This story is a few weeks old; but it is better reported than left forgotten. Meeilei and I were hiking on trails of Wu-Fong 霧峯 mountain and on Wu-Fong city streets with my church friend, Dr. Huang Jin-Teh. At some place, I was arguing with Dr. Huang about the direction. It turned out I was wrong with the direction because I had used a Tu-Ti-Kon temple 土地公廟 as a landmark; and in Taiwan, you never use any Tu-Ti-Kon temple 土地公廟 as a landmark because those temples are like 'Main Street' in the United States. They are everywhere.
I believe I have reported that Buddhist temples are everywhere in Taiwan few months ago. Actually, I was wrong; it is the Tu-Ti-Kon temples 土地公廟 that are everywhere.
Why Tu-Ti-Kon temples 土地公廟? To understand this, some knowledge about Taiwanese folk religion is useful. In Taiwanese folk religion, gods' rank and their closeness (to ordinary citizen)follow similar rank and closeness of old Taiwanese political system. Thus, in old Taiwanese political system, there was emperor, followed by the province governors. The county chief ranked the lowest but the chief also has a close relationship with the citizens. Follow this logic, the heavenly god, or Tihn-Kon 天公 is the supreme god. He reins the heavenly world. After Tihn-Kon, 天公, it is the Sheng-Hong-Ya 峸隍爺. The temple of 峸隍爺 looks like an old day interrogation office of a province governor. Tu-Ti-Kon 土地公 ranks the lowest; though it is Taiwanese favor god because it is Tu-Ti-Kon 土地公 that gives Taiwanese everyday's blessing and protection.
A question for the folk religion: Today, there is no emperor but the president in the political system. Shall the Taiwanese folk religion also evolve in the future?
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