六腳大庄舊五福宮

September 6th, 2024

Wufu Temple is an obscure site in the floodplains of Liujiao, Chiayi County, immediately opposite from the historic town of Beigang. The original temple, dedicated to the Five Emperors (五帝) and Xuanwu (玄天上帝), served as a spiritual center for several villages in the area. Although the temple claims a history extending back to the early Daoguang (道光) period of the Qing dynasty the structure visible today dates to a 1960 reconstruction.

An extraordinary site in the scrubland of the floodplains outside Beigang.

Here the illusion of a buried temple is complete.

What appears at first glance to be a temple partially buried in farmland is actually just a discarded rooftop deliberately left behind when the building was dismantled in 1965. The temple’s relocation was necessitated by the construction of flood control measures along the Beigang River (北港溪). Due to financial constraints following the extensive flood control project, villagers salvaged building materials from the old temple to construct a new one within the protection of the levee, leaving only the ornate roof structure in the original location.

Detail of the left side of the temple roof showing a tiger.

Fu Lu Shuo (福祿壽), also known as the Three Stars (三星), are a common rooftop centerpiece on Taiwanese temples. — *Fu Lu Shuo* (福祿壽), also known as the Three Stars (三星), are a common rooftop centerpiece on Taiwanese temples.

Presumably a lion on the right side of the temple rooftop.

The site was rediscovered in 2016 when photographs of the seemingly buried temple circulated widely, prompting investigation by cultural heritage experts. When I first visited I assumed there was an actual temple buried beneath the shifting soil of the floodplains, and only later did I learn this is an illusion. Apparently it was evaluated for its cultural value and found lacking, but local farmers seem content to leave it in place, and it has also served as a filming location for television productions.