Maling Temple ( zh, t=媽靈宮, p=Mālíng Gōng) is a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called church (building), churches), Hindui ...

located in the village of Chituqi, Houlong Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan.

Origin

Chituqi is located on top of a plateau near the coast along the Taiwan Strait. Historically, the area was mostly uninhabited and undeveloped for its remoteness and superstitions surrounding an unmarked

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of executi ...

there. In 1930, a '' yin miao'' (temple for ghosts) named "Wanshan Temple" (萬善祠) was constructed near the remains. According to legend, a pair of ghosts, one male and one female, dwelled in the area that would lead the way for lost travelers. Merchants claimed that every time the pair appeared, their business for the day would be good. Fishermen also claimed that a fireball would shoot up from the temple whenever the ocean's conditions were dangerous the next day. Therefore, The pair of ghosts were seen as deities, and in the 1960s, it was rebuilt and dedicated to the ghosts. According to temple officials, the female ghost was named Wang Baoying (王寶英), and is believed to be a consort to

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 ...

in the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. Supposedly, Wang led an army in 1741 to quash a pro-Ming rebel's forces in Taiwan. When they landed in

Tamsui Tamsui District (Hokkien POJ: ''Tām-chúi''; Hokkien Tâi-lô: ''Tām-tsuí''; Mandarin Pinyin: ''Dànshuǐ'') is a seaside district in New Taipei, Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popula ...

, Wang befriended Liu Xuanxiang (劉玄祥), who served as her lead. However, the entire army was annihilated in Chitugi in an ambush. Wang and Liu are known as Dazhongma (大眾媽) and Dazhongye (大眾爺), respectively. The bones from the mass grave are now stored in the temple.

Worship

Every lunar year one day after

Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival ( zh, t=元宵節, s=元宵节, first=t, hp=Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival ( zh, t=上元節, s=上元节, first=t, hp=Shàngyuán jié), is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth d ...

, Maling Temple celebrates the birthday of Wang Baoying. The temple places a wide variety of offerings on top of a

camphor wood ''Camphora officinarum'' is a species of evergreen tree that is commonly known under the names camphor tree, camphorwood or camphor laurel. Description ''Camphora officinarum'' is native to China south of the Yangtze River, Taiwan, southern ...

turtle plate, a tradition stemming from

red tortoise cake ''Ang ku kueh'' (; Tailo: ''Âng-ku-kué''), also known as red tortoise cake, is a small round or oval-shaped Chinese pastry with soft, sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet central filling. It is molded to resemble a tortoi ...

s. The offerings are different every year based on the wishes of Wang Baoying.

Chiang Kai-shek memorial

Directly adjacent to Maling Temple, there is a shrine dedicated to

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

and the City God. The shrine was built near Chiang's death by a nearby resident with the surname Ho, who upon the shrine's completion lived in it. When Ho passed away, his descendants donated the shrine to Maling Temple.

References

{{reflist Temples in Miaoli County Taoist temples in Taiwan Monuments and memorials in Taiwan Chiang Kai-shek 1930 establishments in Taiwan Religious buildings and structures completed in 1930