Home | 財團法人台東天后宮

Spiritual Spring Well Stone Plaque

Taitung, originally known as “Beinanmi” or “Pi-lam Mi”, also known as “Rear Mountain”, was once inhabited only by Taiwan’s indigenous Austronesian peoples. Not until the late 1600s did Han Chinese come to Taitung to trade and farm. In 1875, the Qing government established Beinan Subprefecture. In 1884, Admiral Zhang Zhaolian established the Zheng-Hai-Jun Central Rear Camp near today’s Zhonghua Road. In 1887, Beinan Subprefecture was upgraded and renamed Taitung Prefecture after Taiwan was reorganized as a province.

In June 1888, due to the harsh collection policies imposed by Commissioner Lei Fu-Hai of the Tsui-Wei Pacification and Settlement Bureau for land fees, a Hakka settler in Da-jhaung Village namedLiu Tian-Wang, rebelled with indigenous people and other Han settlers.

Sincere blessings from Mazu

The incident was later known as the Da-Jhaung Incident. In July, the mob wreaked havoc on Pi-lam, commoners of Lu-Gia Wan (today’s Li-Gia Village of Pi-lam Township) burned down the Pi-lam Bureau and surrounded the Zheng-Hai-Jun Central Rear Camp of Admiral Zhang. As there was no well within the camp and the army had run out of water, Admiral Zhang ordered Chen Tiang and his men to dig a well. Yet, no matter how deep they dug, they just couldn’t find a water source. Desperate, the soldiers dropped down on their knees and prayed to Mazu for help. As strange as it may seem, the moment they prayed for help, a fountain of water appeared, lifting the hearts of the army.

After defending the camp for half a month, reinforcements led by First Governor Liu Ming-Chuan arrived which ended the revolt. In 1889, Admiral Zhang and the soldiers donated their salary to build a temple in gratitude for Mazu’s blessings and aid. That same autumn, construction began on the temple. Emperor Guang-Xu even granted a plaque with the words “Lin Chou Chen Yow” (sincere blessings from Mazu).

Historical Role

Tianhou Temple retains the stone inscription commissioned by Qing Emperor Guang-Xu. In 2014, Chen Qing-Cheng donated a new Tianhou Temple stone inscribed in Chinese, English, and Japanese to give those coming here to worship a better understanding of the century-old history of the temple.

Besides regular folk festivals and the worshipping of gods and deities, Taitung’s Tianhou Temple also holds celebrations such as Mazu’s birthday on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, the pilgrimage of deities during Lantern Festival, and a large-scale ceremonial festival held once every twelve years. The temple and its calendar of regular events ensure the continuance of our cultural inheritance.

EVENT

The Taitung Tianhou Temple’s Jianjiou Festival (a local dedication ceremony) is a prestigious ritual widely celebrated by the residents of Taitung City, which includes a total of 46 villages and 1035 neighborhoods. This is one of the largest Jianjiou festivals in Taiwan. The success of such a large event relies not only on the consensus of the local citizenry but also on the manpower, money and resources of local believers.

The economic recession of recent years has reduced the amount of donations received, requiring more economical ways to hold temple events. Yet, the blessings of peace and joy brought upon the people, along with the money that can be brought into the city while holding the Jianjiou Festival, makes holding the event, no matter how difficult the circumstances, worthwhile.

The Qian Qingjiou Festival (a type of Jianjiou Festival) is held every twelve years by the Taitung Tianhou Temple. It is a large event that is well organized and smoothly carried out each time. This is thanks to the support of Taitung government officials and representatives, heads of Taitung City villages, the Taitung residentsry, and all supporters of Taitung Tianhou Temple! Special thanks go out to the workers and volunteers who help make the festival possible!