aeeble

Built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty and originally named “Bao’an Temple,” it was renamed “Wende Temple” in the Daoguang era because local native Zeng Weizhen had become a Hanlin academician. The new name signifies “protecting the region and its people while promoting culture and moral education.” The emperor granted the village’s Earth God the same official rank as the Hanlin scholar and bestowed an imperial-made black gauze cap, making this the only Earth God in Taiwan with an imperial-bestowed official title. In 2008, Wende Temple’s century-old traditional lantern-welcoming ceremony was registered as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage.” After four relocations and rebuildings, the temple has grown ever larger and its incense ever more abundant. Flanking the main hall are the “Courtesy Gate” and “Righteous Path.” Later, the “Five-Camp Tower” was added to enshrine the divine generals of the celestial armies and to exhibit cultural relics, further enhancing the site’s historical significance.