My last stop in Tainan was the Temple of Guangong. Armed with my Lonely Planet travel guide, I managed to find the temple easily enough with the help of my friendly taxi driver.
Guangong, or Lord Guan, is a popular deity in Chinese culture and shrines to him can be seen in almost all countries in East and Southeast Asia. A loyal general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty in China, Guangong is revered as the deity of brotherhood and righteousness. His feats can be found, albeit aggrandised, in Luo Guanzhong's famous historical novel,
Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
In modern Asia, Lord Guan is popularly worshipped by triads and mob bosses; respect to the code of brotherhood appeals to the nature of these organisations.
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| Front of temple. |
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| Shrine to Guangong. |
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| The entrance door - I was told that the piece of wood built into the bottom of the door was to keep women out. Checking that I was not offending any customs, I happily took a large step over the threshold - no piece of wood was keeping me out. |
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| Intricate urn for incense. |
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| Spotted a narrow alley by the temple. So quaint! |
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