Two Loyal Ministers Zhang-Xu

The Two Loyal Ministers refer to Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, Tang-dynasty generals who heroically defended Suiyang during the An Lushan Rebellion. With vastly outnumbered forces and exhausted supplies, they chose martyrdom over surrender, earning universal admiration for their unwavering loyalty and valor. Temples dedicated to them—known as Shuangzhong Miao (Temples of the Two Loyal Ministers)—were erected across the realm, and successive imperial courts conferred upon Zhang Xun the title Baoyi Zunwang (Lord of Protective Rituals) and upon Xu Yuan the title Baoyi Dafu (Grand Minister of Protective Rituals). The people of Anxi venerated the Two Loyal Ministers as their protective deities. During the Qing dynasty, immigrants from Anxi—including members of the Gao, Lin, and Zhang lineages—settled and cultivated the Jingmei area of Taipei, bringing with them the incense ashes of Baoyi Zunwang and instituting a rotating system of worship. This practice gave rise to today’s Jingmei Jiying Temple, now the central hub of the Two Loyal Ministers’ cult in Taiwan. Every year on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month—the deity’s birthday—devotees stage a grand procession through the community to pray for peace and prosperity; descendants of the original Anxi settlers host communal banquets, transforming this religious observance into a living memorial to over two centuries of Anxi migration, settlement, and pioneering endeavor.