Guide to Taiwan Island Lukang
There are several theories about the origin of the place name Lukang. One theory is that there used to be many deer here. Of course, that was when there was no port in Lukang and the surrounding area was deserted.
Lukang was the first urban stronghold developed by the Han people in Taiwan. It developed in the later years of Qianlong and quickly became the largest port in central China. During the Qing Dynasty, there was a saying of "One Prefecture, Two Deer and Three Monga", which refers to the prosperity of the three major port cities on the island at that time - Tainan Prefecture, Lukang, and Taipei Monga.
However, Lukang's advantages have gradually declined due to sedimentation. At the end of the Japanese occupation, the suburbs of Lukang had been completely landlocked. At that time, Lukang was excluded from the railway system, and the development of Lukang stagnated.
On the other hand, due to its stagnant development, many cultural practices have been preserved. To this day, Lukang still has the highest frequency and scale of temple fair activities. Luo Dayou therefore sang:
Taipei is not my home. There are no neon lights in my hometown.
The streets of Lukang, the fishing village of Lukang, people burning incense in the Mazu Temple
Taipei is not my home. There are no neon lights in my hometown.
Morning in Lukang, dusk in Lukang, people wandering in civilization
There are 6 main attractions in Lukang:
Note: The red lines are scenic spots, such as Lukang Old Street, Osmanthus Alley, and Moru Alley. The blue dotted line is the walking route.
LuHong KongThean Hou Temple
Lukang Tianhou Temple was built in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. It is said to be the crown of more than 500 Mazu temples in Taiwan and is said to be particularly spiritual.
Unlike most other Mazu temples, it worships the black-faced Mazu - because the Mazu statue has been stained by incense for a long time, its appearance has changed from the original pink face to a black face. However, I heard that some newly built temples later blackened the statues themselves in order to make the temple look historic and popular. Since Lukang Tianhou Temple has been worshiped with incense since the Kangxi period, it is naturally black-faced.
Most historical data agree that Mazu's name was Lin Moniang. She was born in Meizhou during the Song Dynasty. She had supernatural powers since she was a child. When she was 28 years old, her father encountered a shipwreck while fishing. Mazu died trying to save her father. After her death, she received Dao Shengtian often rescued fishermen in shipwreck on the dark sea, and gradually became the protector of the coastal area.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Han people gradually immigrated to Taiwan. Many people encountered shipwrecks in the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, some people brought Mazu statues as protectors. After arriving in Taiwan safely, they built temples for Mazu. After more than 300 years, Mazu has become one of the most commonly believed gods in Taiwan. Taiwan claims to have 510 Mazu temples, of which 39 have temple histories that can be verified, 2 were built in the Ming Dynasty and 37 were built in the Qing Dynasty.
Thean Hou Temple in Lukang not only has a long history, but the Mazu statue enshrined in it also has an extraordinary origin. The world's earliest Mazu temple was built in Meizhou, where Mazu Lin Moniang was born and emerged, and it was rebuilt during the Kangxi period. According to Wikipedia, the eldest mother of this Mazu temple remained in the main hall and was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, while the second mother was brought to Taiwan by Shi Lang in the 22nd year of Kangxi and was later enshrined in Lukang Tianhou Palace. Therefore, the current Mazu in Tianhou Temple in Lukang is also the only Kaiji Mazu remaining in the Meizhou Ancestral Temple, and its status is evident.
Mazu is generally divided into eldest mother, second mother, and third mother, because there cannot be only one Mazu in a temple. If Mazu is invited to patrol the streets, wouldn't there be no Mazu statue in the temple for believers to worship? Therefore, the second and third Mazu statues will be carved in the temple. The first one engraved is the eldest mother, the second one is the second mother... and so on.
There was a grand ceremony at 5 pm on the Sunday I went there, which seemed to invite the Queen of Heaven to patrol the streets. Afterwards, I tried to find the relevant ceremony introduction and schedule to write down in this guide, but I couldn't find it. If anyone knows please send me a private message.
Xinzu Palace (Thean Hou Palace was built by imperial decree)
Less than 5 minutes away from Lukang Thean Hou Temple, there is another Thean Hou Temple, named "New Ancestral Palace" to distinguish it from the "Old Ancestral Palace" Lukang Thean Hou Temple. This is the only Mazu temple in Taiwan built by Emperor Qianlong at official expense, so it is also called the Imperial Queen's Palace. In the 51st year of Qianlong's reign, the Lin Shuangwen Incident occurred, which was an anti-Qing action launched by Lin Shuangwen, the leader of the Tiandihui, and was later suppressed by the imperial court. Emperor Qianlong therefore ordered Fukang'an to build the temple.
Because it is an official building, there is a stone tablet at the door that reads "Civil and military officials dismount here." Even the clairvoyant and shunfenger enshrined in the temple wear official hats and official boots.
The Mazu statue worshiped in the Xinzu Palace is called "Soft Body Ma", which means that although the head, hands and neck are made of wood, the body is made of rattan, so you can move your hands and feet to change clothes.
Lukang Old Street
Lukang Old Street is the earliest old street in Taiwan. It is mainly connected by Yaolin Street and Putou Street. It is a traditional Minnan-style building with red bricks on the floor. Many buildings are also built of red bricks. Lugang Old Street has preserved the early shop building buildings, and now most of them are shops. The two most famous buildings are Ban Bianjing and Hap Tak Hall.
Hop Tak Tong
About 20 meters from the entrance of Yaolin Street is Hedetang. Its owner comes from a scholarly family in Lukang. The most famous thing about Hap Tak Hall is the reading building inside. There are no stairs in the building, and only bamboo ladders can be used to go up and down. This allows children to read without any distractions in the attic. After reading, they can take the bamboo ladder downstairs.
half well
To the west of Hap Tak Hall is the famous Ban Bian Well. In the old days, only the rich could dig wells to draw water. Therefore, the rich in Lukang dug wells close to the walls of their homes. Half of the wells were inside the walls for their families to use, and the other half were outside the walls so that passers-by or poor people could draw water. .
Hall number
Many families in Lugang like to give themselves a hall name. For example, the family name of the house that owns half a well is "Sanhuai Tingxiu". I guess the owner's surname is probably Wang. The ancestors of the Wang family had a famous minister in the Song Dynasty, Wang You (some say Wang Hu), who rose to the rank of Minister of War, equivalent to today's Deputy Minister of Defense. He personally planted three locust trees in the courtyard and said: "In the generations after me, there will be people who will be the Three Dukes. This is the reason for his ambition." Later, his second son Wang Dan indeed became a wise prime minister and was named Wei Guogong. It also gave rise to the "Sanhuai Wang family", which has become the largest branch of the Wang family today.
Later Su Dongpo also specially wrote the "Inscription on the Hall of Three Locust Trees", saying: "The career of Wei Gong is as cute as the locust trees... The lush three locust trees are the only symbols of virtue." Therefore, many descendants of the Wang surname, especially the Wang family of Sanhuai, like to use Sanhuai as their hall name.
In addition to "Hedetang" and "Sanhuai Tingxiu", there is another restaurant with a very elegant name - "Erlu". Taiwan is known as one prefecture, two deer and three monga, which refers to the three major ports of the Qing Dynasty: Tainan Prefecture, Lukang, and Taipei monga. It is a pity that the port of Lukang has declined due to siltation. Now Lukang has almost become an inland city.
couplet
Another unique feature of Lukang is that almost every household has handwritten couplets posted on them. The contents of their couplets are all related to the business done by their stores. I saw a good couplet from Lukang a few years ago on the Internet. The upper and lower couplets were blank, and the comment "No couplet (face) can be used against the people." Just 6 words, contains countless room for imagination. This time I looked around briefly and didn't see particularly good couplets. Maybe it's because it's two weeks before the Chinese New Year, so many people haven't posted any couplets yet.
Guihua Lane Art Village
The location of the Art Village was commonly known as "Yuliao" in the early years. It was a place where fishermen worked, hence the name. During the Japanese colonial period, this area was filled with land and a Japanese-style dormitory complex was built for officials, police officers, and school teachers. It was accepted by the National Government after 1945, and the first resident artists were officially opened in May 2010.
I read on the Internet that there was a controversy about artists leaving a few years ago, and I don’t know what’s going on now. But when I went there in January 2017, I still felt it was a little deserted.
There are many kawaii graffiti and sculptures on the walls and roads here, making it a good place to take selfies.
Moru Lane
As for why this color is matched, everyone knows...
Of course it’s because this is one of the second largest settlements with the surname Huang in Lukang! Right, that is it.
Moru Lane is located in the vegetable garden of Lukang Town, so someone gave it a couplet: "There are no fields in the vegetable garden, and there is no milk to touch in Moru Lane." This is really unkind.
During the Qing Dynasty, this alley was a passage between two vegetable gardens. It was a shortcut often taken by long-term workers from large families. Japanese women were often encountered passing by this alley. By chance, a long-time worker met a Japanese woman in an alley and almost touched her breasts. After the incident spread among the long-time workers, the place was nicknamed Breast Touching Alley.
What made this place famous was the erotic movie "Lukang Breast Touching Lane" during the martial law period.
However, some people don't like this name and insist on calling it "Gentleman Alley", thinking that gentlemen will try to avoid touching the woman's breasts. But judging from the signboard hanging at the entrance of the alley, it is obvious that more people like the imaginative name.
Longshan Temple
Lukang Longshan Temple is a large building that is considered to be the most complete preserved Qing rule-era building in Taiwan. The most important thing about the entire temple is its architecture and sculptures. The main worship is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Lukang Longshan Temple has an architectural layout with three entrances and two courtyards. From front to back, they are the mountain gate, the five-door hall, the main hall, and the back hall. It still retains the style when it was rebuilt in the 11th year of Daoguang (1831).
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