I’m going to have to split my trip to Tainan into two posts so as not to completely overwhelm people with an insane amount of pictures. In this post, I am visiting the Guan Gong/Official God of War/Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple in Tainan.

Guan Gong, also known as Guan Yu, was alive circa 184 – 280 A.D. He was a general for the warlord Liu Bei during the time of the Three Kingdoms period in China. Although he is a god of war, he is venerated by many people including policemen, accountants (he was said to be good with money), students studying for exams, and those on the path of righteousness and brotherhood. This particular temple was built in 1665, but did not become a temple as such until 1690. It is still very much in use today.

The outside of the temple really gives no hint as to what is inside. The whole temple is surrounded by these walls.

The entrance to the temple is quite similar to the entrances to other temples I’ve seen – they all have a similar feel to them. However, once you step inside, the differences become more readily apparent.

If you turn back just as you enter the temple, you can see these characters – Da Zhang Fu. According the guidebook I received at the temple, “In classical Chinese these character represent courage, strength, and loyalty, the traits of the god Guan Gong. The name plate was present to the temple by a visiting Qing Dynasty general in 1791. Japanese visitors are often amused by this sign, as the expression has come to mean something like “male chauvinist” in contemporary Japanese usage!”

Also at the entrance to the temple are items for purchase to aid in your worshiping. You can buy incense sticks, paper money to burn as an offering, and more.

Upon entering the temple, I heard some beautiful chanting and once I got my bearings (and my free guidebook), I wandered towards the beautiful sound. These women (nuns? devotees? I haven’t been able to get a definitive answer) were chanting for at least a half an hour. I stood there for around ten minutes listening to them and then continued my exploration of the temple grounds.

One thing I found to be interesting was that there isn’t just one room where the temple is. Instead, there are multiple temples that all have different purposes and are dedicated to different gods. This incense burner is for offerings and was outside the temple just behind the main temple.

The view from this particular temple was quite spectacular. Each rooftop houses a different temple within the temple. Pretty cool!

Somehow I did not get a photo of the statue of Guan Gong in this temple. However, I did capture Zhou Chang (Guan Gong’s general and bodyguard who killed himself upon learning of Guan Gong’s death) and one of Guan Gong’s sons (unnamed in my guide, sorry).

As I mentioned above, one of the functions of Guan Gong is as a patron for those who have examinations. People write their examinations and dates on cards in the hopes that Guan Gong will help them to do well on their tests. I even found one where the student was studying for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam!

I was surprised to find a little pond for turtles. They were adorable and I watched them for a little bit and then wandered over to the more expected koi pond. The garden area was a nice little oasis.

This statue of Guan Yin was one of my favorites in the temple. She’s the bodhisattva of compassion.

This is the Yue Lao Temple. According to my guidebook, “Single people go here to pray for luck in finding a suitable partner. If they are successful, they bring a wedding cake and fruit to the temple to thank the god.”

Requests for that “suitable partner” are placed in glass vials and hung on the wall. Not surprisingly, this was a particularly busy temple.

The artwork in the temples is sometimes amusing and sometimes astonishing – usually a mix of both.

After about two hours I took my leave of the temple, but I think I fell a little bit in love with it. I really enjoyed how vibrant, yet peaceful it felt. This is a view of the street from the entrance to the temple. After I left, I wandered down a small, winding alley to the right, but that is a tale for another time.

Next up: Part two of my journey to Tainan, including a Matsu temple with gorgeous murals, melon tea, and an embroidery master….