Beiji Temple Audio Guide

Beiji Temple: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Beiji Temple

   Welcome to Beiji Temple, known in Chinese as Beiji Dian. You are in the West Central District of Tainan, on Minquan Road, Section 2. If you are arriving on foot, the temple sits within walking distance southwest of Tainan Railway Station, so it is an easy stop on a stroll through the old city. The name is often translated as the North Pole Palace or the Arctic Palace. The temple honors Xuantian Shangdi, the Mysterious Supreme Emperor of Heaven. Locals also call him the Northern Emperor, Shangdi Gong, Shangdi Ye or Diye Gong. Each name is a small clue to how much affection people hold for this deity. Over the next few minutes we will look at a temple that has been rebuilt, cut back and reshaped by roads, yet still keeps some of the oldest inscriptions in the city. We will trace its beginnings in the era of the Kingdom of Tungning, look at the unusual way it meets the street today, and then step inside to find its black columns and ancient tablets.

2. 02

   Origins in the Age of Tungning

   Beiji Temple belongs to the earliest chapter of Tainan's story. It is described as a temple built under the Kingdom of Tungning, the government that ruled part of Taiwan from 1661 to 1683 in the name of the Ming Dynasty. Xuantian Shangdi, the god honored here, was the object of a state religion in the Ming Dynasty, which gives the temple a particular political and spiritual weight. The temple was first recorded on Chihcian Street in the Dongan District, and its commanding position made it look all the more majestic. This part of Tainan stands on high ground. At around 14 meters above sea level, the wider neighborhood was once among the most elevated spots in the city, and it is also home to the Temple of Heaven and the former Tainan Weather Observatory. A local tale adds a colorful layer. It says the building began life as a Dutch clinic, and that Zheng Chenggong used it as a medical station during his siege of Fort Zeelandia. Whether or not that is exactly how it happened, the story ties the temple to the dramatic moment when the Dutch left and a new era began.

3. 03

   A Temple Reshaped by Roads

   This temple has changed with the city around it. In 1804 an additional building was added at the back, offering temporary lodging for soldiers and townsmen. It earned the name Tongshan Camp, which tells you the temple served practical community needs as well as spiritual ones. Then came the roads. In 1907, during the period of Japanese rule, the front of the temple was demolished to make way for road expansion. In 1964 it happened again, when the Tainan City Government built a road 15 meters wide. The result is something you can still read in the building today. The three-entryway front is now a pedestrian arcade, and the temple proper stands seven stone steps above it. As you walk up, you are climbing through layers of change, from a shrine that once stood further forward to a modern street that nibbled away at its edges.

4. 04

   Black Columns and Ancient Tablets

   Inside, look at the color first. The temple is dominated by black, and the black columns are its signature feature. It is a fitting choice for a temple to the Mysterious Supreme Emperor of Heaven, whose title carries the sense of dark, mysterious heaven. Now look for the inscriptions. The oldest tablet in the city is preserved here, inscribed in 1689 with the phrase Brightness of the Mighty Spirits. Another tablet, with the words Surrounded by Stars, was given in 1713 by Chen Bin of Taiwan and Xiamen Circuit. Carved stone columns and inscriptions on the walls are also counted as cultural relics of great value. Take your time with these objects. A tablet from 1689 was hung only a few years after the Qing took over Taiwan from the Kingdom of Tungning, so you are standing close to the moment when the island's history turned a page. The deity is also worshipped in other Tainan temples, including Kaiji Lingyou Temple nearby, so you may enjoy comparing how each one honors him.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Before you move on, pause on the steps and look back toward the street. A temple that has lost its front twice to road building still stands there, calm and dark-columned, above the traffic of Minquan Road. As you wander the nearby lanes, keep an eye out for other old temples in this part of Tainan. The Temple of Heaven and Kaiji Lingyou Temple are both close by, and each adds another piece to the story of how the early city gathered around its sacred places. And if you have a quiet moment, look again at the tablets and the carved stone. Which one feels oldest to you, and what do you imagine people were hoping for when they first set it in place?