Puzi

Puzi (朴子) is a county-administered city on Niuchou River in western Chiayi County and serves as the seat of the Chiayi County Council. The city takes its name from Phoh-á-kha (樸仔腳), literally “under the hackberry tree”, referring to the spot where a Mazu statue brought from Fujian became too heavy to move, prompting worshippers to build what is now Peitian Temple (配天宮). The temple’s name was granted by imperial edict through the intercession of Wang De-lu, the Qing general buried in nearby Liujiao. During Japanese rule Puzi served as the administrative center of Tōseki District (東石郡); the former county office and Shinto shrine remain, along with the shell of the historic Rongchang Theater.