Simplified Chinese: Worship of the Deity: Zhu Fu Wang Ye Festival Date: Lunar May 18
Legend says that during the Tang dynasty, 360 scholar-officials of both literary and martial disciplines faced calamity together. Emperor Tang Taizong, moved by their innocence, decreed them a thousand-year divine rank specifically to patrol the heavens. They would travel through the royal and noble households, touring counties and reviewing the merits and faults of the mortal world. These 360 scholars automatically formed groups—either groups of five or groups of three—to patrol each region, all wielding great spiritual power. When their royal vessel entered a harbor, it always bore auspicious omens; wherever they arrived, they received wholehearted, respectful welcome at the local post, praying for safety. This custom has continued to the present day and is not to be ignored. Because the Taipings are sea islands, the thousand-year ritual is even more welcomed than in other regions. Among the most famous is the Thousand-Year Title at the Southern Kun Five-Prefectures. During the late Qing period, a patrol visited Penghu, where the Heavenly Queen Palace served as a mobile stage; thus, the three classes of civil and military officials all enthusiastically organized the staging affairs. Later, wanting to commemorate and thank the divine favor, a group of over twenty people, including Huang Jisi, formed a city deity meeting. They created a bronze statue of Zhu Wang, which was worshipped in turn for over forty years. In the thirteenth year of the Republic, construction of the temple began, and a year later it was completed. Because it was built by the northern civil and military officials, the temple is named Beicheng Palace.