Baozhong Yimin Temple
Main Deities
About
Most temples worship a statue. Baozhong Yimin Temple worships a grave, and that is what makes it so unusual and so moving. Standing in Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County, it is one of the two great centers of Yimin ("righteous volunteers") faith in Taiwan, alongside the Zhongyi Pavilion of Liudui in Pingtung, and the center of faith for Hakka communities in the north. At the heart of that faith is the Yimin Tomb behind the temple, where Hakka volunteers who died defending their homes in Qing-era uprisings such as the Lin Shuangwen Incident are buried. The plaque hanging high in the main hall reads "Baozhong," two characters bestowed by the Qianlong Emperor. Every year on the 20th day of the 7th lunar month, the Yimin Festival is hosted in rotation by fifteen major villages of the Taoyuan and Hsinchu area. Its best-known event is the divine pig competition, in which devotees vie to raise the heaviest pig as an offering, honoring their forebears in the most abundant way they can.
History
In 1786, the 51st year of the Qianlong reign, the Lin Shuangwen Incident broke out, and Hakka villagers around Hsinchu and Taoyuan formed volunteer militias and fought to defend their homes. When the fighting was over, the fallen were buried together at Fangliao, today's Xinpu. In 1788, the 53rd year of Qianlong, local people began pooling money to build a memorial temple, and the main hall was completed in 1790. The Qianlong Emperor bestowed the "Baozhong" plaque, which is where the name Baozhong Pavilion comes from. Volunteers who died in the Dai Chaochun Incident during the Tongzhi era were later laid to rest in a secondary tomb beside the Yimin Tomb. Over time the temple became a sacred symbol of the Hakka spirit in Taiwan, and its unusual form, a temple built around a tomb, has always stood apart in Taiwan's religious culture. In 2015, the Yimin Festival was registered as a nationally important folk custom.
Baozhong Yimin Temple
Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County
Visitor Info
Address
No. 360, Sec. 3, Yimin Rd., Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County
Region
Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County
Plan Your Visit
- Hours
- Daily 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- When to Go
- The Yimin Festival on lunar 7/20 is the grandest day of the year. It is hosted in rotation by fifteen major villages of the Taoyuan and Hsinchu area and includes rituals such as the Divine Pig Competition.
Checked on 2026-10-13 · Sources: Google Maps