Tainan Travel

When the Lin Shuang-wen Rebellion(林爽文事件) broke out during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, the people of Xiaolongshe (蕭壠社)helped suppress the rebellion, after which the Qing court showed gratitude by presenting a plaque that changed the settlement name to Jinyili(旌義里); the original Dai Tian Fu Temple(代天府) was also re-named Jintang Temple(金唐殿). When the temple was rebuilt in the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor, the father of Taiwan koji pottery, Ye Wang, was commissioned to decorate it. In 1928, the temple was re-decorated, with famous craftsman He Jin-long of Shantou, Guangdong invited to make fragmented ceramic works, the most famous of which is “Jiaozhantu, (Combat painting交戰圖)” which decorates the walls and corners of the temple, adding to the artistic atmosphere. Xiaolong Xiang Ke(蕭壠香科) is one of the five major religious events of Tainan and, when it takes place, there are bustling scenes. It features a real-person centipede formation played by 108 children representing the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly Generals, which is well worth seeing.