The history of Guan Gong Temple 歷史沿革

With an original construction date of 1665, Guan Gong Temple can claim to be one of the oldest temple that dedicated to the deity Guan Gong, the god of justice, courage and loyalty in Taiwan. Sometimes called the “Eastern God of War”. In the Taoist religion, he is one of the highest ranking deities and worshipping him is believed to bring prosperity to businesses and ward off evil. Guan Gong is also worshipped by Buddhists who call him Sangharama Bodhisattva and herald him a heavenly dharma protector and the patron saint of soldiers.

祀典武廟創建於西元1665年，是全臺第一間祭祀關聖帝君的廟宇；而關聖帝君是一位集正義、勇武及忠心於一身的正神，因此又被稱為「東方戰神」。在道教信仰中，其神格地位崇高，人們相信有了關聖帝君的保佑，能讓生意興隆且驅邪避煞；同時，佛教徒也尊崇關聖帝君為「伽藍尊者」，意為佛寺、佛法的守護神。

Said to be the most widely worshipped god in the Chinese world, Guan Gong is traditionally portrayed as a powerfully built armoured warrior with a red face, stern brow, long beard and flowing green robes. His weapon is a guandao  (a heavy glaive-like polearm reputed to be his own invention) named “Green Dragon Crescent Blade”. Guan Gong figures in many traditional Chinese operas, as well as in film, television, manga and video games.

在傳統故事中，關公有著紅臉、豎眉、長鬍子且身穿盔甲，實為一名戰將；而他手持的武器則是一把關刀(青龍偃月刀)。在許多傳統京劇、電影、電視、漫畫或甚至是電玩主角，關公形象都可以輕易看見。

The temple complex houses a main hall largely devoted to the worship of Guan Gong, with shrines to Guanying (a bodhisattva), God of Matchmaking and 5 Gods of Letter and Education. Owing to its historical role in government ceremonies and rituals, the official names of the site are State Temple of the Martial God and Tainan Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple, but it is commonly known as Guan Gong Temple.

祀典武廟的建築分佈，主殿祭祀關聖帝君(關公)；側殿則分別祭祀觀世音菩薩、月老及五文昌帝君。因雍正年間，奉旨此處為清廷官方主持春秋二季的地點，祀以《太牢》祭儀，此後名列「祀典」，故又稱臺南祀典武廟，或是俗稱關聖廳。

The historical Background of Guan-Yu (Guan Gong) 關羽生平 

Guan Yu (160–220 CE), also known as Guan Gong, was a famous general and hero of the early Three Kingdoms Period. Lionized in Luo Guanjhong's fourteenth-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu was renowned for his indomitable spirit, heightened sense of honour and stoic fortitude. His legendary exploits, both historical and fictional, led to his gradual apotheosis beginning as early as the sixth century and culminating in deification in the seventeenth century. During his lifetime, Guan Yu was also an expert bookkeeper and he was familiar with Confucianism, hence his popularity with business owners, accountants and students preparing for exams.

在三國時代，關羽(西元160-220，又稱關公)是一名叱吒風雲的將軍，在羅貫中撰寫的《三國演義》裡，關羽則因肝膽狹義、不屈不撓的剛毅性格而成為眾所皆知的人物。不論是真實歷史事件或是虛構小說，關羽的事蹟在十六世紀便廣為流傳。往後，人們便將這名古代將軍神格化，開始供奉關羽神像；而據傳又因關羽飽讀詩書、尊崇儒家思想，吸引了許多商人、會計或是準備考試的學生前來參拜。

The Temple Complex 寺廟建築 

Features such as the long, red-brown “horseback” wall and the five distinct roofs, including the most ornate “swallow’s tail” style roof, the temple is presented in the Southern Min architectural style (i.e. from southeast Chinese provinces including Fujian, the origin of the first waves of Hoklo immigrants to Taiwan in the 17th century).The entrance is decorated with carvings of animals and mythical beasts, the doors dotted with metallic studs in multiples of nine, a number connoting royalty and wooden beams are connected to columns with nail-less studs concealed by carvings of lotus flowers. Builders used no nails anywhere in the construction of this temple.

祀典武廟特色為朱色山牆與五落屋頂，包含最華麗的燕尾屋頂，在廟宇內所有建築皆為閩南建築風格。廟門旁除了有著神獸守護，廟門上也有金屬門釘點綴，因「九」為陽數之極，故門釘數量為九的倍數，展現帝王之尊。在建造祀典武廟時，梁柱皆以榫接的方式固定，完全不耗損任何鐵釘，並以雕刻蓮花將黏縫處加以裝飾。

Hanging over the inside of the main entrance is a large nameplate with the three Chinese Characters reading “Da Zhang Fu”. It was presented by a visiting Qing Dynasty general in 1791 to the temple. In classical Chinese, these characters represent courage, strength and loyalty, the traits of god Guan Gong.

高掛在入口的門匾寫著「大丈夫」的三個字，為清朝知府於西元1791年敬獻祀典武廟的名匾。匾額上大丈夫三字，也道出關聖帝君勇武及忠心的特質。

In the main hall is a splendid statue of Guan Yu brought from Fujian Province by relatives of Jhu Shugui, “Prince of Ningjing” in the 17th century. The statue is flanked by richly decorated likenesses of his son (right) and bodyguard (left). Zhou Chang was Guan Yu’s loyal general and bodyguard during his lifetime. The passages on either side of the highly ornate altar are illuminated by circular windows with square centres—evoking the traditional shape of ancient Chinese coins. When the sun shines through the windows, the floor seems to be covered with money.

正殿裡，可以看見氣宇非凡的關公神像，此神像可追朔到17世紀，由寧靖王朱術桂的家眷從福建帶來臺灣。關公身旁則有關平(關公之子)及周倉(關公部將)隨侍在側。此外，在高堂旁的兩側通道以圓形窗戶為照明裝飾，窗戶中又有正方孔，呈現古代錢幣的樣式。當陽光灑進廳堂時，地板則會有滿滿錢幣的倒影。

• Temple to Guanyin 觀音廳 

To the left of the main hall is a small temple to Guanyin. The statue at the altar is renowned for its benevolent expression and tender gaze. Her eyes, slightly downcast, seem to follow you no matter where you stand in the room. There is a courtyard behind the temple to Guanyin. The building on the right of the courtyard is a temple to the god of fire.

後殿右側的觀音殿祀奉觀世音菩薩。祀典武廟的傾聽觀音因慈祥的神態及溫柔的凝視而聞名。據說，祂輕垂的眼眸，可隨著參拜者走向移動，甚為神奇。此外，觀音廳的後方有一處庭院，庭院的右側則是祭祀祝融的神龕。

 

• Temple to God of Matchmaking 月老祠 

Yue Lao is the god of matchmaking. Single people often visit this shrine, located opposite the temple to Guanyin, to pray for luck in love, and those whose hopes are ultimately fulfilled may return with an offering of wedding cake and fruit.

月老是促成男女姻緣的神祇，月老祠坐落於觀音廳的對面，許多單身男女專程到此祈求好姻緣。在戀情修成正果後，情侶便會帶著喜餅與鮮果向月老還願答謝。

 

• Temple to God of Letter and Education 文昌殿 

This temple is frequently visited by students praying for luck in exams. Supplicants write their name and the exam details on a slip of pink paper. If they do well in the exam, many return to mark their gratitude by hanging a red string decoration or making a gift of flowers or fresh fruit.

文昌殿常常是考生為了祈求考運前來參拜的地方。考生通常會在祈願單上寫下姓名與考試的相關資料。等到金榜題名時，考生會帶著鮮花水果或是懸掛紅繩還願，以表對神明的敬意與謝意。

 

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