Longlanwo Weiwu Temple (Bamboo Furen Altar)
#2月好地方2025
There is a Weiwu Temple in Meinong, Kaohsiung. The main deity enshrined is the "Bamboo Man" which is rare in Taiwan. Judging from its appearance, it is easy to mistake it for Guangze Zunwang. However, the Bamboo Man is a god that is a personification of bamboo. There is also a story behind it about a "tiger mom" who led the people to fight off bandits. The full name of the Weiwu Temple is "Longlanwo Weiwu Temple", but it is more commonly called "Niulanwo Weiwu Temple". It was earlier called "Zhu Furen Altar". The main deity in the temple, Zhu Fu Ren, may be the only one in Taiwan. Because the statue looks young, it was once mistaken for Guangze Zunwang.
The origin of Zhufu people is related to the "Yellow Sect Rebellion" that occurred in the 35th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1770). The Yellow Sect, together with Zhu Yide, Chen Zongkuan, Zheng Chunshi and others, launched an uprising and besieged Fengshan County. On the 14th day of the first lunar month, hundreds of Huangjiao bandits attacked Longdu Village. However, the local militia and civil defense corps had been transferred back to Fengshan County for support, leaving only a handful of soldiers and the elderly, the weak, women and children in the village. The residents of the village panicked and planned to flee the village. However, there was a woman named Zhong in the village who was very strong and powerful. The villagers called her "Tiger Mom". She hung her skirt on a bamboo pole as a flag and shouted loudly: "If anyone wants to escape, cut off his heels!"
Tiger Mom's roar boosted the morale of the villagers, and they immediately picked up their weapons and rushed forward to meet the enemy. When the villagers and bandits were fighting in Niulanwo, a strong wind suddenly blew and knocked down a big bamboo, which was used as a cannon seat. The Longdu Village side also began to gain the upper hand.
Someone on the battlefield saw dark clouds in the sky that flickered, and in the clouds there was a god riding a white horse and holding a large fan. The god waved the fan and blew back the lime that the bandits used to attack the villagers, making the bandits panic. The villagers of Longdu Village took advantage of the situation to fight back and won the war. Niulanwo, the place where the war took place, is still known as the "bandit-killing den" until now. After the war, the people of Longdu built an altar at the place where the big bamboo fell. It was called the "Altar of Bamboo Helping People" or the "Mighty Temple" to commemorate the bamboo that suddenly fell and the gods who helped in the battle in the air. On the 14th day of the first lunar month every year, they offer sacrifices of pigs and sheep to remember their kindness. The story of the tiger mom who bravely fought the enemy was also painted into an image and recorded on the wall of the Weiwu Temple, so that everyone will always remember this history.
Address: No. 8, Longlan Street, Meinong District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
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