Month of Pu-Tu in Lukang

　

Day Fifteen ~ Day Twenty-one

　

Day Fifteen, the Old Temple

　

　　The Old Temple refers to Lukang Mazu Temple, the religious center in Lukang. July 15th of the lunar calendar is also known as Zhongyuan, and it is the birthday of the Earthly Official. In the past, the eight merchant guilds of Lukang collaborated to hold the Pu-Tu here. They invited Taoist priests to host Tao seminars and offered food to ghosts by setting up tables under makeshift scaffolds at the temple square. The Management Committee of Lukang Mazu Temple still follows the tradition by organizing Pu-Tu pujas on the fifteenth day of lunar July. 

　　In the Pu-Tu evening, a paper-constructed Ghost Lord (Photo 15-2) is placed in the front of the temple. Ghost Lord has a vicious look and acts as a traffic policeman to manage the inflow and outflow of ghosts for the banquet. He is undoubtedly an important role in Pu-Tu activities. The legend says that Ghost Lord is the incarnation of Guanyin. The picture of Guanyin on the head of Ghost Lord has an enlightening power and guides ghosts to enjoy their meal in an orderly manner. In addition, tall lantern poles are erected in advance, in order to show directions to the lost and wandering ghosts. Numerous paper-constructed god statues, such as the Venerable Great Lord and Mountain God, are essential guests for the occasion. Each of these gods has different meanings and purposes. Local residents bring various food offerings to Mazu Temple to join the praying ceremony. Many companies and organizations give their Pu-Tu offerings away to poor families. The offerings prepared by Lukang Mazu Temple are donated to senior citizens in need and disadvantaged groups. Pujas are for the blessing of the people as well as the reincarnation of wandering ghosts.

　

Photo 15-1: Lukang Mazu Temple

Photo 15-2: Paper-constructed Ghost Lord

Photo 15-3: Zhongyuan Pu-Tu Puja according to the traditional way at Lukang Mazu Temple

      

Day Sixteen, Dongshi Village

　　Dongshi Village is located in the north of old Lukang, and its religious center is Dongxing Temple. The neighborhoods of Dongshi settlement, Top Vegetable Garden and Bottom Vegetable Garden all belong to the Huang family clan. This is the reason why Dongxing Temple, Shunyi Temple, and Tzuji Shrine often work together and assist each other in religious festivals and activities. 

　　The Dongshi community nowadays still keeps the tradition of rotation Pu-Tu on July 16th. In addition, Lord of the Li Manor from Dongxing Temple hosts a praying event for shattered spirits at Baixing-gong Temple and Stone Deity Temple in Dongshi Village during the sunset hours on August 15th of the lunar calendar each year, which is called Pu-Tu Netting. At about 4 pm on that day, local residents lay out plenty of goodies on the floor in front of Baixing-gong Temple and Stone Deity Temple. This is to welcome the loitering ghosts to enjoy their final meal before the Lord Li guides them back to the underworld.  (more detail about "Pu-Tu Netting" available at "Day 30~ Following Days")        

Photo 16-1: Lord of the Li Manor at Dongxing Temple

Photo 16-2: Ceremony at Dongshi Village on August 15th

Photo 16-3: Praying Event for Shattered Spirits

Photo 16-4: Dongxing Temple

Photo 16-5: Dongshi Village

　

Day Seventeen, Guo Manor

　　Guo Manor, in which most locals are surnamed Guo, is another one of the three villages in the northern Lukang. Beitou Baoan Temple, the temple for the Guo family clan, was previously a mosque. The six pillars in the front represent the six lineages of the Guo family. The statues of Lord Guang-Ze inside are over 100 years old. The unique one with a black-face is famous for his answers to prayers.

Photo 17: Pillar in the Front of Beitou Baoan Temple

　

Day Eighteen, the Military Camp

　　

　　Yongan Temple on the Old Street is one of the temples for all the people in Lukang. This place was previously a military camp for armies of the Qing Dynasty. It has a history of 328 years, and the main god in the temple is Lord of Hsueh Manor. Also worshipped here is Shao-Lung Tseng, who sacrificed his life fighting rebels attacking Lukang at one late night in 1795. (Lord Tseng was the first real-life person worshipped by temples in Lukang.) There is a special wooden statue in the temple saying “Pu-Tu God at Military Camp”, the only one remaining in Lukang. The Management Committee continues with the tradition of Pu-Tu ceremonies at the temple square on July 18th each year. What is unique about Pu-Tu here is its ancestral tablet of Pu-Tu God. It is normally enshrined in front of the Lord Tseng on other days and only removed outside on July 18th. 

　

Photo 18-1: Billboard of Yongan Temple, the Military Camp

Photo 18-2: Pu-Tu at the Square of Yongan Temple

Photo 18-3: Ancestral Tablet of Pu-Tu God at the Military Camp

　

Day Nineteen, Shanxing Street

　　Wuze Temple dedicated to the Third Lord of Hsu Manor is the religious center of Shanxing Street (China-fir Store Street literally) . This temple preserves some precious paper-constructed god statues. The Management Committee resumed the rotation tradition a few years ago. On July 19th, Pu-Tu ceremonies are held on Shanxing Street. There was a paper art shop nearby, specialized in the production of decorative bamboo lanterns. The colorful lanterns hanging high up were a remarkable sight.

　　On Shanxing Street were wooden furniture stores and paper art shops. Although the furniture industry has left, the zigzags of Shanxing Street maintain the old flavor of Lukang. Inside the alleys and lanes are a fragrant sachet shop, Xishi Book and Tea, Liar Fake Music Records & Tapes, and Four-Knowledges Tang. These art and culture sites are worthy of exploration at leisure, as they showcase the cultural scene in Lukang. 


　

Photo 19-1: Shanxing Street

Photo 19-2: Shanxing Street

　

 Day Twenty, Houliao Village

　　Houliao Village is one of the street blocks in the fishing village of Beitou. It is to the north of Lukang Mazu Temple and to the south of Dongshi and Guo Manor. It is at about the intersection of Fuxing Road and Lucao Road as well as its west side. Daitian Temple, the main religious center here, started to host its Pu-Tu ceremony on July 15th a few years ago, instead of July 20th in the rotation tradition. Dayuan Dizang Pusa will be devotionally invited to the top table at the temple square during the ceremony. 

Photo 20-1: Daitian Temple at Houliao Village

Photo 20-2: Pu-Tu ceremony at Houliao Village

Photo 20-3: Pu-Tu ceremony at Houliao Village

　

Day Twenty-one, Houche Road

　　Houche Road, also called Houche Lane today, is between the wharf area (Dark Street, Yaolin Street and Putou Street) and Five-fortune Boulevard (Fuxing Street and Shuxing Street.) It was a vibrant area where geishas, writers and scholars mingled. It was also a main road for rickshaws, carts and carriages, with separate areas for pedestrians.

　　There is saying in Lukang that “Fighting stops behind the narrow gates”.  Civil strife and clan fighting were rampant in the early days of Lukang. Narrow gates were constructed to maintain safety. At the peak, there were 50 to 60 gates in this town. The only one remaining today is on Houche Road. Built in 1830, it is about 10 meters in height and 8 meters in width. At the top of the gate is the calligraphy “Gate Facing Houche”. This gate is a historical site designated by the Changhua County Government.

Source of photo:

Photo 15-2, 15-3 Facebook: Lukang Mazu Temple

Photo 16-1 http://crgis.rchss.sinica.edu.tw/temples/ChanghuaCounty/lugang/0702008-LWYM

Photo 16-2, 16-3 http://jieyi123.web.fc2.com/hfjuxp0915/jqsseb0915.htm

Photo 18-2 https://imgur.com/CnBV70y

Photo 18-3 https://imgur.com/velQyb2 

Photo 20-2, 20-3 Facebook: Lord of Li Manor from Kaiji at Daitian Temple of Houliao Village, September 2, 2020

Photo15-1, 16-4, 16-5, 17, 18-1, 19-1, 19-2, 20-1, 21-1, 21-2: taken by Lukang Explorers