Baosheng Dadi (Great Emperor of Life Protection)

Introduction

Crouching beside many statues of Baosheng Dadi is a tiger — and it isn't decoration, it's a patient. Legend says this god of medicine, known as Dadao Gong or Wu Zhenren, once pulled a bone stuck in a tiger's throat out with his bare hands, and the grateful tiger has stayed by his side ever since. Baosheng Dadi's real name was Wu Tao (written 吳夲), a celebrated physician of Tong'an, Fujian, in the Northern Song dynasty. In life he was a gifted healer who treated everyone regardless of rank; after his death, the people of southern Fujian revered him as their most important god of medicine. Settlers brought him to Taiwan, and to this day people come to pray for health and recovery. Even doctors, nurses, and pharmacists honor him as the patron of their profession, and some temples still keep traditional 'medicine lots.' His flagship temple, Dalongdong Baoan Temple in Taipei, won a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation for its meticulous restoration — if you want to see the peak of Taiwanese temple craftsmanship, this is the place.

Legend & Origin

Wu Tao's most famous house call was for the empress dowager. Legend says the mother of Emperor Renzong of Song had been ill for a long time without recovering. Wu Tao cured her, and the emperor wanted to make him an imperial physician — wealth and honor in a single step. He declined, asking only to go home and keep practicing medicine, treating poor people who couldn't afford medicine, and often buying medicine for them out of his own pocket.

He was born in 979, the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song, in Baijiao Village, Tong'an, Fujian. He was skilled in internal and external medicine, acupuncture, and herbal remedies, and especially good at fighting epidemics. In 1036, the third year of the Jingyou era, at 58, Wu Tao lost his footing while gathering herbs in the mountains and fell to his death — a healer who fell on the road to gather medicine. Grateful villagers built a temple to him and honored him as Baosheng Dadi.

Taiwanese folklore also tells an amusing tale: Dadao Gong and Mazu were once lovers who later broke up. Every third lunar month, Dadao Gong whips up wind to mess up Mazu's hair, and Mazu sends rain to soak Dadao Gong — which is why the weather in the third month swings between wind and rain, a pattern known as 'Dadao Gong's wind, Mazu's rain.'

Worship Guide

Worship of Baosheng Dadi values purity, and the offerings can be simple: fresh flowers, fruit, and tea are enough — sincerity is what counts. What's best to pray for? Healing, good health and safety, and the removal of misfortune — even doctors, nurses, and pharmacists come to pay respects to the patron of their profession.

Some temples offer 'medicine lots': after casting the moon blocks and drawing a lot, you take the prescription to a Chinese herbal pharmacy. These days, though, most temples remind people that medicine lots are a source of spiritual comfort — if you feel unwell, see a doctor first.

The 15th day of the third lunar month is Baosheng Dadi's birthday. Dalongdong Baoan Temple's Baosheng Cultural Festival runs for months, with family-sponsored opera, fire-walking ceremonies, and arts events, carrying the spirit of healing the world right up to the present.

Festivals

For Baosheng Dadi's birthday on the 15th day of the third lunar month, Dalongdong Baoan Temple holds its Baosheng Cultural Festival, which runs for more than two months and includes family-sponsored opera, fire-walking ceremonies, and art exhibitions. Baoan Temple's 'family-surname opera' is funded in rotation by local families of different surnames as thanks to the gods, a display of community cohesion.

Famous Temples

⛩️ Dalongdong Baoan Temple Details →

Taipei City

Winner of a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation, with exquisite temple architecture. Its annual Baosheng Cultural Festival is one of Taipei's major religious and cultural events.