Animal Spirit Monuments in Taiwan

Animal spirit monuments, generally known as chuhunbei (畜魂碑) or shouhunbei (獸魂碑), are stone stelae erected to commemorate the souls of livestock slaughtered for human consumption. The practice was introduced during the Japanese colonial era, when monuments were commonly placed at municipal slaughterhouses, and a handful of new examples were erected in the post-war decades. Surviving monuments are sometimes relocated to nearby parks or temples after their original slaughterhouses are demolished.