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According to folk religion, walking through a centipede parade promotes health and safety.
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●Information
Traffic：By Bus: Take Hsin Nan Bus to Kuan Sheng at Feng Chia Road in Tainan. You can also take the bus to Hseuh Chia at Hsin Ying and get off at Hseuh Chia. Driving: After getting off the freeway at Matou Interchange, just follow the Provincial Route-176. Then, turn to Provincial Route-171 and drive north for about 10km. And you will arrive at Hseuh Chia soon. When you arrive at Hseuh Chia, turn right to Hua Chung Road; it will lead you to Tzichi Temple. You can also get off the Chung Shan Freeway at Hsin Ying Interchange. Drive along Provincial Route-172 and connect to Provincial Route-19 to Hseuh Chia. After arriving at Hseuh Chia, you can take Provincial Route-174 (Chung Cheng Road) to Tzichi Temple.
Place：Tzichi Temple, No.170, Chisheng Road, Hseuhchi, Tainan County
Tel：06-7833059,7836110
Reference Site
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●Origin
During 1644-1662 (the Regime of Emperor Jungli of Ming Dynasty), the villagers from Baijiao Village, Tung-an County, Fujian migrated to Taiwan with Cheng Cheng-kung. In order to beg for safety on the trip across the Straight and prosperity in their explorations, they invited the Emperor Pao Sheng
| Emperor Pao Sheng： |
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| Emperor Pao Sheng is the traditional Chinese deity of medicine. |
(god of medicine) by separating the incense from Tzichi Temple at Baijiao, Fujian to Taiwan. The god was then worshipped at the Tzichi Temple at Hseuh-chia in Tainan. On March 15 of the Lunar Calendar every year, during the birthday of Emperor Pao Sheng, the people from the 13 regions will take the statues of the god back to his home town Baijiao to visit his ancestor. This ceremony is called as "Visit Baijiao." After the Japanese occupied Taiwan, due to the transportation between the both sides of the Straight was blocked, people could not sponsor the ceremony of Visit Baijiao. Then, they made up an alternative way to the ceremony, which was held at the bank Chiangchun (Genreal) River in Hsueh Chia, where the ancestors first landed when migrating from the Mainland China. In that location, people built a Baijiao Pavilion, which had profound meanings, and erected a memorial stone tablet. Likewise, the pioneers could worship their ancestors with remote manner. In Visit Baijiao, people worshipped both the gods and the ancestors, constituting a very special traditional temple fair in Taiwan.
●Activities
In the god worshipping ritual, the leading worshipper will burn incense and pray to the King Pao Sheng by performing the etiquette of kneeling 3 times and bowing 9 times. Then, accompanied by the parades, King Pao Sheng is carried out of the temple and invited into the sedan chair. Then, he will go to the Baijiao Pavilion 4 km away to worship his ancestor. In the ceremony, it consists of the following procedures: carrying the god out, inspect over his terrain, ritual, pleading for water, return trip, entering the temple. Among the traditional parades of Visit Baijiao, the most attractive one should be the caterpillar parade. It is said that the caterpillar is the incarnation of the cyan dragon, which possesses the functions of exorcising. As it accomplished considerably in protecting the god, it was honored as protector of the god. The god's sedan chair and the "caterpillar parade," carried by people, will depart from Tzichi Temple first and begin to inspect the terrain. To start the ceremony, they will travel to the bank of Chien-liao River, where the ancestors first landed. Then, the people will perform an ancestor worshipping ritual at Baijiao Pavilion. When the ritual is about to end, people will fetch water at Chiangchun River to symbolize their memory of their origins when drinking the water. In addition, they also pay tribute to their ancestors.
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