Shilong Temple ( zh, t=石龍宮, p=Shílóng Gōng) is a temple in Yonghe Village, Zhongliao Township,

Nantou County Nantou County (; Hokkien POJ: ''Lâm-tâu-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Nàm-thèu-yen'') is the second largest county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives fro ...

, Taiwan. Dedicated to the tutelary deity

Tudigong Tudigong ( "Lord of the Soil and the Ground") or Tudishen ( "God of the Soil and the Ground"), also known simply as Tudi ( "Soil-Ground") is a tutelary deity of a locality and the human communities who inhabit it in Chinese folk religion and Tao ...

, the small temple is known for its worship with

instant noodles Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is ...

History

According to legend, Shilong Temple was established over one hundred years ago. Initially, the temple had no building nor statue but was merely four rocks. At some point, a traveler from Tangshan left a glowing

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...

bag on a tree, which was perceived as divine and was worshipped by locals. In the 1950s, a worshipper decided to craft a statue for the temple. That night, a spirit appeared in his dreams and instructed him to put a black beard on the statue, instead of the usual white color. In the 1980s, the temple was popular among gamblers playing (a type of illegal lottery) seeking for good luck.

Architecture and etymology

Shilong Temple is located on the south bank of the Zhangping River (樟平溪), a tributary of the

Maoluo River The Maoluo River () is a tributary of the Wu River (Dadu River) in Taiwan. It is the main tributary on the left bank of the Wu River. Originating from the Jialishan Range, it flows east of the Bagua Plateau through Nantou County, Changhua County, ...

. The temple itself is small, standing a mere tall. Despite this, there is a large courtyard for worshippers to eat, as well as a parking lot with a capacity of nearly one hundred cars. The temple's name, which translates to "rock

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

temple", is derived from the rock Tudigong statue inside and how the hills behind the temple look like a dragon's back.

Worship

Shilong Temple is unique in that pilgrims mostly present

to Tudigong instead of the usual range of foods found in other temples. Instant noodles are also given to worshippers free of charge and are usually eaten on the temple's premises. According to the temple, the tradition owes to the temple's remote location, leading to hungry worshippers eating the noodles left behind by past pilgrims. Eating noodles at the temple was discouraged during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

over concerns of spreading the virus.

Gallery

JhongliaoShihlongTemple.JPG, Entrance to the temple 石龍宮雨遮.jpg, The temple's canopy, which covers the temple and its altar. 石龍宮泡麵.jpg, Cabinet of instant noodles for pilgrims to eat

References

{{reflist Taoist temples in Taiwan Temples in Nantou County

History

Architecture and etymology

Worship

Gallery

See also

References