Interview – Commissioner of Dianzai Street Fude Temple Management

│Photo: The Wondrous Temple Expedition｜

After we learned the stories about the temple and how the foundation has been involved in charity work, we interviewed the commissioner of the temple management Mr. Chen Maoji, who happened to be a community leader for 37 years! At first, we thought the temple management and the foundation were the same entity. After the interview, we learned that the management was responsible for human resources, and the foundation managed the donations and other expenses in order to make its financials more transparent.

• Interviewee: Commissioner Chen Maoji
• Years at the temple: more than 30 years
• Interviewers: Amber, Debbie, Delta, Amber, Katie
• Transcription: Linus, Katie
• Date: 2018.12.09｜Location: 1F Office, Fude Temple on Dianzai Street

Interview Log

About the temple

Q: What makes Fude Temple on Dianzai Street different from other Earth God temples?

A: Earth God temples are often the religious centers in many places. I was born and raised here. I have never left Yonghe in my life, and I have been servicing the area ever since I took office. The temple started as a rock. During the trading ear, more merchants gathered in the neighborhood. The Pingpu tribe moved towards Xiulang because they did not get along well with the newcomers. Our ancestors expanded the temple bit by bit until what it is today.

Q: Do we have any written records of the temple’s history?

A: We were not able to confirm the exact age of the temple. According to the Ministry of Culture, a building that is more than three hundred years old must be listed as a level two monument. But we did not register. The roof of the temple used to be made of Cochin ware. But the entire roof was replaced with ceramic tiles during a renovation, no one thought of preserving the historic Cochin ware. Later, the city sent two groups of people over and demanded us to put the old Cochin ware roof back. Unfortunately, the master who worked on the original roof passed away, and that was the end of the temple’s Cochin ware roof.

Q: Do you follow a particular deity or religion more closely?

A: Legend has it that the temple used to help mostly visitors who came here to do business, and it did not offer locals much assistance. Visitors came here to pray, hoping Earth God would help them with their businesses. Once they made some money, they would return and make donations to the temple. Locals here treat Earth God like our neighbor. I’m over sixty years old, and I rarely come here to pray. I used to play at the temple when I was little, and we even played cards under the altar. Earth God is like a close friend of mine, so I don’t really come here to pray. Each deity is like a religious belief for someone, so there is no need to be overly superstitious.

About the Management

Q: How long has the temple had its management?

A: More than 20 years.

Q: What is the primary duty of the commissioner? What is its main difference from the foundation?

A: The foundation is responsible for doing charity work, and the management is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the temple and its personnel. Most temples do not make such a fine distinction, and some temples have a management only without the foundation. Fude Temple on Dianzai Street has both a foundation and a management so we would be able to maximize the efficiency of the temple.

Q: What made you took the job as the temple’s commissioner? What is the primary duty of this job? Is it a tough job?

A: My duties include contacting locals for events and activities. If other temples plan to pay us a visit, I’ll make the necessary arrangements. Whenever worshippers have a problem, I would handle the matter myself. The temple management includes a commissioner, six committee members, and a treasurer. We used to have public relations, administration, and general affairs divisions, but now everyone is quite familiar with their jobs, so the distinction isn’t that clear-cut anymore.

Charity Related

Q: We understand that the temple does put in a lot of efforts into taking care of disadvantaged groups. How does the temple go about selecting whom gets the assistance? Are there specific groups that you have locked in?

A: The temple started doing charity work about four years ago while I was still the chairperson of the foundation. It all started when Yonghe Cardinal Tien Hospital contacted us and expressed its need for a hospital shuttle bus for discharged patients with poor mobility. We donated four million dollars for such a shuttle bus. For charity work, we started with local public schools. We donated to help families that couldn’t afford school fees. We also allocated funds every year for school events. If school clubs needed funding, we would donate one hundred thousand dollars per year.

Q: How frequently does the temple organize charity work?

A: The foundation makes an annual budget for charity work at the beginning of each fiscal year. The budget includes details for each charity event, even the dollar amount is listed. For example, we have been working with Yonghe district office to host year-end gathering dinner for seniors who live alone. Since the temple has agreed to fund one thousand seniors, we need to discuss the details with the district office. Activities like these would need to be listed on the annual budget at the beginning of the year.

Q: It looks like the lighting of perpetual lights has started. Do you have plans to light perpetual lights for the disadvantaged groups?

A: We are working on lighting the perpetual lights online, but it’s still not ready. With the advancement in technology, it would be really easy for worshippers to locate their perpetual lights online. A lot of big temples are already doing it, and we will assign people to take care of it. We will do charity work that repatriates back to the society because the donations that we got are from worshippers, so we must do work that will make each dollar count.

Look Into the Future

Q: If the temple gets more funds, will there be any plans to change the temple?

A: During each foundation board or management committee meeting, we would first deduct the expenses from the total donation, and then the remainder would go to the foundation. Since we are a registered foundation, we have more credibility when doing charity work.

Q: What are your expectations for the temple?

A: The suggestion that you made just now was a good idea. Since we have a lot of worshippers lighting up perpetual lights, we will definitely contemplate a way to help the disadvantaged groups to light perpetual lights.

Q: Do you have anything that you wish to say to children of our age?

A: Worshipping deities is a folk religion. In the past, it brought the community together by connecting people spiritually and emotionally. I have been a community leader, so I know that very well. I want you kids to visit your neighborhood and get to know your neighbors better, stay connected with them, especially the elderly. We have a senior group meal program, so if your grandparents are spending all day staying home, we have a place for them to enjoy meals with other seniors. They may make new friends and become a regular there. Finally, just remember this, respect deities from your heart. As long as you are sincere, that’s enough. Don’t get carried away with the praying and worshipping.

Afterthoughts from the Interview

This was my second interview at the temple. We hoped to learn more about how the commissioner went about helping the disadvantaged groups and his daily work at the temple management. What I found surprising about the commissioner was as a person who has worked for so long at the temple, he should have a deity that he followed more closely. However, he said sincerity was the only thing that mattered. He reminded us to take good care of school work by ourselves and do not hope to let the deities help us get good grades. I agree with him, and school grades should be based on our own efforts, not blessing from deities.

We interviewed the commissioner of the temple management. From the interview, he mentioned some interesting points that got me thinking. For example, he mentioned that sincerity is more important and do not be overly obsessed with asking deities for help. There is a saying that teaches people to help oneself before asking for divine intervention. Another important point that I picked up was when praying to Earth God, we need to go to the one that is in our neighborhood. I think that is a very good point, so I have learned a lot from the interview.

We interviewed Commissioner Chen, and he shed some lights on the daily work at the temple management. At first I did not know the difference between the foundation and the management. After the interview, I learned that the management takes care of everything that goes on in the temple, and the foundation takes care of donations and charity work. Commissioner Chen kept his answers short and to the point, and that is something that I need to learn from him.

Source Text: The Wondrous Temple Expedition, Fude Temple on Dianzai Street Commissioner │
Photos: The Wondrous Temple Expedition