Daoism in Taiwan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to legend, Daoism was founded by Chinese philosopher and writer Lao-tse (also written Lao-zi or Lao-tzu), lit. ‘Old Master’, who is regarded as the author of Dao-de-jing, which describes Dao as the root of all things, unseen and immensely powerful, yet supremely humble, the ideal of all existence. Reputedly, Lao-tse was born around the 6th century B.C., but some authorities claim that he is merely a legendary figure. In everyday religious Daoism, he is regarded as a deity.

Daoism does not emphasize strict rituals and social order, which are fundamental in Confucianism. Instead, it emphasizes living in harmony with Dao (literally ‘The Way’), i.e. according to ethic principles, focusing on simplicity and spontaneity, living a moral life, understanding the nature of reality, increasing longevity, and regulating consciousness and diet.

In the 4th century B.C., many Daoists began to emphasize living in accordance with the alternating cycles of nature, and, especially in southern China, absorbed many elements from shamanism (dealt with on the page Religion: Animism). To this day, shamans still play an important role in Daoist religious ceremonies.

 

Her father and brothers were fishermen. One day, while they were out at sea, a typhoon struck, and the women feared that the men would perish. Mon-yang fell into a trance, during which she saw that her father and brothers were drowning, and she reached out to them, holding her brothers up with her hands and her father with her mouth. Mon-yang’s mother tried to wake her up, but she was in such deep trance that she appeared to be dead.

The mother, already convinced that the men had perished, broke down, crying. Mon-yang opened her mouth and let out a cry to let her mother know she was still alive, but this action forced her to drop her father. He perished at sea, but Mon-yang’s brothers returned alive. They related to the villagers that by some kind of miracle they had been held up in the water during the typhoon.

According to legend, Mon-yang died at the age of 28, when she climbed a mountain and flew to heaven to become a goddess, Mazu. After her death, many fishermen and sailors began to worship her, honouring her courage in trying to save those at sea, and the worship quickly spread to other Chinese coastal provinces. Much of her popularity stems from her role as a compassionate motherly protector.

When Chinese peoples from Fujian emigrated to Taiwan in the 17th Century, they, naturally, brought the Mazu cult with them. Today, there are more than 800 temples in the island, dedicated to Mazu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tu-di-Gong, the Earth God, is usually depicted as an old, white-bearded man, often in shrines along roads and on Taiwanese graves (see page Culture: Graves).

Hu Ye, the Tiger God, is often depicted as a guardian in temples. He is celebrated during the annual Tiger God Festival (see below).

Guan-yin, whose name loosely translates as ‘she who hears all humankind’s cries’ or ‘she who hears all sounds of the world’, is the Daoist female equivalent of Avalokitesvara, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Compassion.

The red-faced Guan Yu, also known as Guan Gong, was originally a military general, serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty (c. 25-184 A.D.). Among Daoists, he is regarded as a subduer of demons, revered as a deity for his righteousness, loyalty, and forgiveness.

Qingshui, known locally as Zushi-Gong, is the principal Daoist god worshipped at the Zushi Temple, situated in the town of Sanxia, northern Taiwan. This temple is popularly known as the ‘Bird Temple’, due to the numerous depictions of birds on walls and columns. Some of these are shown on the page Animals – Birds: Birds in Taiwan.

Sun Wu-kong (‘Monkey King’) wreaked havoc in heaven and was punished by the Buddha to remain under the Five Fingers mountain for 500 years. When he was released by the Tang monk Xuan-zang, he accompanied the monk as his disciple to the Thunder Monastery in the West, in order to repent. Armed with a magic stick, he was able to perform miracles on the way. Other companions were Zhu Ba-jie (‘Pig’), who was armed with a rake-like weapon, and Sha Wu-jing, who was responsible for the luggage, transported on a horse. Sun Wu-kong is variously regarded as a deity or a mythological figure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very common feature is paper lanterns, often hung up in the hundreds on strings across the temple courtyard. A large collection of pictures, depicting such lanterns, is shown on the page Culture: Lamps and lights.

Most visitors to the temples place burning incense sticks in sand in thuribles, which are often guarded by dragons. Another very common practice is burning fake paper money as an offering in ovens, constructed in front of the temples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As opposed to the European mythology, in which the dragon is a fire-spewing monster, the dragon is a beneficial creature in Chinese mythology, a symbol of power, strength, and good luck, whereas the feng-huang (often erroneously called ‘The Chinese Phoenix’), who is the ruler of birds, symbolizes virtue, duty, mercy, and grace. As the masculine virtues of the dragon and the feminine virtues of the feng-huang complement one another, they are often depicted together in the temples.

The qi-lin is a mythological dragon-like creature, which however, is always depicted with hooves and a scaled body, often shaped like an ox, a deer, or a horse. It is a symbol of luck, good omens, protection, prosperity, success, and longevity, and although it may look fearsome, it only punishes the wicked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside many temples you notice sculptures, depicting male lions with a paw placed on a globe-like item, which, in fact, is an embroidered ball. In the old days, children presented balls, made from discarded clothes, as offerings to the temple – a symbol of yang (light forces) and friendship.

Lion sculptures are also often placed as protectors on Daoist graves. Several examples are shown on the page Culture: Graves

The presence of the tiger in Daoist temples is more easily explained than the presence of the lion. Daoism was brought to Taiwan from China, where the tiger was once quite common. In Chinese mythology, the tiger is the ruler of all animals, representing the masculine forces in nature. Traditionally, it is also regarded as one of the four super-intelligent creatures, the others being the dragon, the feng-huang, and the tortoise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Daoist parades include people with decorated faces, performing as devil-like figures, called Bajiajiang. They usually practice kung-fu during the parades. Other persons are hidden inside huge puppets, depicting various gods or guardians. They walk in a peculiar striding style, with swinging arms. Most Daoists regard these participants as persons being possessed by the various gods or spirits.

Tongji (or Jitong) are persons, who, as an act of repentance, often inflict wounds on themselves, using knives, spears, swords, or clubs with numerous spines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During this festival, volunteers undress to represent Handan-yeh, the Money God. As he dislikes cold, people shell the volunteer with firecrackers to heat him up, thus maybe winning his favour. The volunteers wear glasses, a hat or a helmet, and a scarf over their mouth and nose, to protect their face, but their naked body is often burned in numerous places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pictures below were taken in 2007 in the village of Jiading, near Kaohsiung.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a rule, a lion dance is performed by two men, hidden under a gaily coloured cloth, which acts as the body of the lion, whereas a lion mask is held by the man in front. During a more acrobatic form of lion dance, two men, hidden beneath a lion cloth, jump between small metal plates, placed on poles, often rather high.