V. Recent Changes of the Divine Stones and Trees:

Since that they contain intrinsic mystery and due to the prevalence of the "Everybody Happy Lottery", many stones and trees continue to be deified and worshipped. However, I am concerned about the recent changes of the divine stones and trees included in my field work. In 1994, when I came to Tan-suan Rural-town to do research on the Emperor of Six Areas (#S10), I could not find the temple where the divine stone was located. Fortunately, I was told that the original temple had been destroyed and the Emperor of Six Areas had been moved to a temple for the God Sam-san Kok-ong (the Kings of Three Mountains). I found the temple later on but still did not find the divine stone on the altar. The custodian told me that a couple of years ago when the temple was becoming well-financed, villagers moulded a statue for the Emperor of Six Areas and the stone had been set into the statue. Today, though the cult is still popular, we can no longer see the original stone.

The two stone chambers for the worship of the stone Land God of E-kham-te Hamlet (#S25; see figure 27) and the stone Good Brothers of E-kham-te Hamlet (#S26; see figure 28) were gracefully located under an Autumn Maple tree at E-kham-te Hamlet. However, in 1996, the road beside the chambers is expected to be widened and the chambers are supposed to be moved away. People there decided to build a temple to worship the Land God and the Good Brothers. I asked them how they will deal with the stone chambers after the temple is built? They answered that they will bury the chambers under the temple. Accordingly, we might no longer see the dolmens. Similarly, the stone chamber of the stone Land God of Chhen-the Lane (#S21; see figures 21 & 22) is going to be buried under the new temple when villagers there raise enough funds to build one.

The divine trees are also not in good condition. From the previous chapters we see that the original trees for the worship of the Tree God of Lam-kian West Road (#T34; see figure 101), the Tree God of Kui-sin Village (#T7; see figure 72), and the Tree God of Peng-ho Ward (#T3; see figure 68) have all died. Nowadays, they are only represented by a statue or tablet.(note.6)

We know that the Pine King of Chong-ui Rural-town (#T2; see figure 67) is located in front of the big temple of Khai-chiang- seng-ong (literally, the First Divine Patriarch of the Chiang- chiu Prefecture). In recent decades, the front yard of the big temple has been paved over with cement. Unfortunately, the pressure of the cement blocked up the channels that brought water to the roots. Since then the divine tree gradually withered. Similarly, the trunk of the Autumn Maple God of Lam-kang District (#T33; see figure 99) is surrounded by the concrete temple building. The concrete restricts the spread of branches and roots of the divine tree. For a long time this tree has had no vitality.

I was told that the divine tree for the worship of the Tree God of Thau-hun Village (#T4; see figure 69) was so large that we could see it at a far distance. However, about ten years ago the trunk of the tree was knocked down by a bolt of lightning.

In spite of the above, people of some localities are in need to protect their trees. The case of the divine tree of Kang-khau Ward (#T8; see figure 73) is a notable example. The tree located at Kang-khau Ward of Toucheng Town was virtually a symbol of the town. When you saw it from a train or car, you knew you were coming to Toucheng. When the tree sprouted new shoots, it meant that the people there could go to the sea and net a big catch of larval fish. In days past, kids would often break off a sprig and eat it as a snack (Chang Chin-ju 1993b:91).

Unfortunately, since the road beside the divine tree became the major thoroughfare between Taipei City and Yilan County several years ago, traffic on the road has gradually become heavy. Therefore, the Taiwan Highway Bureau intended to widen this road and ordered that the tree be moved away from the road. People there were so angry about this order that they shouted: "Was the road or the tree there first? If you want the tree to go, let it walk away by itself. Otherwise, we will protect where its roots grow, protect where its branches extend" (Chang Chin-ju 1993b:91). Consequently, the Taiwan Highway Bureau changed its plan and moved the widened new road west to avoid the territory where the tree is rooted.

But things did not end here. A typhoon knocked half of the trunk of the tree down and left its roots exposed to the air. Today, the residents of the Town still wait for the tree to sprout and regain its vitality (Chang Chin-ju 1993b:90). However, the present director of the Forestry Department at the Chinese Culture University who is also a teacher of the subject for many decades, says that when large trees are isolated, standing alone in fields, on flat wastes, or in urban areas, then these trees are the most exposed targets for the bolts of lightnings or strong typhoons (Chang Chin-ju 1993a:79).

Nevertheless, some divine trees are more fortunate. In order to protect them from lightning, people installed lightning rods beside some divine trees (e.g. #T19, #T39).(note.7) Moreover, some temples (e.g. #T39, #T1, #T22, #T26) where divine trees are located have become gathering places for the elderly. At any time, we can find them gathered there, whiling away the hours chatting, playing chess or practising their calligraphy. The elderly can invite their friends from outside the village into the temple to drink tea and chat, where, though their children may be off on their own, they can still find company, drink tea and chew on betel nuts. Life cannot be any more comfortable than the life there.