Xigang

Xīgǎng (西港), literally “western harbor”, is a rural district in western Tainan named for its position along Daofeng Lagoon (倒風內海), which silted up in the 1730s. The district is home to Xigang Qing’an Temple (西港慶安宮), established in 1712 and renowned for hosting one of the five major folk religious festivals of coastal Tainan. The triennial King Boat Festival (王醮大典), held since 1784, is the only temple festival in Tainan designated a National Taiwanese Folk Custom, involving 96 villages in procession and culminating in the ritual burning of an ornate king boat.