Hometown of “Zhong Po Shai”
Changes in Society and Economy
The “Yi Zheng” (art-performing group) culture

“Yi Zheng” (art-performing group) culture

1.“Yi Zheng”：

Nei-Men Town is the origin of “Yi Zheng” and it’s the most important town for developing “Yi Zheng.”  In the early days, residents formed various “Wu Zheng – the brave and daring battle array” to fend off foreign invasions and counter fights. Later, they formed various “Wen Zheng – the gentle and elegant battle array” for rewarding the gods during temple fairs.  Every March of the Lunar Calendar years, residents gathered around at the “Purple Bamboo Temple” and joyfully celebrated “Mazu’s (goddess of the sea)” birthday.  In order to reward the service for those who performed in the arrays, residents donated whatever they had such as vegetables, meats, and tableware. Then they set up a tent in front of the temple and cooked there. For convenience, residents cooked a big pot of rice. Besides that, they also cooked a big pot of soup with various kinds of meats and vegetables, which was later called the “Lohan Soup” or the “Rice Soup”.

2.Practicing Skills：

According to a legend, there was a resident who went out of Nei-Men Town to make a living in early days.  That resident incidentally learned the skills of “Ban Dou.”  He then relied on the skills he learned to make a living after he went back to Nei-Men Town.  With the right time at the right place and with the presence of “Yi Zheng” and temple fairs, the business of “Ban Dou” expanded greatly in Nei-Men Town.  “Zhong-Po-Shai”s were practically getting customers from everywhere. Gradually, “Zhong-Po-Shai”s of Nei-Men Town began to travel and spread out of their town and gained good reputations everywhere in the northern, central, and southern part of Taiwan.