Chinese Temple Culture: 土地公 - Money Gods 台灣文化

This video was made to accompany a presentation at the European association of Taiwan Studies International Conference in 2011. It features the 'Money God' temple Zi Nan Gong 紫南宮 and free gifts of money.
This was the first temple in Taiwan to give fortune money. At that time, the village comprised of several local landlords who had ambitions to make money in Taipei, and a small agricultural community. Although the exact date has been forgotten, the vice manager of the temple Mr Chen 陳俊郎 recollects the first occasion on which fortune money was given in the late 1930s. The landlords had been to Taipei, but found no success in business, and returned to the village to ask for the assistance of the temple deities. The temple committee of 12 met, and a decision was reached that lucky money could be given, so long as the temple deities agreed. The agreement was attained through the use of bua bue, and the landlords returned to Taipei where their businesses were successful. The very first person to be given money was a Mr. Zhang 張, followed by the other landlords, and the temple stipulated that the money had to be returned within one year.
Since the 1950s, the process has become ritualized. Generally in Taiwan, it is common for temple visits to rise incrementally with the size, state and condition of the roads and transport availability. When the temple first lent money to local villagers, there was only a dirt road which had been constructed by the Japanese. By the 1960s there was a tarmac road, and now access to the village is on a four lane road with parking facilities for several hundred cars and coaches.

[@lylylee8241]

Not money but wealth

[@ReligioninTaiwanandSingapore]

Hey Lyly Lee ... yes, wealth. But the people i interviewed interpreted wealth in many ways including jobs, relationships, health and so on. You are right.