Changhua’s historic Kaihua Temple has been attracting new worshipers by offering an unusual blessing: divine protection for people with pimples.
A county-level historical heritage, the small Buddhist temple was founded in 1724 and its main deity is Avalokitesvara bodhisattva, but at some point during the Qing Dynasty, it began to venerate Lord and Lady Pox (痘公痘婆), Changhua Mayor Chiu Chien-fu (邱建富) said.
According to folklore, Lord and Lady Pox were a physician couple who miraculously cured people with smallpox before vanishing from the area without a trace, Chiu said.
Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Taipei Times
In gratitude, residents began worshiping the couple as gods at the temple and the belief that they would help people with acne developed later, he said.
While a majority of the temple’s visitors come to offer incense to the bodhisattva for other blessings, it has also received people seeking relief from pimples for themselves or their children, temple caretakers said.
Worshipers of Lord and Lady Pox typically bring offerings of lotions and makeup powders to their altar, while a bouquet of flowers is the customary token of gratitude for those who have recovered from acne, they said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS