Introduction
	The original name of Farn-shuu tsuoh Shuenn-tian temple is Farn-shuu tsuoh Chaur-tian temple, and the name source is to commemorate the Heavenly Mother from Chaur-tian ger, and it’s stand idol is made from Chaur-tian Ma-Zu, (at present this is the oldest and the only one stand idol of Kai-ji Mey-jou Da-Ma in history and data of Ma-Zu). So the people named the temple for Farn-shuu tsuoh Chaur-tian temple for commemorate the source of God Ma-Zu. After that, there was a rank jeu-ren Horng jinn-chyi (the real name is Horng shern-juh, the titled is jinn-chyi), he changed the place name Farn-shuu tsuoh to Farn-ju tsuoh personally, and set two pieces sign prints of Farn-ju tsuoh juang Chaur-tian temple and lot poetry of edition of it in the temple in title of resign twelve Daw-guang. (now they are in the temple), after that the public disagreed changing the source place Farn-shuu tsuoh to Farn-ju tsuoh, so they changed it to use the original name Farn-shuu tsuoh, after that also changed the name to Chaur-tian temple in the title of resign Daw-guang of Manchu dynasty for the reason the temple was near the Tian-how temple in Benn-gaang Tian-how temple, and it also refitted in title of resign Daw-guang. Afterwards, there were many villagers and geography teachers keep coming to the temple, they thought the history background was different to Benn-gaang Chao-tian temple, so they suggested changing our temple name for avoid unnecessary disputing and misunderstanding. After praying to Sheng Mu’s explaining, they changed the name to Farn-shuu tsuoh Shuenn-tian temple, and time was after the title of resign Shyan-feng. Additionally, in China calendar 15, 16, 17 January these three evenings are local God Ma-Zu’s patrol day on every year (the beginning day is 15 January in China calendar, it is also called Festival of Lanterns), currently the time is already about more than three hundred years in history, it also can be said the one after one generation devolution, it is representation of Festival of Lanterns and activity of Yun-lin in Taiwan area, it can be a type of “active national monument. During these days there have so many followers keep visiting and it incenses all day long in the Shuenn-tian temple, there has Feng firecracker, fireworks and locales of temples which are from the whole place of Taiwan, we will have the whole three days festival Feast of Lanterns on China calendar( 15 January till 18 January ) in Shoei–lin shiang Shuenn-tian temple ,we most welcome everybody to come us Farn-shuu tsuoh Shuenn-tian temple, The God Ma-Zu’s miracles are strong and so many, so the joss stick is vigorous, worshipers and divide idol are also pervade the whole country and overseas, every New year till March in China calendar is our sacrifice period, we very welcome everyone come with us, if you need some help you welcome to go to our temple and ask us. After that, there are many students passed the exams and got good occupations like doctor, gownsman, prosecutor, lawyer and some occupations about public official, and the proportion is high and famous for the whole Taiwan, there had so much news report and the public called Farn-shuu tsuoh juang for Juang-yuan Mansion. Our place also appeared many people who are good in other realm, we think it’s Ma-Zu’s protection so every year when it has exams and there will have so many worshipers go to Farn-shuu tsuoh Shueen-tian temple. So Farn-shuu tsuoh Shueen-tian temple is virtually the one of centers of Taiwan’s Matsu worshipers. History The prospectus of Farn-shuu Tsuoh ( Yam of cottage) Shuenn Tian Temple Ma-Zo ,the Heavenly Mother. To know the genesis where is built of the temple, it should know the study of ancient relics which Yam cottage ancestry who moved to Taiwan first; according to the surname Hong of the genealogical table, the first ancestry of Yam cottage is a man who named Horng yueh, he was born in the title of resign 6 Shuenn-chyr and the year Jii-choou (A.D. 1649) ,surname Pwu-tyan in the Fukien province, it is apart from to there has been more than 340 years now. There has a festivity in Pwo-tyan when the year he was fifteen ( the 2 title of resign Kang-shii ), he liked eating a sacrificial offering called “ hong guei ”(red turtle made by pasta), that time his eldest sister-in-law found that he took one hong guei wanted to eat, so she bit his head for two times by hand, that time Horng yueh was very sad and cried the whole day. After several days he followed the native people to drive the boat to Taiwan, and he wandered about West port of Tainan when his first time to Taiwan, and the residents of Taiwan employed him to herd the cattle, after that he played with those other little cowboys for often. After two years, Mr. Horng was seventeen, the first ten days of Summer he had a scrap with the little cow boys (the same cow boys he played with) and he lost, so he dared not keep being employed here and followed the north to divagate, until he divagated to this cottage (Yam cottage) he found could cultivate yams so he decided to take the hut to live, reclaim and cultivate yams. He lived along for about three years, so he was twenty years old then. This age he thought of relatives of hometown, so after cultivating on Spring he came back and told his adventure in Taiwan, when he wanted pick his second sister-in-law and two nephews up to the cottage of Taiwan on Summer to Autumn, the wave was very big, so they went to the isle Mey-jou to carry the vice-body of God Da mha, their cremated ashes of ancestry Shyr san du and conjured the God Shyuan-tian, God Shanq-wang, God Tay-tzyy for protection then to Yam cottage to live and sacrificed. At the beginning they just only took hut to sacrificed these Gods they carried with (the position is in Dah-luen ding of north eastward ), it mounted full of yam vine so called the hut for “ Fan-shuu-liau (Yam hut)”, and the major God Ma-Zuhn called (Fan-shuu-liau Ma.) After that the surname Horng ancestry live here and continued the family line, until 3rd family Horng wen, it already had six men and feed many animals, that time the land had be subdued for km2, at beginning the position of Dah-luen ding was inconvenient for took care, and the hut was also old to live, so when the title of resign 12 Gan-long and the year ding-mau (A.D. 1747) they moved to mr. Horng jen’s place and built temple again, sacrificed Gods and found it was very efficacious, and peace unto the whole Horng family. The title of resign 54 Gan-long and the year Jii-chou (A.D. 1789), the middle of Autumn, it rained cats and dogs for several days, cataclysm flooded everywhere and the sea water poured to infuse, at that time it had a branch of stick floated, the footage about 3.14 meter more and it’s hollow the whole stick which be astride the west runnel of a old well of temple, the villagers had to go through the runnel if they wanted to take the water so they used it as a bridge to go through the runnel, and there was a magic thing happened on the stick. Women were safe to pass the stick, but men would drop into the runnel, when it was at midnight the stick would send out the strong light, the villagers felt confused and invocated the Gods beei-jyi Shanq-wang to attach someone’s body to instruct, the stick was Ching-shiang stick which was magic stick from foreignness, and the God Ma-Zu wanted use it to sculpt to an idol, but the whole stick was hollow so sculptors could not do it. The villagers got Ma-Zu’s enjoinment the date was not right and it happened the murrain from north Bair-sha-twen, directly, it would come people who ask to cure diseases about the stick, by that time behind the villagers be wished to cut a little bit part of the stick to those visitors. The caretaker of temple followed Ma-Zu’s direction and moved the stick into the temple, as it told it came several strangers and ask the stick, so the caretaker also follow to cut the stick to them, finally it happened the wonderful result , from now on it kept coming many people to ask the stick to cure their diseases. After several years, the residual part of stick was little bit about 0.942 meter more, that time it be found the middle inside the stick was full, soon it came a Buddha sculptor told the caretaker it was several days ago has a miss came to him and ask to sculpte. An idol of Tian Shang Sheng Mu, the caretaker was very surprised and ask that sculptor what did the miss look like and what happened, after divination and drawing lots, as the sculptor said the miss was the God Ma-Zu, so they followed the direction to sculpted the stick to an idol of Ma-Zu ( now the major idol of the temple), at the same time putting a ston incensory beside it ( it is also in the temple now), that time it was The title of resign 8 Daw-guang and the year Wuh-tzyy.(A.D.1828) In the signs of human being scarcity, it joss stick vigorous, and the followers who from every hamlet are getting more and more many, other surnames like Wang, Wu, Jou were moved to this village and it was thriving. The geological pattern of the surname Horng ancestry was connected with this old and repairing temple, so when the rigging was repaired and the surname ancestry Horng grave was felled to sink , and reciprocally it did fell to sink also. After this situation for several times, the personnel invited a geography teacher called Mr. Jiann jou to check. According what this geography said, the geography of temple, but it mourned that the geography between the temple and surname ancestry Horng was connected, it was to close, so maybe it would be against each other. At the moment the whole villagers had many discussions until the title of resign 10 Shyan-feng and the year Geng-shen(A.D. 1860), Mr. Horng collected the chest 1500 teals , at the same time he begged the God Ma-Zu’s direction to find a new place to rebuild the old temple again, the villagers rebuilt the temple before the grave about fifty meter , when they finished and also put a plaque inside the temple to thank the benefit of Gods. During these times Mr. Horng jinn-chyi got the rank jeu-ren in government exam, and everyone got happiness and good job in society , this all was the achievement belonged to the God Ma-Zu. Experienced successively the vicissitudes of life, the dynasty and generation changed, after Japan encroached Taiwan, the enemies wanted to burn all of idols, the villagers were pushed and dared not against, only had to collect all of idols of temple and separated them to different place. Mr. Horng yan put the idol God Ma-Zu in the wardrobe, incensed and sacrificed tea. One time, Japanese enemies rummaged, Mr. Horng yan hidden the idol Ma-Zu into a sugar cane park which belong to Mr. Horng jiing in the north of Yam village, and he used wooden casement and straw to cover on it, then he protected it with his family. Several days after, Mr. Horng jiing used rake cropped the grass, after cropping, he met Mr. Horng yan in the way coming home, he asked Mr. Horng jiing why took rake with cow, Mr. Horng jiinganswered to work in the sugar cane park. Mr. Hornng yan was shocked and asked if he did the work all everywhere, and Mr. Horng jiing said yes. Mr. Horng yan was rush to regard the park and told all of thing to Mr. Horng jiing, but Mr. Horng jiing said he did not find anything, so Mr. Horng yan went to the park alone and to regard. The gaps between the park was not be cropped, so Mr. Horng yan was reassured and told his family and neighborhood the secret, after that the votaries who knew such thing was more apotheosized the God Ma-Zu. After recovering, all of thing had to be rebuilt, the temple was be arranged, and emplaced Gods which from villages. At the same time, villagers suggested building cram school beside the temple, so it was getting more and more people studied and got knowledge, and it was also more people went out to do business in other place, whatever doing business or looking for jobs people always asked God Ma-Zu first, and it was always woke out, so every year when God Ma-Zu’s birthday people who lived other place always came back to their hometown to worship it. Year 54 of Republic of China and the year Yii-syh(A.D.1965) 15 January, the Yam villager who sojourned in Jia-yih who called Mr. Horng jau-tzong, he suggested it should rebuild the temple cause the structure was ole and bricks was broken, Mr. Horng jiann-jang obtained the personage in the place and the approval of the village people, so at the same time he started whip-round and built a new extension in the original place of temple. When architects planed work rebuilding temple, soon the people just collected one million dollars more, plus other people who lived in other place usually send money but not give their name, so the total expense can not counted, and the temple was finished rebuilding only at the fourth time on April. Year 65 of Republic of China, the incumbent chairman of committee Mr. Horng koong-shyong collected 3 million dollars more and built 2 clock drums building beside temple, and also built meeting room and pilgrims rest room. Year 68 of Republic of China, the incumbent chairman of committee Mr. Wang kee collected 3 million dollars more and built a gold stove and a recreation center. Year 80 of Republic of China, the ex inspect the member of committee of Australia also Farn-shuu tsuoh villagers Mr. Jou jer-yeu with his wife Mrs. Jan lih-rong who came back to thank the protection of God Ma-Zu, and contributed 2 million dollars to build a new gold stove. Year 82 of Republic of China, it had festivity in the Farn-shuu tsuoh Shuenn-tian temple and an attendances figure estimated in the hundreds. The festivity was good time by God Ma-Zu’s miracles. Year 85 October of Republic of China, the 2 clock drums building beside temple, and pilgrims rest room were rebuilt, it cost NT$ 840,000. The new restaurant was finished on May, 2006, Year 95 of Republic of China. It cost 4130, 000; the part of kitchen was finished by the workers who is hired by our temple The western-east door is rebuilt and the new Tay Suey hall is finished on October, 2006. It cost 1480,000. For God Ma-Zu’s millions miracle, we people composed records to show her blessing. The Memoir of Ma-Zo Ma-Zo, the Heavenly Mother, was a native of the Mey-jou Isles at Pwu-tyan Hsien, Fukien Province. Ma-Zo was given birth on March 23rd of 960 by her Buddism-devouted parents. Without uttering a cry within the first month of her birth, her parents gave her the name of "Profound Lady" Since her childhood, Ma-Zo was marvelously intelligent and devoted herself to Buddism. At the age of thirteen, she was instructed by a monk and became mastered in the mythe of theology. At sixteen, she was endowed with super-natural power by a god and began to give cure to the sick and evil-ridden people. At last Ma-Zo bade farewell to her family and joined the ranks of gods. Thanksgiver to matsu worshiper,Miss Yea-Yu Wu from Tzuoying Dist, Kaohsiung city, helps the English translations. Farn-shuu Tsuoh Shuenn-tian temple address:No.102,Farn-shuu Tsuoh,Shuilin county,Yunlin Hsein,Taiwan TEL:(05)7841621 (05)7842667