Alishan Shoujhen Temple

Located within the Alishan Forest Recreation Park, Shoujhen Temple is the largest temple within the Alishan area and indeed, it is also the highest altitude temple in Taiwan (2150m). Since the reconstruction in 1969, it has become one of the most popular temples for the locals. The gods that are worshiped here are the Syuantian Emperor (God of Justice), the Fude God (God of Commerce), and the Jhusheng Goddess (Goddess of Fertility).

An interesting and mysterious report to mention here about this highly worshiped temple is each year, on the 3rd of March in the lunar calendar, just a week prior to Syuantian Emperor(God of Justice)’s birthday, a group of Alishan kuciouluowun Moths (These gigantic moths are around palm sized and has wingspan about 15cms with black-eye-like pattern on their wings) lands and stays on the god’s statue for up to 15 days straight, without food nor movement until the celebration of the Syuantian Emperor’s birthday ends.

Some superstitious ways of explaining this unusualness activity done by the moths is that the moths were here to celebrate the Syuantian Emperor (God of Justice)’s birthday by dancing around the statue until the celebration finishes. Others explained that March and April are the breeding seasons for the moths and they were attracted by the thick smoke and lights coming from the temple. This phenomenon often attracts people to come and witness the unusual sight and made this temple well known throughout Taiwan.