Qingshui Zushi (Patriarch of Clear Water)

Chen Zhaoying's life is recounted through several remarkable legends.

According to tradition, Chen Zhaoying cultivated Buddhism from childhood at Anxi County in Fujian, eventually building a temple at Qingshui Cave to teach Buddhism. He was not only a master of doctrine but also a skilled physician, providing free medical care to the impoverished — earning deep local devotion.

The most famous legend concerns **rainmaking**. One year, Anxi was struck by severe drought; crops withered and famine spread. Chen Zhaoying personally climbed the mountain, set up a ritual altar, and observed seven days and seven nights of strict fasting and prayer. On the eighth day, the heavens opened and rain poured down, ending the drought. Local residents, deeply moved, henceforth regarded Qingshui Cave as a sacred site.

Another legend explains the **"black face"**. While cultivating in the mountains, Chen Zhaoying was confronted by mountain demons (山魈) seeking to drive him from their territory. They tried to force him out by lighting fires and smoking his face. He refused to break his meditation — his face was thoroughly blackened by the smoke, but he ultimately subdued the demons through compassion alone. From that day, all Qingshui Zushi statues bear the black face, symbolizing "**unmoved by external force, persistent in cultivation**."

After Chen Zhaoying's passing, local residents enshrined his preserved body as a gold-laquered statue at Qingshui Cave. Through subsequent dynasties, miracles were repeatedly reported, and the Song court bestowed honors four times — culminating in the title "Bright-Responding, Wide-Benefiting, Compassion-Salving, Beneficent Master." During the Ming and Qing migrations to Taiwan, Anxi-Quanzhou settlers brought his cult to Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan.

In Taiwan, an additional legend developed: **the "Falling Nose Patriarch"** (落鼻祖師). According to tradition, when a regional disaster (epidemic, earthquake, or war) is imminent, the nose of the Qingshui Zushi statue falls off as a warning to local residents. Sanxia Changfu Yan Patriarch Temple is particularly famous for this legend.

Worship of Qingshui Zushi involves fresh flowers, fruits, pastries, and clear tea as primary offerings. Because Qingshui Zushi was originally a Buddhist monk, vegetarian offerings are preferred per Mahayana tradition (distinct from other folk-religion deities who may receive meat).

**Worship intensity** peaks around his birthday (lunar 1/6), with some temples also celebrating lunar 5/6 (traditionally his "ascension day").

**Common rituals**:

- **Incense-passing parade** (過爐): the deity image is carried through neighborhoods, blessing each area

- **Pilgrimage** (進香): organized visits to the ancestral temple in Fujian

- **Lighting blessing lamps** (點光明燈): praying for a year of peace and wisdom

- **Drawing fortune sticks** (求籤): the Qingshui Zushi temple system has a particularly complete fortune-stick collection

**Regional specialty**: **Sanxia Changfu Yan Patriarch Temple** annually holds the "**Sacred Pig Competition**" (神豬比賽) on lunar 1/6 — one of Taiwan's largest such ceremonies. Local residents raise the temple-dedicated pigs (deliberately fed to extreme weight) for several years, slaughter them on the deity's birthday, and parade them to the temple where they are weighed for ranking. Despite questioning by animal welfare groups, the practice continues as a regional tradition.

At Bangka Qingshui Yan and Tamsui Qingshui Yan, visitors can also observe Anxi-Quanzhou migrant-descended worship organizations — providing an important entry point for studying Taiwan's migrant social history.

**Qingshui Zushi's Birthday**: lunar 1/6. The most important festival in this cult, with all Patriarch temples in Taiwan holding celebrations.

**Sanxia Changfu Yan "Sacred Pig Competition"**: held annually on lunar 1/6, with several centuries of history. Residents raise temple-dedicated pigs (specifically fed to extreme weight) over several years; on the deity's birthday they are slaughtered and paraded to the temple, where they are ranked by weight. While controversial under modern animal welfare frameworks, it remains one of Taiwan's most thoroughly preserved traditional folk events.

**Patriarch's Ascension Day**: lunar 5/6. Some temples (notably Tamsui Qingshui Yan and Bangka Qingshui Yan) hold smaller secondary celebrations on this day to commemorate his death and ascension.

**Lunar New Year**: Throughout the Lunar New Year period, descendants of Anxi-Quanzhou migrants visit Patriarch temples to worship — an important opportunity for observing the persistence of migrant-religious community organization in modern Taiwan.