Unable to wait for the birthday of Master Taitzu on the ninth day of the ninth month on the lunar calendar, the welcoming sounds of the bell at the Taitzu Temple of Hsinying City in Tainan County resonate without end ten days before the big day. There were countless worshipping groups who had come to pay their respects or burn incense out of regard for the high reputation of the Taitzu Temple. Others brought their statues of Master Taitzu from their own temples (ordinarily dedicated to some other god), back to this important temple dedicated explicitly to the Master so that their own Taitzu statues could "recharge their batteries" and replenish their powers representing Taitzu in distant places.

In the temple courtyard outside the main hall, stacks of firecrackers were let off, leaving the ground covered with multi-colored shreddings. Amidst a haze of smoke that filled the air, mediums leading palanquins of the gods took advantage of the opportunity to enter, cutting and striking them-selves with mace-like balls with sharpened tips or sawtooth-bladed "shark's tooth swords."

On the slips of paper pasted all over the wall (and all over the other scrips when the wall was filled) are written the Feng Huang Temple from Kaohsiung, the Fu Jen Temple, the Nan Sheng Altar in Taitung, the San Sheng Hall in Pingtung. . . . The arrivals are by no means all temples dedicated to Lord Taitzu. Their deities come from all sorts of backgrounds--from temples for Kuan Kung, Matsu, and Wang Yeh. Many also come from privately established "altars" which house a variety of gods and whose owners promise divine intervention on behalf of people who worship (and pay) there, often through the intercession of a medium (often the owner himself). Why do all these people and deities crowd in for the "Child Field Marshal"--yet another name for Nacha or Master Taitzu--and worship at the Nacha Temple?

North, south, east, west and center: Nacha is said to have been the third son of the Tuota Lord of Heaven (a warrior god in popular belief) Li Ching, so the people call him Master Taitzu (Master Prince) or Third Prince. Or, because of the weapons with which he is equipped, he is also known as Lord Luo Chia, which refers to the "Wind and Fire Wheels" on his feet which carry him to dazzling speeds and into the air. His profession is to be the highest officer leading the troops of the five camps--north, south, east, west, and center--in heaven and hell. "It's like the director general of the National Police Administration or the Chief of Staff today," is the metaphor used by Wang Hsien-cheng, chairman of the committee in charge of the Taitzu Temple.

Thus in every temple, or smaller privately built altar for seeking mediation with the gods or for warding off disaster and attracting good fortune--no matter whom the main deity is to whom the place is dedicated -- there will always be a "vanguard" at the front and center of the dais of the statues of the gods wearing the identifying heaven-and-earth ring and with Wind and Fire Wheels at his feet, that of course being the Field Marshal of the central altar. When deities go on "inspection tours" (that is, are carried by believers out of their temples to visit house to house and village to village), they ask him to lead the way. Or else flags of the five camps are attached to the palanquin of the touring god to stand in. It even goes so far as that, before any kind of ceremony calling for the help of the gods can begin, the Taoist priest must first "appease the five camps," to symbolize an invitation to the heavenly troops, drawing on the fierce warrior spirit of Master Taitzu to reinforce the ritual techniques to expel evil and eradicate ill fortune, so that any impurity in the locality can be swept away to prepare for welcoming the approaching divinity.

Thus, although there are only about 120 temples dedicated primarily to Master Taitzu, if you add in all the altars and the statues of the Taitzu which are set in temples of other gods, "probably only the God of the Earth can compare in terms of how widely he can be found," says Wang Hsien-chang.

If you want to talk about the ritual power or divine abilities of Master Taitzu, you can get a rough idea from the tablets and couplets in the temple. The couplet on the two stone pillars reads: "Maintaining the heart of a child, baby-soft face but able to control monsters; shaking the mountains as he races past, with lance and shield he goes to do battle with demons." On the tablets on the beam of the temple, on the other hand, is written: "assisting the Chou to punish tyranny" and "authority that shakes the heavens." These refer to rather inventive stories about Nacha related in the book Investiture of the Gods by Lu Hsi-hsing of the Ming dynasty.

Slicing flesh to give back to mother, hacking bone to give back to father: It is said in that work that at the time of the last emperor of the Shang dynasty, the gods in heaven saw that the people were in disorder and chaos, so they caused the seed with the soul of Master Taitzu to be implanted in the wife of Li Ching, the commander of the Chentangkuan region. Divine births being miraculous, it only emerged into the world after three years and six months. But when it came out it was only a ball of flesh. Li Ching, thinking it was if not a demon then certainly a monstrous creature, cut it open with a single slice. When the ball of flesh opened, Nacha emerged--with a heaven-and-earth ring on his finger and a band of precious silk around his waist - and began running to and fro.

At the age of seven, the story continues, while playing in the Nine Bays River in front of the Dragon Palace, residence of the ruler of the seas, Nacha struck dead the son and heir to the throne of the Dragon King, and even pulled out the muscles and tendons of the dragon to present to his father. Thenceforth there was an irreconcilable feud with the Dragon King of the Eastern Seas. As misfortune never comes alone, Nacha later killed the beloved acolyte of Mistress Shih Chi, the goddess of Skeleton Mountain, while playing carelessly with a powerful arrow. Nacha recognized that this series of disasters smacked of "having no regard for the laws of man or heaven." Fearing that his parents would be implicated, he cut himself to bits to give back to his parents the human form they had given him, thus the expression "slicing flesh to give back to mother, hacking bone to give back to father." This also explains the behavior of the mediums who cut themselves at temple ceremonies.

After returning his flesh and bones to his human parents, the soul of Nacha had nowhere to go, so it appeared in a dream of his mother's, and consequently his mother built for him a temple on Tsuiping Mountain, so that he might enjoy the incense and offerings of the people. Little was it expected that after only three years, it would be destroyed by his father Li Ching because of "injury done to parents in life, and deception of the ordinary people after death." Later Taitzu sought out the Master Taiyi and asked him to undertake the task of creating a physical incarnation for Taitzu out of lotus flowers. The statues of the Taitzu that followers see today, with "baby-face" features and skin, come from this incarnation. In addition, Wind and Fire Wheels were added to his feet, making him an even more expansive and impressive divine authority. Finally, Nacha received the instructions of the Jade Emperor to assist Chiang Tzu-ya in aiding King Wen of Chou to destroy the tyrant Zhou, last emperor of the Shang dynasty, and restore peace and order to all under heaven. Thereafter Nacha's elder brothers Chincha and Mucha and their father Li Ching all trained to become saints and enter the ranks of the deities, and also enjoy incense and offerings.

Sent back in time: The story of Nacha's disturbance of the Eastern Sea and so on has been spread through the Investiture of the Gods. But the character of Nacha was by no means an original creation of author Lu Hsi-hsing. Nacha was originally the son and heir to the throne of the King of Heaven, Tuota, from ancient Indian myths. In the Buddhist classics it is recorded: "At that time, lance in hand, Prince Nacha watched in all directions with a fierce eye." In the Tang dynasty, with the passage of Buddhism to China, Nacha and the King of Heaven, Tuota, also entered China. Moreover, they spread among the people and became increasingly sinified. Later, during the systemization of these popular beliefs in the Ming era Investiture of the Gods, the real historical figure General Li Ching of the Tang dynasty was transformed into the King of Heaven, Tuota, and with Nacha went back in time to the Shang dynasty. Not only that, the Ming writer gave Nacha two brothers, so Nacha also became known as the "Third Prince."

"Absorbing foreign myths is one of the special features of Chinese culture," says Cheng Chih- ming, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Theology at Fu Jen University, who studies popular religion in Taiwan. For example there is the male deity Kuan Yin, who transformed into Princess Miaoshan, the beloved daughter of King Miaochuang, after coming to China, and from that transformed into Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

The fierce general Li Ching of the Tang dynasty going back to the Shang dynasty and acquiring a son with the very un-Chinese name of Nacha (which comes in fact from the Indian) sounds as absurd as having a battle to the death between Chang Fei (of the Three Kingdoms period) and Yueh Fei (of the Sung dynasty). But in the minds of believers, though these "historical tales" may not be true, Nacha and his powers to protect people have always been genuine. Dauntless mainstays of the Third Prince even organized a group earlier this year to head to mainland China in search of their roots. Un-fortunately, they only discovered an "ancestral temple," on Tsuiping Mountain in Szechuan Province, which had been built after the Cultural Revolution on the grounds of what are supposed to have been--though no one knows for sure--the ancient ruins of the first temple Taitzu's mother built for him.

Little rebel gets a welcome: "What's factual and mythical really makes no difference. Myths do not suffer the limitations of time or space. More over, if something can only make its way among the people, and find believers, then it will have a life of its own," states Cheng Chih-ming. The popularization of myths also hints at something about the aspirations of the human mind.

Of particular note is that Nacha's daring to challenge authority in disrupting the Dragon Palace and his decision to destroy his human manifestation by returning his flesh and bones to his family are both examples which are rarely found in Chinese history. Professor Li Feng-mao of the Department of Chinese at National Chengchih University believes that the broad support and affection for Nacha is because he represents the potential for rebellion in people under a regime of ritual and regulation. Just like another popular god, Chi Kung, the more flagrantly he breaks the rules, the more the people admire him. Although both are embellished products of dubious "historical" writing, both have long become part of the lives of the people.

The creativity of popular beliefs is deep and rich. His believers have even evolved a quite plausible explanation for how Nacha has changed from being an Indian Buddhist deity into an icon of popular religion. It is said that the Jade Emperor and Sakyamuni agreed to each send a high-ranking god as ambassador to the other, in order to improve relations. Thus the Jade Emperor dispatched Kuan Kung to serve as an advocate for Buddhism, while Bud dhism assigned Nacha to be the Field Marshal defending Taoism. So it is said, as a consequence, that Nacha comes out of the Taoism pantheon and that his teacher was the Taoist Taiyi (an actual historical figure). Unfortunately, Taoists can't find anyone by the name of Nacha among the 36 marshals of their holy armies, so this story seems another case of the adaptability and flexibility of folk faith.

Marbles and tops:Unlike the typical portrayal of a god who is either a bearded literati-warrior or a kind, benevolent grandfather, the Third Prince--who became a god at the age of seven--has a round, plump, childlike face, with hair pinned up in the age-old Chinese children's style. Though some wear armor, others have red children's clothes around their waists. What never changes is the lance in hand, the heaven-and-earth ring (connoting great powers), and the Wind and Fire Wheels underfoot, as well as the awe-inspiring authority, and the vitality just waiting to be released. "This kind of vigorous child-god has a special place, and has become an indispensable member of the group of gods," points out Li Feng-mao.

Given the child-god nature of Master Taitzu, followers can often be seen donating tops, playing cards, marbles, and other toys. Moreover, old temple caretakers will, with rich facial expressions and gestures, tell all about the childish pranks the Third Prince has committed.

It has been said that once a group of children were playing in the mud in front of a Taitzu temple. Another child came along to join in the fun. Later on it was discovered that there were traces of mud on the face of the statue of Lord Taitzu in the temple.

"When Master Taitzu is enraged it is awesome, but when playful he can be very childlike," says Yang Feng, a 71-year-old caretaker at the Kun Sha Temple in Tainan City. He has seen, during spiritual mediation, that the medium will sit on the floor crying for candy and a pacifier. There was also the time the Lord Taitzu went out to see a show and stubbornly refused to appear through the medium no matter what. Cheng Chih-ming suggests that these behaviors are all "constructing the world of the gods with the beliefs of men. However, this type of logical reasoning process of 'making man determinative of the life of gods, and thus reversing the roles of creator and subject between man and god' nevertheless reveals the approachability of deities in popular beliefs."

Speeding taxis: The few Taitzu temples in Taiwan that are both well-known and have some history behind them are all in the south, such as the Kun Sha Temple in Tainan City, which has been around since the Ming dynasty, or the Sha Tao Temple. The Taitzu temple at Hsinying City has the most religious activity. Or there's the Tung Ming Temple in the Pescadores, Yuan Shuai Hall in Pingtung, or the San Feng Temple, which is placed together in the same class with Taipei's renowned Lungshan Temple in the expression "Lung [Dragon] in the north, Feng [Phoenix] in the south."

"This is because Taiwan was pioneered from south to north. At first the south was opened up, and with illness rampant in that pioneering period, expelling the evil and clearing away misfortune required strong methods. Thus the more martial and ferocious Master Taitzu and Wang Yeh flourished more," argues Cheng Chih-ming. In contrast, there are by no means many followers of Nacha in the north. Nevertheless, following the recent flurry of construction of temples and altars large and small, the number of believers in the Field Marshal has been growing in the north as well.

From the nature of the groups who come to worship at the Taitzu Temple in Tainan, the temple authorities suggest that among the groups from the north that come to visit, definitely over half have their own private altars, with particularly heavy concentrations in new communities in Sanchung, Hsin-chuang, and Panchiao.

For one thing, most of the people in these areas are migrants from south or central Taiwan. For another, most of the residents are workers of relatively lower education, with more of a sense of social frustration, so a god that emphasizes solving acute needs has seen his followers grow quickly in numbers.

Huang Yu-jen, boss of the Shengshan Buddhist Statuary Shop in Sanchung, states that of the thousand or so icons they produce every month, the number for Lord Taitzu is already right up there with the God of the Earth, Kuan Yin, Matsu, and Lord Kuan Ti. He further notes that many motor cycle shops or taxi drivers ask for an image to put in their shops or cars, with the idea that with Lord Luo Chia and his Wind and Fire Wheels along for the ride, they can drive more quickly and more smoothly. It seems that in traffic-jam-plagued Taipei, the Third Prince is a "newly rising industry" god.

Using Taitzu for personal gain: "In recent years Lord Taitzu has been lucky, though I'm afraid it's connected to the craze in society for lucky numbers and gambling," says Li Peng-lung, himself a Taoist priest. Some unorthodox or unscrupulous places of worship take advantage of the fact that this "child" god is less than predictable in behavior and say that when his temper is up "he's not afraid of doing anything," and when he's in a playful mood can tell people the right numbers to play in the illegal lotteries.

Gamblers by their very nature are looking for an unorthodox way to get money, and have always appealed to some of the murkier gods of lower status, like Ta Shu Kung, Lord Ta Chung, or Wan Shan Kung. Yet despite his exalted status, because Nacha was wronged and died at an early age, "he has a certain 'animal temperament,' and it is often misunderstood by people that he can be taken advantage of for dubious purposes," explains Li Feng mao. This is because many Chinese believe that if a child is aborted or dies a premature death, the soul of that child will have a grievance which could be appealed to for help in undertaking illicit activities.

"How can a god have both propriety and still do wrong?!" exclaims Li Peng-lung about the theory that one can get lucky lottery numbers from Master Taitzu. Since he has already left the mundane world and entered the sacred, he must be a proper deity, so how can he help people gamble or acquire ill-gotten gains, leading people to exhaust their wealth? "This is totally unconnected to beliefs about the age at which he became a god. The only thing this is connected to is the good or evil of the people who run those so-called places of worship," he stresses.

"When a group of people just want divine intervention, and don't differentiate between good and evil intent, naturally a lot of places to appeal to the gods will rise up claiming they can meet the demand," says Cheng Chih-ming with regret. Today many such altars pretend to sacredness but are really playing with darkness, falsely drawing on the importance of the gods, "squeezing Taitzu to fill their pockets." In this case, one could really say that Master Taitzu was "a youth being led astray by his elders."

[Picture Caption]

Deified at the age of seven, still with the heart of a child? Believers don't offer the usual sacrifices; they provide marbles instead.

The Third Prince, in the vanguard opening the road, gives off an incompa rable air of divine authority. Here the medium, too exhausted from carrying the palanquin to write out the message from Taitzu by etching it into th e sand with the bamboo, can just pass it along by word of mouth.

A group of babies come to offer wishes to the child god--they might very well be the "foster children" of Master Taitzu!

Master Taitzu, reputed to have the nature of a child, often appears thro ugh the body of a child medium. Followers bow down to listen--will Taitzu tell them what numbe r to play in the lottery?

The water and hay is for the divine horses and soldiers.

Most temples have some flag or plaque representing the "five camps" of soldiers. The Field Marshal at the center of the altar of the deities is the highest ranking officer of these troops.

Wind and Fire Wheels, military drum--the accoutrements of the Taitzu at the Sha Tao Temple in Tainan City clearly explain his divine rank.

"Wind and Fire Wheels make for high speeds, giving Taitzu the ability to fly." Because of his wheels, he has become a "newly rising industry" god for taxis and motorcycles.

The Third Prince, in the vanguard opening the road, gives off an incompa rable air of divine authority. Here the medium, too exhausted from carrying the palanquin to write out the message from Taitzu by etching it into th e sand with the bamboo, can just pass it along by word of mouth.

A group of babies come to offer wishes to the child god--they might very well be the "foster children" of Master Taitzu!

Master Taitzu, reputed to have the nature of a child, often appears thro ugh the body of a child medium. Followers bow down to listen--will Taitzu tell them what numbe r to play in the lottery?

The water and hay is for the divine horses and soldiers.

Most temples have some flag or plaque representing the "five camps" of soldiers. The Field Marshal at the center of the altar of the deities is the highest ranking officer of these troops.

Wind and Fire Wheels, military drum--the accoutrements of the Taitzu at the Sha Tao Temple in Tainan City clearly explain his divine rank.

"Wind and Fire Wheels make for high speeds, giving Taitzu the ability to fly." Because of his wheels, he has become a "newly rising industry" god for taxis and motorcycles.

The first glass-walled high-rise in Ho Chi Minh City was built by a firm from Taiwan. Is there going to be a repeat of the Taiwan experience?

Taiwan products had entered the Vietnamese market even before reunification.

A hodgepodge of motorcycles, bicycles and pedicabs--look familiar?

The streets of Ho Chi Minh City are bustling with economic activity.