Bo Gong (Earth God)

When Hakka pioneers crossed the sea to Taiwan, the first thing they did on newly cleared land often wasn't building a house — it was setting up a Bo Gong altar. Greet the land first; talk about farming it after.

Legend says Bo Gong was once an old man named Zhang Fude, an honest official who loved to help others; after his death, people who remembered his virtue honored him as the god of the land. But in Taiwan, Hakka Bo Gong worship grew into its own shape. Meinong has a rare kind of Bo Gong called "Lishe Zhenguan," which comes from the Qing government's lishe community-altar system. These are mostly set at a water outlet, so they are also called Water-Mouth Bo Gong — and there are only three in all of Taiwan, all of them in Meinong.

From the days of crossing and clearing land until today, Bo Gong has been the most everyday of Hakka gods: never lofty, simply keeping watch at the head of the fields and the end of the water channel, like an elder who is always there.

Worshipping Bo Gong doesn't take much fuss. On ordinary days a plate of fruit and a pot of tea or rice wine is enough; at festivals, add the Three Sacrifices (pork, chicken and fish) and sweet rice cake (nian gao). Hakka tradition is to worship Bo Gong on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, and devout elders may even light incense every day.

The most Hakka custom of all is "zo Bo Gong fuk" (also called "eating Bo Gong's blessing"): village households take turns preparing food and everyone eats together in front of the shrine — half to thank the god, half to keep neighbors close. This is where Hakka community spirit comes from.

Farmers keep their own calendar too: before the busy season they pray at the Field-Head Bo Gong, and after the harvest they come back to give thanks. The awe and wisdom of people who live by the weather is all there, in that coming and going.

Bo Gong's Birthday (the earth god's birthday) on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month is the most widely observed Bo Gong festival in Hakka villages. Shrines everywhere are hung with lanterns and decorations, devotees bring offerings to wish him long life, and some temples stage Hakka opera or glove puppet shows for the god. Bo Gong is also commonly worshipped at the Mid-Autumn Festival. In spring, Meinong holds its "Second-Month Opera," with performances staged before Bo Gong altars to thank the god.