Tainan Travel

Xiaying Xuan Tian Shang Di Temple (下營玄天上帝廟) is a landmark and Xiaying’s belief center. It was built in 1661, it is said by Liu Guo-xuan, a general under Koxinga, when he settled in Xiaying. After being rebuilt a few times, it is now a large and imposing three-story temple. The third day of the third lunar month every year is Xuan Tian Shang Di’s birthday; from the first to fifth day of the third lunar month, Xiaying is busier than at any other time of year when a religious carnival takes place. Formations gather from all over Taiwan and many local people follow the god palanquin as it is carried around the area in a grand procession. The temple’s Cultural Hall has an extensive collection, including ancient stone steles, plaques, incense burners, lottery poems, bamboo sticks and calligraphy, all precious and up to 100~200 years old. Tourists interested in religious culture are in for a treat if they visit the Cultural Hall.