Hsinchu City God Temple
Main Deities
About
When it comes to divine rank, Hsinchu City God Temple is often called the highest-ranking City God temple in all of Taiwan. When it was elevated to the title of Duke Weiling in 1890, the sixteenth year of the Guangxu reign, it was granted a plaque reading "Jinmen Baozhang." This old temple in Hsinchu's North District draws a steady stream of worshippers, and its most powerful spectacle comes in the 7th lunar month during the Zhuqian Zhongyuan City God Festival. In the ritual of carrying the cangue to dissolve misfortune, thousands upon thousands of devotees parade through the streets wearing paper cangues in repentance, an awe-inspiring sight. After you pay your respects to the City God, don't miss the snacks around the temple square that are famous across Taiwan: meatball soup (gongwan), rice noodles and ba-wan, one stall after another. Here you can satisfy both faith and appetite in one visit.
History
In 1748, the thirteenth year of the Qing Qianlong reign, Zeng Ri-ying, the sub-prefect of Tamsui, proposed building Hsinchu City God Temple, and it is one of the oldest government-built temples in the Hsinchu area. In the Qing imagination, a City God temple was like a county yamen of the underworld. It faced the Hsinchu magistrate's yamen from afar, one serving the unseen world and one the living, a symbol of the idea that humans and gods govern together. It was repaired several times during the Jiaqing reign, and under Japanese rule the gentry member Zheng Zhao-ji led a large-scale renovation that set the layout seen today. The temple preserves a large number of Qing-dynasty plaques and couplets, the most famous being the "Li Yin Zan Yang" plaque inscribed by Zheng Yong-xi. The City God's procession through the district during the Zhongyuan season each year is a major religious event in Hsinchu City. The square in front of the temple and the stalls around it have also grown into the renowned City God Temple snack scene.
Hsinchu City God Temple
North District, Hsinchu City
Visitor Info
Address
No. 75, Zhongshan Rd, North District, Hsinchu City
Region
North District, Hsinchu City
Plan Your Visit
- Hours
- Daily 5:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- When to Go
- The Zhuqian Zhongyuan City God Festival in the 7th lunar month is the most striking, with the ritual of carrying the cangue to dissolve misfortune and the City God's procession through the area.
Checked on 2026-10-13 · Sources: Google Maps