The Department of Chinese, TKU, is scheduled to hold a seminar on their findings in in-depth folklore studies in Tamsui. The title of the seminar: "A Microscopic View of the Temples in Tamsui: the Relationship between Residents and Religion".

As we have learned, both faculties and students will speak about their reflections and illuminations of the ancient---sometimes ruined temples they have visited during their field trip.

The seminar will be held on June 5 (Wednesday) from 8:20 to 12:10 PM at Room L522 of the Liberal Arts Building.

The local deities such as Benefactor King (En-chu-kung), Earth God (Mind you, not Earth Goddess as in Western tradition), Fu You God (Merciful God), Kuan Yin (Buddhisava) and Buddha were studied under their research lens.

They have studied their genealogy in terms of inheritance, transformation and development, and their relationship with the local residents. Since the Chinese (maybe we should call them Taiwanese) people are noted for their clannish (ancestor-worshipping, or family-oriented) sentiments, the folks with Chang as their surname would prefer to worship the Sung dynasty folk hero Chang Hsun, whereas the Lu's would pay obsequies to the legendary fairy god Lu Tung Ping.

The researchers of the Chinese Department also have explored the relationship between the one- hundred- year- old Dragon Mountain Temple and the worshipping residents from Tamsui. Last but not the least, the changed value upheld for the Earth God (Tu-ti-kung) and hence the altered relationship between this god and his worshippers, etc.