There are two Jiaying temples in Budai Township: the Budai Jiaying Temple, where the custom of "burning the king's boat" is practiced, and the Xinweng Jiaying Temple, where the “Waterway Race to Welcome the Visiting King” is held every year to welcome visitors.
Located in the Xinwen area, Jiaying Temple is also the center of fishers' prayers for peace. The temple is primarily dedicated to the Jiulong Sangong (the Three Lords of the Nine Dragons), who in life were the loyal minister Wei Tianzhong, his father Wei Guozuo, and his grandfather Wei Liaowang, living in the later years of the Southern Song Dynasty.
The Jiaying Temple has been established for more than 280 years and is now located on the Provincial Highway 17, which is a busy road. It started as a simple grass hut on the seashore, but as the number of worshippers increased and the incense flourished, the temple was moved to its current location and gradually grew to its present size.
The “Waterway Race to Welcome the Visiting King” at Jiaying Temple in Xinwen Jiaying Temple in Budai, is a rare temple event in Taiwan. Believers believe that on March 27 on the Lunar Calendar each year, seven Kings touring the mountain on the God's behalf, 13 Kings touring the seas on the God's behalf, and a total of 20 “Guest Kings” will gather on an invisible King's boat off the Xinwen Jiaying Temple in Budai Township, and the King's boat will enter the Xinwen Jiaying area as guests along the high tide of the sea. In order to show their hospitality, the Yin Wangye and the Three Kings of Kowloon enshrined in Jiaying Temple invite the nearby temple idols of the old Three Kings of Nankunshen, the Sugar Jiao Ma of the Chaotian Temple in Beigang, and the Three Mothers of the Puzi Matching Temple to come down to the sea to greet them every year. Dozens of shrines rush down to greet them, and this is the origin of the “Surfing the Waterway, Welcoming the Guest Kings” folkloric celebration.
It has been passed down for more than 100 years and has become a major annual festival in Xinwen, attracting devotees from all over Taiwan to participate in it, making it one of the most significant events combining religion and culture in the Chiayi's Coastal Area.
