by Luis
To religious culture lovers, a must-go destination is undoubtedly the Old Town in Zuoying, Kaohsiung; because it is said that this place has the highest temple density in all of Taiwan. Not widely known, the place was once called Fengshan city, but due to political and military unrest, residents of the time had no choice but to seek refuge in a nearby settlement, and hence the name of “Old Town.” But why so many temples? This is most probably due to the large number of Chinese settlers concentrated in such a small area. Just like immigrants in other countries, these early Chinese pioneers brought their own religion to this outpost of the Chinese frontier. Over time, the variety kept increasing to a point that many gods and deities became “tenants sharing a room” in the temple of another god. Some of them eventually relocated to a new place as soon as the donations coming from their own believers became large enough to buy them a “new house;” while others stayed for good. Such kind of hospitality speaks volumes about the religious tolerance of the Taiwanese in general.
Of the many temples and shrines found here in the Old Town, one in particular stands out for being “empty and bare.” The Confucius temple typically displays no images of any religious characters as opposed to other temples. Simplicity here is the key. The message can’t be clearer; just focus on the doctrines of the great master, and the rest is irrelevant. This renowned teacher is one of the great pillars in Chinese culture. He emphasized personal morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, sincerity, as well as a ruler’s duty to his subjects. His all-time famous motto was “teaching for everyone without distinction.” In modern times, this may be a common practice, but two and a half thousand years ago it was indeed a concept that was way ahead of its time. He can be said to be the founding father of universal education, which made all others coming after mere followers and advocates.
Most visitors are enthralled by the majestic welcome of the Confucius Temple located at the northern end of the Lotus Pond. But unknown to many, hidden in a corner inside the Jiuo Cheng elementary school is an old and shabby shrine with neither much decoration or embellishment (pic. 1~2). It is called the Shrine of the Saint (崇聖祠). For visitors who can’t read Chinese, this inconspicuous yet essential historic site would have probably gone unnoticed. In fact, this is the remnant of the original Confucius Temple in the Old Town; while the other one was built much later in the 1970s for ceremonial purposes. According to historical records, Chinese authorities arrived in Taiwan in 1684 claiming for the first time in history the sovereignty of the land. Shortly after, public offices and military strongholds in the Old Town were built to facilitate government administration. Interestingly, the Confucius temple was also part of the infrastructure in the Fengshan city (old name of the town). That means it was a state-funded religious venue as opposed to smaller private shrines built on someone’s own property. And that’s because Confucius temples had a public duty to fulfill. Believe it or not, they had always doubled as educational institutions since ancient times; and this made it possible for public schools to be integrated into it, albeit the education system was a far cry from its modern counterpart. Aside from this, every three years, imperial exams were held to recruit young talents into government offices. At this point, the temple was used as an examination hall for the event. And since the “true owner of the temple” is the greatest teacher ever, there shouldn’t be any reason he would disagree.
Shrine of the Saint inconspicuously tucked away in a corner of Jiuo Cheng elementary school.
a closer view.
Based on some early documents, the main gate of the temple (called Lin-shin Gate) was originally located near the shore of the Lotus Pond, roughly where the main entrance of the elementary school is located today, while the shrine is at the far back end of the whole venue. In between were Ta-Chen Gate and Ta-Chen Temple. And on either side were the left and right pavilions. The one on the left was used as the living quarters of government officials stationed in the Old Town, while the one on the right was allocated for the classrooms of the academy (or simply “school” in modern terms). Considering the above, the Japanese built the current Jiuo Cheng elementary school in 1900 right on the place where the temple once stood. Unfortunately, save for the shrine, all the rest was torn down to make way for new school facilities, which is why it’s the only remaining original part of the temple left today. However, some remnants are still scattered around on campus. With the help of experts, some granite blocks were found and identified. They’re now arranged as a part of the garden decoration near the school entrance. And those proved to be door gudgeons (axle sockets) and stone plinths (pedestals) for timber beams (pic 3~4). Two drum-like stone carvings serve as “doorman” at the entrance of the patio in front of the shrine (pic. 4b~4d). According to Chinese mythology, this drum-like creature is one of the nine sons of the Dragon, Chiau-tu (椒圖). It is usually placed at the entrance due to its quiet and reserved nature. This common practice of using mythological creatures as decoration can be found in every Chinese temple. Based on their “personality,” they’re deployed around with a connotation about its purpose. In this case, it’s to keep secret everything overheard from the prayers of worshipers in the shrine.
door gudgeon standing upright as bridge decoration, notice the socket hole with iron rust.
stone plinth for timber beams.
drum-like “doormen”
left “doorman”
right “doorman”
One missing link worth mentioning is the water pond in the shape of a half moonie, called Pan Pond (泮池) . This semicircular pond comes with an arch bridge over it, and is typically built outside the main gate of all Confucius temples (pic. 5). As a symbolic gesture, all examinees walk over the bridge to enter the examination hall suggesting a “quantum leap.” During the Japanese period, the administration of the elementary school decided to build a mini–Pan Pond to make up for “the only thing lacking” (pic. 6). And since then, according to the accounts of locals, as a school tradition all graduating students would have to cross the bridge before leaving.
semicircular pond and arch bridge at the new Confucius temple in Zuoying.
mini-Pan Pond still retaining its original purpose at Jiuo Cheng elementary school after almost a century.
Some experts claim that in the 19th century the temple underwent a renovation giving it the look we see today. In addition, they added a Pan Pond by building a semicircular wall with coral stones to “steal a small part from the Lotus Pond” and make it an extension of the temple. But due to yearly typhoons and lack of maintenance, the pond eventually turned too shallow and people simply covered it with soil to push the shore further into the Lotus Pond. Viewed from Google map today, that section still retains the original semicircular shape (pic. 7)
see the semicircular green area just outside the elementary school across from the street; it’s a clear indication of the outer line of the Pan Pond that once stood there.
In another corner of the school just behind the shrine is a parade of ten stelae collected from places scattered around in the Old Town, each one telling its own story (pic. 8). And there’s more to these beautiful works of art than meets the eye. Many historical events were confirmed by the inscriptions, specifying little details such as people, places, and dates. This is a reliable source of corroboration for historical facts as we know them. One of the ten stelae stands out catching the attention of visitors, not due to its size or the amount of information provided but instead for the purpose it served. It’s roughly half as tall compared to the big ones, and the number of Chinese characters is just a handful. It’s a dismounting stele for people passing by (pic. 9). It goes without saying that back in those days only a few could afford some kind of transportation, while the rest almost always went on foot. Dismounting stelae are often erected outside important venues such as temples, government offices, or even the residence of prominent figures among others. The message inscribed orders the traveler to dismount and simply walk past as a gesture of respect. They were regarded as an imperial decree; thus, anyone who fails to obey would be subject to punishment as severe as death penalty.
a display of ten famous stelae collected from places scattered around in the Old Town.
dismounting stele.
This philosophy comes from Confucianism stipulating the roles of each and every individual with the goal of achieving social harmony. That’s a reminder of our feudal past; and it’s amazing that we have come a long way from that period in history. Civilization will always move on leaving behind a trace of food for thought.
Before we leave this magnificent place, there’s one more thing to watch. An opening in the outer wall of the shrine reveals a lot on how it was built (pic. 10). Early Chinese settlers faced a huge challenge in order to get the public infrastructure built. It meant an arduous logistic of unprecedented scale. Unlike other settlements, the problem here was a big barrier of sea water, the Taiwan Strait. Since no brick kilns and sawmills were available, everything would have to be “imported from China”. Timber parts were cut to exact dimensions only to be assembled here on the spot, giving the architect no chances to dry fit all parts and make little necessary adjustments. They could only rely on the skills of the people carrying out the job with simple hand tools. Bricks and tiles for the roof and the floor were all transported from Fu-Chien, a province in China on the other shore of the strait. Even human resources became a hurdle. Masters and craftsmen were recruited only for the time of the construction at a higher wage. Strange enough, major city walls and public infrastructures built during the Qing dynasty were all concentrated here in Taiwan instead of China. By the time they came to power in 1644, which was a rather peaceful transition, the necessary “framework” to run the nation in China was already all in place. But Taiwan, like aforementioned, was much later incorporated into the empire probably due to its remoteness. Therefore, everything here was “built from the ground up.”
Even though centuries have passed, each and every one of the historic sites here in the Old Town is still waiting for someone to tell and retell its intriguing stories. And the only way to materialize this endeavor is when ordinary people like you and me take action to be their ambassadors and even become the voice of the silent memories of the past.
