Baozhong Yimin Temple
Main Deities
About
Most temples enshrine deity statues; Yimin Temple venerates a tomb — and this is what makes Baozhong Yimin Temple the most distinctive and moving of all. This temple in Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County, is the head temple of Yimin (Righteous People) faith across Taiwan and the most important spiritual sanctuary of the Taiwanese Hakka community. Its spiritual core is the 'Yimin Tomb' behind the main hall, the burial place of more than 200 Hakka volunteer warriors who died defending their homeland in Qing-dynasty upheavals such as the Lin Shuangwen Rebellion. The 'Bao Zhong' (Praise Loyalty) plaque hanging high in the main hall was bestowed by the Qianlong Emperor. At the annual Yimin Festival on the 20th day of the 7th lunar month, hosted in rotation by fifteen great townships across the Taoyuan-Hsinchu region, the most talked-about event is the 'Divine Pig Competition' — worshippers vie to raise the fattest sacred pig to honor their ancestors in the most abundant way possible.
History
In 1786, during the Qianlong reign, the Lin Shuangwen Rebellion broke out, and Hakka communities around Hsinchu and Taoyuan formed volunteer militias to defend their homes in bloody battle. After the fighting, more than 200 fallen warriors were buried together at Fangliao (today's Xinpu Township). In 1790 the local people pooled their funds to build a temple in their memory, and the Qianlong Emperor bestowed the 'Bao Zhong' plaque — the origin of Yimin Temple. In every later upheaval — the Zhu Yigui and Dai Chaochun uprisings among them — the righteous who died protecting their homeland were also enshrined here. Thus Yimin Temple became the symbolic sanctuary of the Taiwanese Hakka spirit, and its singular form of worship, 'a tomb as a temple,' has always stood apart in Taiwan's religious culture.
Baozhong Yimin Temple
Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County
Visitor Info
Address
No. 360, Sec. 3, Yimin Rd., Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County
Region
Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County