Wu Feng Temple

Wu Feng was a Han interpreter and mediator during the Qing Empire’s rule in Taiwan. At that time, Han settlers never fully controlled the island, and conflicts with Indigenous peoples were frequent. Interpreters—known as tongshi—were vital for trade and negotiation, and Wu Feng, based in today’s Chiayi area, was said to be respected by both sides.

After almost fifty years of service, Wu was murdered by Indigenous people, though the real cause remains unclear. Later, his story turned into legend—the Japanese colonizers recast him as a benevolent hero who sacrificed his life to civilize Indigenous peoples. The Wufeng Temple was established and glorified in this context.

After 1945, the KMT government continued to spread the legend. Generations of Taiwanese learned Wu’s story from textbooks as the kind Chinese man who brought light to the “uncivilized.” Inside the temple, a large plaque inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek reads “To Sacrifice Oneself for Justice,” along with paintings and materials dedicated to the deified Wu Feng.

Everything changed after Taiwan’s democratization in the late 1980s. With the rise of the Indigenous rights movement, Wu’s statues were torn down in nearby Chiayi City (though the namesake road remains). People began to recognize that the story was unfounded, and the temple slowly faded from public attention. Now it is a quiet, off-the-beaten-track site. 

Though the sacrifice legend is now known to be unreal, the temple actually become a perfect place to think about history. Our memories are constantly constructed and deconstructed by multiple narratives—just like the many, many stone tablets you can find in the temple yard.