aeeble

General Ox Temple is located in Shuiniucuo, Taibao City, Chiayi County, the earliest area where Han settlers reclaimed land. Inside stands a large black water buffalo, flanked by a herdboy holding an ox whip.

Legend has it that when Koxinga came to open up Taiwan, he brought eight water buffaloes to help till the fields. However, reclaiming wasteland was extremely difficult, and with many paddies but few oxen, the animals eventually died of exhaustion. In gratitude, early settlers built a Water Buffalo Temple to honor the beasts and to remind later generations of the pioneers’ hardships. To this day, General Ox Temple remains thronged with worshippers and visitors all year round; fresh fodder, flowers, fruit, sugarcane, and a pail of clean water are perpetually offered before the stone mortar in front of the ox, forming the community’s greatest hallmark.