Taiwan Religious Culture Map

In the past, the Wudao City God Welcoming Procession was a small-scale annual event whose route was limited to the Houpu area. A large-scale procession was also held every three to five years, with its route encompassing most of Jincheng Township and parts of Jinning Township. After 1951, only the small-scale processions were held. Then in 2016, local residents proposed expanding the scale of the procession. At present, the procession travels along a set route around Houpu’s four city gates in a counterclockwise direction. The city’s northwest and southeast district heads take turns organizing the event.

The Wudao City God Welcoming Festival lasts for seventeen days, beginning with donations of “godchild money,” and ending with the procession. The course of events is as follows:
1. Donating “godchild money”: Traditionally, parents of small children go to city god temples to ask the deity to take on the role of heavenly parent to their children. It is believed that the city god bestows blessings on children and grants them divine protection, allowing them to grow up safely. Parents who are followers of the Wudao City God visit the temple starting on the 26^th day of the third lunar month to hand over a year’s worth of “godchild money.” This money is used to fund temple fairs or offerings.
2. Hanging the budget board: Temple officials hang the budget board on the first day of the fourth lunar month. The board lists budget items and expenses that are expected to be incurred in inviting the Divine Civil and Military Judges, Heavenly Generals Fan and Hsieh, Divine Masters Dongpai and Lipai, and the divine horsemen and footmen for the procession. Individuals sign their name on the board to indicate that they are willing to cover the cost of the corresponding item.
3. Inviting the deities: On the first day of the fourth lunar month, that year’s organizer sends fotia, which are invitations between deities, to every temple in Houpu and to the Stable Master’s Shrine to invite the deities enshrined in these temples to take part in the festival. 
4. Preparing the offerings: On the first day of the fourth lunar month, residents of the district governed by that year’s organizer prepare sticky red tortoise cakes, City God statues, joss paper, and other items to be used as offerings.
5. Welcoming the deities: On the ninth day of the fourth lunar month, the organizer leads a gong and drum troupe to visit every temple to ask their deities to honor the festival with their esteemed presence.
The procession: The procession takes place on the 12^th day of the fourth lunar month.

Among the troupes representing the West Gate district is the Propped Lantern Troupe, whose members carry large lanterns mounted on poles. The lanterns bear the phrase “Wudao City God, appointed provincial city god by imperial order” on the front. On the back are paintings of dragon totems and the words “peace within the district.” The lanterns have brightly colored auspicious ornamental borders, a special characteristic of Kinmen’s City God festival and a symbol of the deity’s esteem in the eyes of the people.

The Chest-Slapping Dance performance is one of the highlights of the procession. The troupe is made up of seven to twelve children. They act out the famous Kun opera play “The Embroidered Coat,” playing all the main roles, even old women and beggars. They are accompanied by nanguan music, a style of Chinese classical music from Fujian. The play tells the story of Zheng Yuan-he, a man who went to Beijing to take the imperial exam. After failing the exam, Zheng decided to drown his sorrows in a brothel. He ended up losing all his money and became a beggar. The performers are bare-chested and have colorful designs painted on their faces and bodies. They frequently slap their chests and legs to amuse onlookers and banter with the crowd as they march along with the procession. They are one of the most unique troupes found in Taiwan temple parades.

The Centipede Troupe is a time-honored tradition of the West Gate district. Due to cross-strait tensions, the Centipede Troupe only participated intermittently in the festival between 1949 and 1981. Since then, it has participated every year. The centipede is made up of sixteen two-meter-long segments. Each segment contains two seats, for a total of thirty-two seats. The seats are filled by children who dressed up as characters from folk legends or famous tales depicting the virtues of loyalty and filial piety. In the past, the seats were placed on wheels to save on manpower. Afterwards, it was decided the centipede should be carried on the shoulders in accordance with tradition. The Centipede Troupe is one of the most popular troupes in the procession.