The Origins of Chiayi's Generals Troupes

"household Generals" generally refers to the gods' private army. Apart from their protecting the gods, the main god of the temple they are affiliated with can also send them out on missions to dispel evil. The tradition originates in Tainan, but in Chiayi practices have diverged somewhat. Generally speaking, they can be divided between the "Shih General" troupes affiliated with Chiayi's City God Temple, and the "Eight Generals" troupes passed down through the Chenyutang groups of the Tzuchigung Temple.

The so-called Eight Generals comprise the four generals Gan, Liu, Xie, and Fan; and the four gods of the seasons-Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. And there are also the lower-ranking civil and martial mandarins, who carry out their orders. When you include the higher-ranking fierce-looking literary and martial magistrates, then the number would rise to ten. But in truth there are 13 people working up a sweat in these troupes. At any rate, they are called the Shih Generals, since the character shih (§∞) in Chinese can mean either "ten" or "varied and numerous."

There are many troupes that have splintered off from the main Chiayi Generals groups. The Eight Generals and the Shih Generals both have numerous groups derived from them. And because the troupes associated with different temples all use different face paint and steps, any given general will look and move differently from troupe to troupe. Hence the expression: "Same master, different moves." It all depends on your own intuitive understanding.

Chiayi's Generals troupes are thriving thanks largely to the City God Temple. Established in 1715, during the Qing Emperor Kangxi's rule, it has long been the center of worship in the Chiayi area.

In 1938, the Japanese colonial mayor Shuhei Kawabata ordered the city's temples to close, and other temples in Chiayi sent their generals to the City God Temple, which the Japanese dared not interfere with. Since the return of Taiwan to Chinese rule at the end of World War II, the other temples have shown their appreciation for the greatness of the City God Temple by doing their best to pay tribute at the City God Festival. This has spurred great development among the Generals troupes and other temple performance groups in the Chiayi area.