Architect and author Liu Hsien-tsung (劉憲宗) said his study of small Tudigong (土地公, Earth God) shrines along Danlan Old Trail (淡蘭古道) is the first systematic work done on the subject in the nation.
The first volume of Liu’s research, entitled A Survey of Small Tudigong Shrines on the Old Mountain Paths in New Taipei City: The Shuangsi Area (新北市山林古道之小土地公廟調查與測量: 雙溪地區), was published in November last year by the Our Lady of Providence Girls’ High School Cultural Foundation.
The small shrines Liu’s research refers to are the stone-carved temples for Tudigong, which are between 1m and 1.5m tall. Tudigong are a class of local deities that are tied to the land. Their worship is still widely practiced in Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of Liu Hsien-tsung
Two centuries ago, Han Chinese pioneers began to settle the hinterlands of Taiwan. This included a wave of migration that originated in the Tamsui Subprefecture (淡水) and moved toward the Kebalan Subprefecture (噶瑪蘭), known today as Yilan County, Liu said.
As the Han Chinese built more settlements, they developed a system of trails to link their villages together, which later became known as the Danlan Old Trail, he said.
During this period, as many as 250 little stone Tudigong shrines were built in the region, Liu said, adding that this number accounts for a quarter of such shrines in Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of Liu Hsien-tsung
The extraordinary density of shrines along the Danlan trail is a testament to the religious importance of the Tudigong to the early Han Chinese settlers, he said.
“The Tudigong shrines are the soul of Danlan Old Trail and they are evidence of our forerunners’ way of life and cultural values,” he added.
When the Han Chinese created settlements in Taiwan, their first priority was finding sources of water, which they developed for their terraced farms or rice paddies, he said.
However, once the pioneers’ material needs were secure, they had to meet their spiritual needs, Liu said.
“Banditry and armed clashes between communities were rife, and there was the ever-present threat of Aborigine raiding parties,” he said. “Villagers sought blessings and found spiritual solace at the Tudigong shrines.”
Due to its relatively late settlement, New Taipei City’s Shuangsi District (雙溪) boasts nearly 90 small Tudigong shrines, Liu said.
His research is focused on cataloging, measuring and recording the distinctive features of small Tudigong shrines, he said, adding that it includes 47 of Shuangsi’s shrines.
Hiking guide Chiang Chi-hsiang (江啟祥) was a major contributor to the research, Liu said.
Chiang said he has explored more than 90 percent of the old paths in the mountains surrounding Taipei and New Taipei City over the past three decades.
He spent hours with Liu, cutting through thorns and tall grass in search of little shrines, Chiang said, adding that the year-long project took more than 90 expeditions along the old trail to complete.
“Once, we found just one shrine after an entire day of hiking. To find it, we ended up asking for directions from an 80-year-old village elder. However, sometimes, a shrine would just appear to us as if it wanted us to find it,” Chiang said.
Most shrines are built near big rocks or under a great tree that is located at either the head or tail-end of a village, or on the saddle of a ridge, he said.
Usually the shrines face a body of water, so that the Tudigong can symbolically guard a village’s water and wealth, he said, adding that when they could not spot a shrine, they often headed to the nearest body of water.
Shuangsi District’s Hubaotan Old Trail (虎豹潭古道) is a branch of the Danlan trails that passes by many old shrines and its entrance has a parking lot for visitors, Chiang said.
There are many old Tudigong shrines in New Taipei City that are not well-documented and they risk being damaged or becoming overgrown, Liu said, adding that the city government has been working with the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association to preserve the old trails and the shrines.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS