Tainan Travel

This city-listed historic site enshrines Bao Sheng Da Di (Bao-Sheng Emperor;保生大帝). The temple’s origin is said to date back to the Koxinga period when a king ship carrying a statue of the god was found by local people. It was placed in a grass hut and worshipped. Later, two brothers, the elder of whom was named “Miao” and the younger one “Shou,” donated the land on which the temple is sited, which was why it was called Miaoshou Temple(妙壽宮).There is pair of eroded stone lions in front of the temple. It is said that they were donated to the temple by a man who tried many times to pass the imperial examination and failed but was successful after praying at the temple for success. Generally, temples have dragon pillars in front, however, this temple has bat pillars. They were originally part of Haishan Temple but, after this was subject to compulsory purchase in the Japanese Colonial Time for house building on the site, the bat pillars were relocated to Miaoshou. Temple. A treasure can be seen on the second floor, namely a king ship made in 1867; interestedly, worshippers don’t make the usual offerings of incense to it, they offer cigarettes and betel nuts.