Taiwan Religious Culture Map

Located on Lizejian's old street, Yong'an Temple is dedicated to Matzu and serves as the center of faith among the eight major local villages. Built during Daoguang Emperor's reign in the Qing era, the temple faces the mountain with its back to the sea, unlike other temple structures that are typically built to face the sea. The temple was renovated numerous times throughout the years. There were plans to demolish the old temple and rebuild it in its current site in 1994 CE, but considering the temple structure is an important local cultural asset, an agreement was reached after multiple discussions to preserve the old temple and build a new one behind it. This allowed the old temple building to be preserved while local worshipers built a new temple for Matzu. Construction for the current temple began on December 7, 2006 CE, and took nearly a decade to complete. The inauguration ceremony to welcome the deities with incense offerings was held on November 17, 2016 CE. One of the most important traditions of the area is the zouwang (running while carrying the divine sedan chairs) ritual in Lizejian, which is held as part of the Lantern Festival each year. Historically, if the area became plagued with an epidemic, local residents would implore the deities to patrol the area in order to stop the disease, safeguard the land, and reassure the people, a practice that evolved into an important Lantern Festival tradition. A procession of the divine sedan chairs will parade through the area's eight major villages before crossing the 'golden flames'—a burning pyre of joss paper—in front of Yong'an Temple, marking the successful completion of the ritual.