Baozhong

Bāozhōng (褒忠) is the smallest and least populous township in Yunlin. Its name, meaning “praise loyalty”, was bestowed by the Qianlong Emperor in 1786 after local militia helped suppress the Lin Shuangwen rebellion. Longyan Sugar Factory, established during the Japanese colonial era, sustained the local economy for decades; among those employed at the plant after the war was the father of famous singer Teresa Teng (鄧麗君, 1953–1995), whose childhood residence is now a museum. The factory’s closure triggered a long decline; Zicheng Theater, a 1966 cinema that once drew enormous crowds, screened its last film around 1985 and stands derelict to this day. Mamingshan Zhenan Temple, a sprawling complex dedicated to the Wunian Qiansui (五年千歲) deities in the township’s west, is notable for its annual Lantern Festival procession through fourteen surrounding villages.