Legend has it that the Empress Hsiao-tzu, Paosheng wife of the Emperor Cheng Tzu of the Ming Dynasty, fell ill, and the imperial doctors were unable to do anything for her. One day a Taoist priest came, and stepped forward to cure the empress' illness. In order to not violate the taboo against touching the empress, the priest had the emperor tie a silken ribbon around her wrist. After curing the empress, the Taoist priest stated that he was the human transmogrification of the god of medicine, Wu Tao, and then climbed on a crane and flew off.

Historically, there was actually a person Wu Tao, born in the village of Paichiao in Tung-an County, in Chuanchow in Fukien Province, during the Sung Dynasty. His whole life was given to the study of medicinal plants and herbs, dedicated to healing the people; moreover he remained a celibate vegetarian all his life, and after his death people were moved to commemorate his virtue, and they erected altars and offered sacrifices to him. Thereafter, myths grew uninterruptedly, and successive emperors bestowed countless titles upon him. The one among these most commonly used by the people is the one bestowed by the Ming emperor Cheng Tzu out of gratitude for his curing the empress: "The Great Lord of Preserving Life (Pao-sheng Tati) for Ten Thousand Lifetimes Without Limit."

From doctor to deity: Paosheng Tati, along with Hua Tuo, Sun Ssu-miao, and Shen Nung, all belong to the Chinese beliefs in medical deities. All were actual people, medical geniuses who after death became gods of medicine.

Juan Chang-juei, director of the Anthropology Section of the Taiwan Provincial Museum, suggests that people are most likely to feel the powerlessness of being human when ill, so their hopes and demands for deities will be especially profound. There are two types of illnesses. One type comes from the mind, from possession by spirits or demons. People will pray to Chang Tien Shih or Fa Chu Kung, who exorcise demons. The other, physical illnesses or pain, requires deified doctors for treatment.

In particular, when people were first pioneering Taiwan, epidemic illnesses were rampant, and medicine was poorly developed, so Paosheng Tati, the Great Lord of Preserving Life, became the patron saint of the immigrants. Add to this that Paosheng Tati came from Tung-an in Chuanchow, so for Chuanchow immigrants it was just a matter of welcoming a "hometown" divinity to Taiwan, making him more common than the other gods of medicine.

Such temples as the Tsu Chi Temple in Hsueh-chia township in South Taiwan, the Pao An Temple in Talungtung and the Chi An Temple in Shulin all undertook to bring Ta Tao Kung--an affectionate popular nickname for Paosheng Tati--to Taiwan from the mainland when Chuanchow folk immigrated here. These old temples bave all become landmarks where Chuanchow people congregate, and you can often find a Pao An Street, named after a Pao An Temple, where Chuanchow people live.

From a specialty shop to a department store: Although Paosheng Tati is a god of medicine, besides asking for prescriptions, believers will not go without asking the deity for security at weddings or funerals. Correspondingly, besides Paosheng Tati with his training in medicine, Matsu, Kuan Ti Chun, Chien Sui Yueh, and even Wen Chang Chun are all seen as healing the people, and make out prescribed treatments.

"People believe that once someone has become a deity, they are omnipotent," explains Juan Chang-juei. As a consequence, Paosheng Tati, who had a "specialty shop" for prescribing medications, has expanded his services to the department-store level. Now there's nothing strange about Paosheng Tati exorcising demons or Wen Chang Chun treating the sick.

Given popular demand, not only are divine powers unlimited, the gods brought together in a single temple include a myriad of types, turning into a "Spirit World United Nations." In the Pao An Temple in Talungtung in Taipei, besides the main god Paosheng Tati, Matsu, Hsuan Tien Shangti, Chu Sheng Niangniang, Confucius, Kuan Kung, Yao Chi Chinmu and others are ensconced in the side halls. Clearly the "divine" atmosphere is rather intense and incense fills the air. It is also rumored among the people that there are some bad feelings between Matsu, Hsuan Tien Shangti, and Ta Tao Kung, so it's even more interesting that they are all together in one temple.

Collateral of 36 officials: Pointing at the statue of Hsuan Tien Shangti, Chang Chien-hsing of the Charity Section of the Pao An Temple relates that Hsuan Tien Shangti is standing astride a tortoise slave and snake demon, holding the Seven Star sword in his hand. This is because Shangti had borrowed the sword from Paosheng Tati. Tati knew that Shangti had a god's sense of self-importance, and would borrow something without any intention of returning it. So Tati asked him to leave behind his 36 companion officers as collateral. Who would have thought that after expelling the demons and monsters, Hsuan Tien Shangti would really prove unwilling to return the sword?! As a result, there are now 36 fierce warriors at the side of the genteel and cultured Paosheng Tati.

The story of Paosheng Tati and Matsu is more romantic. There is a saying among the people, "Ta Tao Kung Wind and Matsu Rain." This means that every year it is windy on the lunar calendar birthday of Ta Tao Kung, and it inevitably rains on Matsu's birthday.

It is said that Ta Tao Kung and Matsu would routinely patrol the skies, the better to hear cries for assistance. Over time, Matsu's beauty and tranquility moved Ta Tao Kung, and so he expressed his feelings to Matsu. Unfortunately Matsu's heart is reserved for helping victims of disasters at sea, and she turned him away. Besides feeling disappointment, Ta Tao Kung would stir up a rainstorm on Matsu's birthday to wash away the rouge from her face. Not to be outdone, Matsu would blow up a great wind on Ta Tao Kung's birthday to blow his cap to the ground.

A god scorned . . . : It has always been hard to get over emotions, and even the deities have trouble resolving things, so year after year it is windy and raining . . . . How sad to think that these beautiful legends are of the nature of Mother Goose tales, and refuted by modern people using "science" and "common sense."

"You cannot put much faith in folk beliefs. Tati was a scholar--how would he be in possession of a sword? And Matsu is at least twenty years older than Tati, so how would love spring up between them?" says Chang Chien-hsing.

Although both Ta Tao Kung and Matsu are deities in whom people of Fukienese descent all have deep faith, the story of love and resentment between these two is unique to Taiwan. "Taiwan is an immigrant society, and the immigrants have come from many places to live together in one place. With the overlap of originally independent systems of belief, there will naturally be mix-ups among the various gods," notes Lee Feng-mao, a professor of Chinese at Chengchi University.

Originally believers would celebrate the birthday of Ta Tao Kung on the fifteenth day of the third month in the lunar year, and would hit Matsu's birthday immediately thereafter on the twenty-third day of the same month. Because the temple festivities were so close together in time, the people romantically came up with this story of Ta Tao Kung's unrequited love for Matsu. Whereas in the simpler Fukien area in the mainland, where belief systems were clearly distinguished from one another, the villages each have their deities, and Matsu and Ta Tao Kung have not been thrown together in a rumor of a romantic pairing.

Besides his 36 officials accompanying him, Paosheng Tati has two or three old tigers under his command.

According to legend, one day Paosheng Tati went into the mountains to search for medicinal herbs, and saw a white-headed, golden-eyed wild tiger writhing in pain by the side of the road. The creature had eaten countless people. On that day it had consumed a woman; little did it expect that the jade hairpin on her head would get stuck in its throat causing him great pain. After the tiger swore to not harm people any longer, Tati took out the hairpin. Thereafter the tiger remained by the side of Tati, willing to carry him on its back. As a result some people exclaimed that not only was Tati the complete physician, he was also an outstanding veterinarian!

Gods save the soul, physicians heal the body: Tying a silken thread around a wrist, or healing a tiger. From today's point of view it is inevitable that there will be a series of myths. When the ordinary person becomes ill, most people are in the habit of going to the doctor for a shot or medication rather than going to the temple to seek a prescription. Paosheng Tati has adapted to the times and now has different "lines of business."

The elderly still have deep faith in the medicinal virtues of Paosheng Tati. Even if they go to the hospital for treatment, they won't neglect a trip to Pao An Temple to ask Tati to tell them which hospital would be best or what the most auspicious day for surgery would be. They feel this two-tracked method--of putting one's life in the hands of the doctor but one's choice in the hands of a god--is the best way.

Moreover, in order to commemorate the medical skills and spirit of Paosheng Tati, the Chi An Temple in Shulin Township two years ago established a "Pine Crane Western Medicine Clinic" within the temple, doing free treatment of ordinary people. The former director of public health for Shulin, Ko Hsien-tsai, serves at the clinic. Old Dr. Ko, now 72, takes only a small transportation subsidy and goes every morning from Taipei to Shulin to treat the people. The clinic has helped 7,300 people over the last two years. "Medicine can only heal the physical pain of illness; faith can put a person's heart at ease"--Dr. Ko feels that the clinic at the Chi An Temple has the advantage of treating both the inside and the outside of a patient.

Gods and doctors--both groups aim to help all living things. In the Chi An Temple, Paosheng Tati and Ko Hsien-tsai work together to protect the lives of the people and bring aid and tranquility to the world. Now isn't that a beautiful story?

[Picture Caption]

Paosheng Tati is a god of medicine from Tung an County in Chuanchow (Fukien Province), so he was brought over to Taiwan by Chuanchow immigrants in order to heal the rampant illnesses of the early pioneering days.

The clay sculpture of the Pao An Temple in Talungtung in Taipei tells the story of the tiger which served Paosheng Tati and carried him on its back.

Besides the general "fate" chits available in most temples, the Pao An Temple also provides believers with prescriptions for illnesses.

Offerings on the table, these older women at the Pao An temple aren't praying for fame or fortune, but for the health of the little ones at home.

Besides praying for the tranquility of their souls, the Chi An Temple in Shulin Township has also established a clinic to provide free medical care to the people.

The clay sculpture of the Pao An Temple in Talungtung in Taipei tells the story of the tiger which served Paosheng Tati and carried him on its back.

Besides the general "fate" chits available in most temples, the Pao An Temple also provides believers with prescriptions for illnesses.

Offerings on the table, these older women at the Pao An temple aren't praying for fame or fortune, but for the health of the little ones at home.

Besides praying for the tranquility of their souls, the Chi An Temple in Shulin Township has also established a clinic to provide free medical care to the people.