Taiwan Religious Culture Map

Also called ""Little Shangdi Temple"" by the locals, Tainan's Kaiji Lingyou Temple was built in the 10th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing era (1671 CE) according to the Register of Religious Buildings from the Japanese colonial period. During the Qing era, the temple had three central structures, with Taiwan Prefecture Magistrate Chiang Yu-ying enshrined in the rear hall. This hall collapsed in the early Japanese colonial period, and in the 7th year of the Shōwa era (1932 CE), Lingyou Temple turned the front gate into the main hall because the nearby Meiji Public School underwent an expansion. Today, Lingyou Temple's layout consists in two central structures, with two hallways and an additional baiting (worship pavilion). The temple is dedicated to Xuantian Shangdi. The worship of Xuantian Shangdi stems from the worship of the North Star. In the traditional Han Chinese concept of Wuxing, or the Five Elements, north is represented by the element of water, which symbol is in turn the color black. Thus, the temple columns were painted black against red beams, setting Lingyou Temple apart from other temples that primarily feature the color red. Remnants of the plain brick frame, chuihua (carved ornaments protruding below roof beams), and short columns of the original main hall were discovered in the walls of the front gate during a restoration project in 2004 CE. These discoveries have been preserved to showcase how the layout of Lingyou Temple changed over the years.