Wangye (Plague Lord)

Who are the Wangye? Folk tradition offers at least three answers, and every one of them has drama.

The most widespread version tells of 360 imperial scholars of the Tang dynasty who were sent on an official tour and lost at sea along the way. Moved by their loyalty, the Jade Emperor appointed them "inspectors on Heaven's behalf," to take turns descending to the human world, judging good and evil and driving out plague. That's why the Wangye have so many different surnames.

Another version ties them to Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong): his officers who fell in battle were enshrined as local guardians, and Wangye worship around Tainan and Kaohsiung is often bound up with that history.

But the version closest to ordinary people's lives is about "sending off the plague." In earlier times epidemics were the most feared disaster of all, so people gave the plague a face, the Wangye, built a real boat, loaded it with offerings, and sent it out to sea. When a royal boat drifted ashore, coastal villagers dared not neglect it. It had arrived by heaven's mandate, and it had to be welcomed into the village with all due reverence and given a temple. Many Wangye temples in Taiwan began exactly this way, with a boat that washed up on the beach.

All three stories point to the same thing: in an age without much medicine, the Wangye were people's greatest ally against plague.

Offerings to the Wangye are mainly fresh flowers, fruit, vegetarian food, and pastries; during royal boat festivals some temples also prepare the three sacrificial meats (chicken, pork, and fish). Each temple's busiest season follows the birthday of the Wangye it enshrines, and since the surnames differ, so do the dates.

The real draw at a Wangye temple is the ritual. In the incense-passing procession, the deity's statue is carried through the neighborhood and every place it passes counts as blessed. In pilgrimage (jinxiang), groups travel back to the mother temple to worship. And Wangye worship is especially known for consulting spirit mediums (jitong), who convey the god's will through their bodies; it is one of the few places in Taiwan where medium culture is still practiced frequently.

During a royal boat festival you can join the inviting of the lords, the processions, and the banquets, but keep a few things in mind: stay quiet, don't block the ritual's path, and follow the temple staff's directions. If you want to photograph a medium in trance or the burning of the boat, always ask the temple's permission first.

The Wangye's birthdays vary by surname. Common ones include Lord Li (26th day of the 4th lunar month), Lord Chi (18th day of the 6th lunar month), and Lord Zhu (15th day of the 8th lunar month). Each temple holds its celebration on the birthday of the Wangye it enshrines.

The most representative festival is Donggang's Welcoming the Royal Lords ceremony in Pingtung, held once every three years (in the years of the Ox, Dragon, Goat, and Dog) and lasting eight days. The full cycle includes inviting the lords, fire-walking, processions, banqueting the lords, and burning the royal boat. It is one of Taiwan's largest religious and cultural events and has been designated a national important folk custom by the Ministry of Culture. Xigang Qing'an Temple in Tainan also holds a royal boat ceremony as part of the Xigang Incense Procession, once every three years, designated a national important folk custom in 2009; the royal boat festival in Mailiao, Yunlin, hosted by Kaiyuan Temple and Zhen'an Temple, takes place once every five years.

During the Lunar New Year (the first lunar month), Wangye temples also hold group New Year worship and Tai Sui rites, making it one of the liveliest times to see Wangye worship.