Special Events & Celebrations

Many village elders in the community have passed down this tradition. Scholars, after interviewing several elders from Zuo Ying who were born in the early Republic period, confirmed that when temples in Zuo Ying held deity worship ceremonies and theatrical performances, they were required to send representatives to Chou Tsai Zhuang to consult with the local ruling authorities. In some cases, even specific plays were mandated. When the head of Chou Tsai scheduled a performance, he had to follow the prescribed play. Later, this gave rise to the adage, 'When Zuo Ying stages a grand production, it requires the barking of the dogs from Chou Tsai.

In that simple social system, religion was among the most influential forces. The small village's control over power caused resentment in the larger settlements, where people felt anger but dared not speak out. Over time, the reputation of the head of Chou Tsai gradually attracted an increasing number of negative rumors.

In an era when religion flourished and the general public’s enlightenment was still undeveloped and insular, some believed that, either under the long-term oppressive influence of the '18 Magistrates' or because Chou Tsai Zhuang was thought to occupy a site blessed with favorable feng shui—thus nurturing many martial arts prodigies and becoming supremely arrogant—there were those who, unable to confront this power openly, began secretly undermining the geographical advantages of Chou Tsai Zhuang.

Several years later… Perhaps due to the deterioration of the local feng shui, or because of casualties and turnover among the yamen officials caused by warfare, compounded by the county seat’s relocation to the new city of Fengshan which led to the collapse of the yamen officials' power, Chou Tsai Zhuang fell into decline, and its population gradually migrated to its current location. Yet misfortune persisted. In 1969, the long-established new settlement of Chou Tsai Yang—having been in existence for a considerable time—was subjected to a construction ban by the government under the guise of a minor planning project for over 30 years. As a result, subsequent generations found it difficult to reside there, leading once again to a loss of population and even causing houses to collapse and residents to scatter. Truly, it was a case of when it rains, it pours.

In the early 1980s, under the guidance of Qing Shui Zu Shi of Chou Tsai Qing Shui Temple, an account was made of past geographical damage, which suddenly enlightened the villagers. Following the deity’s instructions, a date was set, and he led both believers and villagers—armed with various excavation tools—on a mission to dispel the malevolent sorcery. Everyone followed behind the deity’s four-car sacred sedan as it proceeded toward an unknown destination. They left the community by taking an industrial pathway along the oil mill railway, then continued along Xin Zhuang Zi Road to reach Xiao Gui Shan (Little Turtle Mountain). Upon arriving at the Xiao Gui Shan site, after the sacred sedan demonstrated its authority by stamping and pressing its pole into the ground to mark the precise spot, the believers—under the protection of both the deity and his spokesperson (the medium)—began the excavation. At first, after digging to a depth of about three feet, nothing unusual was found, and murmurs arose among the onlookers wondering why there was nothing. However, just beyond that depth, something anomalous was indeed discovered. The four-car sacred sedan then began to shake even more powerfully, pressing down on the excavation site as if to prevent any escape. The spokesperson, holding a sacred talisman, repeatedly pointed to the excavation area and cast spells over the gathered believers to protect them from potential harm. Nervously watching from the sidelines, the assembled believers were startled when one of the excavators shouted, 'There’s a bone!' The sacred sedan trembled again with even greater intensity to assert its divine authority, pressing down—pressing down, and then pressing down further—upon the excavation hole as if to seize control of it. Once the excavating believer extracted an unidentified bone, the spokesperson wrapped it in red cloth along with talismans and gold and silver paper, and, under the watchful supervision of the deity’s sacred sedan, incinerated it on the spot. With the ritual complete, everyone retraced the four-car sacred sedan’s route back to Chou Tsai Qing Shui Temple.

Thus ended a ritual performance aimed at dispelling the malevolent geographical curse. In the future, Chou Tsai Zhuang is set to undergo its 66th self-initiated redistricting. This once illustrious village, which had once dominated local affairs and, in 1969, suffered from over 30 years of construction bans imposed by the government that left it in disarray, has gradually restored its 'earth qi' after the dispelling of the mysterious dark sorcery. Transforming from an isolated village with no exit to one now facing the urban splendor of Lotus Pond and being encircled by parks and wetlands, it may well awaken like a slumbering lamb, striving forward with renewed vigor