwang (開漳聖王), the deified Tang dynasty general revered as the patron deity of migrants from Zhangzhou. A Mazu altar was added in the 1860s alongside the river trade boom, and the temple also houses Sanshan Guowang (三山國王) and the Dipankara Buddha (定光古佛) among others, reflecting the mixed Hoklo and Hakka population around Daxi, Taoyuan. Its best-known annual event is a Pigs of God (神豬) sacrifice held on the eleventh day of the second lunar month, rotated among ten families in a cycle originally instituted to keep peace between communities that had historically clashed over the camphor trade and access to water. The plaza out front is also the birthplace of Taiwan’s giant spinning top (大陀螺) tradition, dating to 1968, though a 2013 repaving of the square with stone tiles has made the practice considerably more difficult.