Danger did not cease when the immigrants reached Taiwan, for medicine in this wilderness area was primitive and many people were claimed by sickness and disease. For protection, the settlers worshipped a group of plague gods called Wang-yeh, who were believed to have the ability to eradicate illness. Later on, as the settlers and their new villages began to flourish, the naturally felt a need to show gratitude for the divine assistance that had blessed them. They built temples to honor their gods, the most important of which were Matsu and Wang-yeh. In addition to providing homes for the gods and places for devotees to worship, temples also became centers of social activity for all members of the community.
Temples are memorial buildings, sanctuaries for the gods, and centers of faith for believers.
These decorations constitute a body of religious art which gives full expression to the spiritual culture of the Chinese people. Direction from the Gods Inside Taiwan's temples, you can frequently see rituals being performed to seek help from the gods. When devotees have a favor to ask or a fortune to be told, they burn three sticks of incense before an altar as they mentally repeat their name, birth date, address, and the question or favor they want to ask. Then they drop two crescent-shaped divining blocks, made of wood or bamboo, onto the floor. When one block lands convex side up and the other flat side up, the answer is positive or the omen is good.