Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

folk religion In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized re ...

, ''yin

miao Miao may refer to: * Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China * Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages * Miao (Unicode ...

'' ( zh, t=陰廟, p=Yīnmiào, l=

dark Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lum ...

temple) are

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

dedicated to wandering and homeless spirits, as opposed to ''yang miao'', which are dedicated to

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

. According to local beliefs, ghosts without a permanent resting place (as in a

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

) wandering in the human realm and may cause trouble for the living. Therefore, ''yin miao'' serve as such resting places for these spirits as a form of respect and to maintain peace. Temples dedicated to deities associated with afterlife, like Cheng Huang Ye or Di Zang Wang, are not considered ''yin miao''.

Architecture and location

As opposed to ''yang miao'', ''yin miao'' are typically much smaller and less decorated. ''Yin miao'' will often display the words ''Yǒuqíobìyìng'' (有求必應). There are usually no

paifang A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent's ''torana'' through the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles ...

or any

menshen Menshen or door gods are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu ( ) and Yulü () under the H ...

at the entrance, and there are usually no statues inside the hall at all. However, some do get reconstructed into larger temples with more elaborate decorations. ''Yin miao'' are often built near the sites of

mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

, battle sites, unmarked graves, and treacherous terrain where accidents happen. For example,

Keelung Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...

's Laodagong Temple is dedicated to those who died during conflicts between

Quanzhou Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...

and

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefec ...

settlers. Shezi Island in Taipei's

Shilin District Shilin District (also spelled Shihlin District, zh, t=士林區, p=Shìlínqū, poj=Sū-lîm-khu) is a district of Taipei. The central command center of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) is located in Shilin. History The name ''Shilin'' w ...

has a high concentration of ''yin miao'' for the corpses that float down the

Tamsui River The Tamsui River (alternatively Danshui River, ) is third longest river in Taiwan after Zhuoshui River and Gaoping River, with a total length of , flowing through Hsinchu County, Taoyuan, Taipei and New Taipei City. It is located in northern pa ...

and get lodged there. Some ''yin miao'' are dedicated to deceased unmarried women. In Chinese culture,

ancestor worship The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

is only done to men and women that married into the family, and a family cannot worship a woman that never left that family. Therefore, ''yin miao'' are built outside for these women, which are often named ''Guniangmiao'' (姑娘廟).

Worship

According to Taiwanese beliefs, worship in a ''yin miao'' should be done deliberately and carefully. Therefore, children are often told to not worship in random temples. Typically, only silver

joss paper Joss paper, also known as incense papers, are papercrafts or sheets of paper made into burnt offerings common in Chinese ancestral worship (such as the veneration of the deceased family members and relatives on holidays and special occasions). Wo ...

is burned (instead of gold) since the temple doesn't house a deity.

Notable ''yin miao''

Kailu Xianfengye Temple Kailu Xianfengye Temple ( zh, t=開路先鋒爺廟, p=Kāilù Xiānfēngyé Miào), alternatively known as Qing'an Shrine ( zh, t=慶安堂, p=Qìng'ān Táng), is a martyr's shrine located in Su'ao Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. The shrine is ...

Maling Temple Maling Temple ( zh, t=媽靈宮, p=Mālíng Gōng) is a temple located in the village of Chituqi, Houlong Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. Origin Chituqi is located on top of a plateau near the coast along the Taiwan Strait. Historically, t ...

* Princess Babao Temple *

Temple of the Eighteen Lords Temple of the Eighteen Lords ( zh, t=乾華十八王公廟, p=Gānhuá Shíbāwáng Gōngmiào) is a ''yin miao'' (temple for deceased people) located in Ganhua Village, Shimen District, New Taipei, Taiwan. Located on Provincial Highway 2 beside ...

References

{{reflist Religion in Taiwan Miao shrines

Architecture and location

Worship

Notable ''yin miao''

See also

References