萬應公祠 - Kaohsiung City

Wanshan

The Chinese believe that "a person is a combination of flesh and soul"; when a person is born, he is called the yangjian, and after death the soul will exist in another world, called the underworld; because the soul in the underworld has to live the same life as before. , So when a person is dying, his descendants have to do some "following things" for him, such as burning paper money, paper homes... etc., so that the soul can live in the underworld, have a place to live, and have money to spend. Can live a life in the underworld in peace. People who live in the underworld after death are commonly called "ghosts". Some people enshrine them as "destined ghosts", while those who are not enshrined are called "undestined ghosts" or "lone souls". The Wanyinggong Temple worships these lone souls that no one enshrines. Why do people worship these undeserved ghosts? This is because people believe that these lone souls cannot live in the underworld because there are no sacrifices, so they will disrupt people’s lives and bring disasters; and people build Yinggong temples to house them in order to eliminate them. These undestined ghosts will no longer endanger people's lives if they are sacrificed. Wanyinggong, also known as Wanshangonggui, Youyinggong, Wanshangong, Dazhongye, Jindougong, Pudugong, Damugong, Youyinggong, Peoplegong, Wanenzhu, Wanengong, Wanshanye ,...Wait. Although the names are different, all the ghosts enshrined are undeserved ghosts, belonging to the "Yin Temple." Such temples are scattered throughout the province, and there are at least a few in one place, scattered on the streets and lanes of various places, or beside the roads of various villages. Most of these temples are small in scale, and some also enshrine the remains of the dead. This kind of culture also shows the strong human touch of Taiwan's rural areas: the happiness that a person lives on must also be peaceful after death. After Fu’an Palace, beside the stairs to Danfeng Mountain, there is a small temple that is not very conspicuous, the so-called "Youyinggong Temple." According to the grandfather interviewed, the origin of this Youyinggong Temple was originally built. It is because when building houses in nearby areas, some unowned dead bones were dug up. In order to pray for the smooth and safe construction of the project, the builders established Youyinggong Temple, hoping for peace of mind, and also hope that these unowned souls can have a place to live and live.