Five Princes of Nankunshen

The Five Princes of Nankunshen refer to five deified lords—Li, Chi, Wu, Zhu, and Fan—who stand as the foremost divine representatives of Taiwan’s Wangye (Imperial Prince) faith. Legend holds that they were extraordinary scholars and strategists from the Sui and Tang dynasties, renowned for their wisdom and virtue; upon ascending to heaven, they were commissioned by the Celestial Emperor to act as imperial inspectors, sailing across the realm aboard a Wangchuan (Royal Ship) to investigate and eradicate outbreaks of disease and demonic afflictions. In the late Ming dynasty, a Wangchuan drifted ashore on the sandy shoals of Nankunshen in Beimen, Tainan; local fishermen reverently hauled it onto land and erected a temple—the Nankunshen Daifu Temple—which today serves as Taiwan’s preeminent Wangye temple and the spiritual center of the entire cult, drawing the largest number of devotees island-wide. Along the coasts of Taiwan and Fujian, communities hold grand Wangjiao (Royal Prince) festivals during which elaborately crafted Wangchuan are built, laden with incense, candles, and rice, then ceremonially launched into the sea—a rite known as ‘sending the Prince on his celestial voyage’—constituting one of Taiwan’s most awe-inspiring religious spectacles.