Cangnan County is the southernmost county in Zhejiang Province, known as the “South Gate of Zhejiang”. It borders fuding city, Fujian Province in the south and Taiwan Province, a treasure island, across the sea in the east. It is the pioneer and bridgehead of Zhejiang’s economic and trade cooperation with Taiwan. In the Song Dynasty, Chen Jinggu belief was introduced into Wenzhou from Zhangzhou, Fujian, and there were miracles and legends in Chen Jinggu, such as exorcising demons and monsters, protecting babies, praying for rain and expelling plague, which soon evolved into a folk belief. Today, there are more than 300 temples in Chen Jinggu in Cangnan, and there are more and more contacts with Fujian in Taiwan Province. In order to standardize the management of Chen Jinggu Palace and Temple, with the guidance and support of Cangnan County Religious Affairs Bureau, Cangnan County Chen Jinggu Cultural Exchange Association was established in 2013 to continuously promote the healthy development of Chen Jinggu’s belief and custom culture.
First, actively explore and promote the culture of faith and custom. From 2013 to 2016, three Chen Jinggu Faith and Custom Culture Festivals were held. Since 2013, the Chen Jinggu Festival of Belief and Folklore Culture has become larger and larger, and its contacts with believers in Taiwan Province and Macau have become more frequent and close. In 2016, Cangnan Chen Jinggu Belief and Custom Culture Festival was listed as one of the theme series activities of “Folk Custom Colorful Zhejiang” in Zhejiang Province. More than 300 compatriots from Australia and Taiwan were invited to attend the event, including provincial religious affairs committee, provincial cultural department, provincial cultural relics bureau, Wenzhou religious affairs bureau, municipal Wenguang New Bureau, municipal Taiwan Affairs Office and heads of relevant units in Cangnan County. The cultural festival lasts for three days, and its activities include sacrificial ceremonies, cross-strait folk cultural exchanges, visits to characteristic scenic spots, performances, etc., which fully demonstrate the charm of Chen Jinggu’s belief and custom culture with the same roots and origins between Fujian and Taiwan.
Second, vigorously promote foreign cultural exchanges. “Affection is the root, and culture is the soul”. The activities of spirit separation, incense worship and parade between temples in Zhejiang and Taiwan have profound cultural connotations, which reflect the close relationship between roots and leaves, source and flow in traditional culture, and the historical identity and indivisibility of Zhejiang and Taiwan cultural areas. As the base of foreign exchange of folk culture in Cangnan County, Chen Jinggu Palace Temple in Cangnan has made unremitting efforts to cooperate with the government’s cultural exhibition, cultural exchange and economic and trade cooperation between Cangnan and Taiwan Province, between Cangnan and Macau, between Cangnan and Hong Kong, and between Cangnan and Fujian. With Fujian as the center, Wenzhou, Taiwan Province, Macau and Hongkong are all important spreading areas of Chen Jinggu’s faith. Taking Chen Jinggu’s faith and customs as a platform to cooperate with cultural exchanges and economic and trade cooperation in relevant areas has become a major option for the government.
Third, effectively promote the spread of drum culture. Chen Jinggu’s significance to the spread of Wenzhou drum lyrics, Chen Jinggu’s life stories, etc., were adapted into stories by the people and interpreted through drum lyrics. Including Lady Jing, Lady Li, Lady Deng and Lady Mantra by Chen Jinggu Taoist altar instruments, singing in Minnan dialect by puppet show “Biography of Pingyao in Linshui”, singing in Ou language by Long Chuaner’s Biography of Lady, singing in Ou language by Wenzhou drum lyrics “Biography of Ling Jing”, and singing on the stage of “Journey to the South” in Wenzhou.