Origins
Amongst Taiwanese folk beliefs, the bîng-kun-toh [ Underworld Army Table ] ritual stands out as a unique cultural negotiation—a spiritual dialogue between King Wen, a local deity, and foreign ghosts that reflects how locals have interpreted and transformed historical trauma. In this religious practice, humans play a role beyond that of ritual practitioners; they are meaning-givers who have ingeniously established a cultural mechanism to help wandering foreign spirits find peace through the mediation between Gods & Ghosts.
From a cultural studies perspective, supernatural narratives often function as crucial regulatory mechanisms when humans face the unknown. Historically, solar eclipses were interpreted as a celestial dog devouring the sun, prompting the creation of gong rituals to ward off evil. Drowning incidents, meanwhile, became tales of "water ghosts seeking new victims to take their place", resulting in the development of dragon boat ceremonies. These examples illustrate that even in an era where such phenomena can be scientifically explained, rituals remain essential as emotional anchors and means of fostering community bonds. In this context, supernatural narratives can be seen as metaphors for social structures, reflecting collective anxieties and needs. While many traditional religious rituals have declined with societal changes, their embedded cultural wisdom endures.
Overview
This research project, initiated by artist Lin Szu-Han at the end of 2023, investigates a unique cultural phenomenon in Penghu, Taiwan: the bîng-kun-toh ritual. Held during Ghost Month, this ceremony honors foreign spirits whose practice can be traced back to the 17th century's Age of Discovery, when East and Southeast Asia became hotspots of conflict, leaving many soldiers to perish and wander as spirits in foreign lands.
Despite its cultural significance, this local ritual is excluded from mainstream historical narratives and remains largely unknown, while its ceremonies and procedures are increasingly streamlined by modernization. Through this project, Lin aims to bring this intangible cultural heritage into contemporary discourse, embedding it within global narratives.
Starting at the old ruins "Snakehead Hill" in Penghu, the research includes a series of interviews with local historians, sociologists, villagers, and the master of ceremonies for the 2024 bîng-kun-toh ritual. Beyond preserving these increasingly simplified ceremonies through film documentation before they disappear, the project has established a cross-cultural artistic practice to reinterpret this historical memory in a contemporary context.
The profound influence of these foreign spirits on local rituals is revealed through the juxtaposition of video documentation and contemporary artistic practices, where intangible culture takes on visible, tangible forms to unveil a hidden history.
Action
As the project initiator, artist Lin Szu-Han presents three sets of artworks as 'Dutch spirits’, engaging in dialogue through a two-phase creative relay.
Phase I
Three Taiwanese artists conducted field research, using the Bîng Kun Toh as an entry point. By exploring the tradition through diverse topics—such as folk rituals, marine and plant ecology, and culinary culture—they broadened the understanding of the Bîng KunToh. Their artworks showcase the narratives and materials they collected during this research.
Participating Artists Lin Szu-Han, Lin Wen-Hsuan, Chiang Ping-Fan & Chuang Hsiang-Ching [ in order of pairing ]
Phase II
Based solely on the research and outcomes of their Taiwanese counterparts, three Dutch artists responded with intertextual works. By reversing both chronological and geographical contexts during their production, the dynamics of coloniser and colonised, as well as of active and passive roles, were transformed into a cross-cultural, cross-temporal dialogue.
Participating artists Wessel Verrijt, Jonat Deelstra, Stef Veldhuis [ in order of pairing ]
This two-phase process underscores the geographical contrast between the artists from both regions, echoing moments when Penghu locals first encountered foreign cultures. The works become mediums for wandering souls, enabling them to transcend geographical boundaries and return to their homeland through ritualistic presentations held in The Netherlands.
This cross-cultural practice unfolds through three narrative paths representing three distinct ghost stories. These paths allow each artists’ observations to echo shared visions, and personal experiences to resonate with communal memories. Dutch audiences can explore these narratives within the exhibition, discovering the nuanced ties between culture and history. In a globalised world, this invites reflection on the diverse possibilities of cultural identity.
Exhibition Design
The venue materialises as a theatre, traversing between tangible and intangible dimensions, with a dialectical relationship between 'Host' and 'Ghost' at its core, reflecting the historical trajectories of Taiwan and the Netherlands
In terms of spatial arrangement, a large red offering table is placed at the centre of the space -— the principal stage of the ritual theatre — with the six works by the Taiwanese and Dutch artists presiding as offerings around it. This configuration creates negative spaces that form a ceremonial path, guiding visitors in their circumambulatory experience.
Throughout the exhibition's program of events, this circular offering table transforms into a medium for community convergence; alternating between a platform for forum speakers to articulate their thoughts and a dining table for convivial interactions. This extends the ritualistic space into a dimension of contemporary social engagement.
Within this ritualistic space, each visitor receives a red cushion upon entering—symbolising the plate on which offerings are traditionally served. As visitors place their cushions on the offering table and take their seats, they unconsciously participate in an act of self-offering. The exhibition transforms into a theatre for spiritual entities to observe, where all existences can deconstruct into equal spiritual beings, transcending national borders and boundaries. The visitors become both offerings and recipients, emerging as both subjects and objects of sacrifice, allowing for continued existential dialectics.
Team
Project Director & Producer
Lin Szu-Han
Associate Coordinator
Lin Wen-Hsuan
Exhibition Design
Lin Szu-Han
Website Development
Etto
Videography
Yang Peter
Sound Effects
Hsiao Steven
Text Editor
Isa
Social Media
Hsiao Mien-Ting [ Alice ]
Organisers Support
Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
Het Nieuwe Instituut
Partners
Netherlands Office Taiwan
[ 2024 Taiwan-Netherlands Year of Innovation & Culture ]
Bridge Hole
Funding Support
Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
Cultural Affairs Bureau, Penghu County Government
Venue Support
Historical Perspective & Research Significance
History is not just a record of past events; it is a representation of collective human experience. This representation is inherently authentic, as it involves judgments about the human condition that cannot be separated from our ongoing historical experiences. Therefore, a historical narrative goes beyond mere storytelling; it reconstructs truth under specific criteria, aimed at enhancing the readers' understanding of their place in the world.
This research explores the interplay of multiple cultures through the unique cultural lens of Penghu's folk religion practice—the Underworld Army Table [ bîng-kun-toh ] of Fenggui village. What appears to be a modest cultural custom often acts as a bridge connecting past and present, allowing us to feel the pulse of history in our daily lives.
Geographical Space
The Strategic Position of Snakehead Hill
[ Shetou Hill ]
Located at the northern tip of Fenggui, Shetou Hill is more than a simple geographical landmark of the Penghu archipelago: it has witnessed countless fleets traversing its waters since the 12th century. As a crucial maritime channel connecting the East Asian mainland and Taiwan, Penghu possessed rich fishing resources and played a vital role in regional trade networks. By the 17th century, this maritime space became a zone of territorial sovereignty dispute between the Dutch East India Company [ VOC ] and the Great Ming.
Historical Events
The Dutch Power's Expansion & Withdrawal in Penghu
In the early 17th century, East Asian waters were undergoing a significant transformation. The rise of European maritime powers introduced unprecedented challenges to the traditional East Asian maritime order. As the largest multinational trading organisation of the time, The Dutch East India Company [ VOC ], actively sought to establish commercial networks in these waters, with the Penghu archipelago becoming their focal point due to its strategic advantages.
In 1604, Commander Wybrand van Warwijck led the Dutch fleet to Penghu—the first Dutch presence in these waters. Negotiations took place aboard ships, demonstrating how different civilizations approached maritime rights and interests.
Between 1622 and 1624, Dutch activities in Fenggui intensified as they attempted to establish a fortress. A bastion was erected on Shetou Hill, not only to monitor Magong Harbor across the water, but, more importantly, to control the entire shipping route through the Penghu Channel. This occupation represented both a military action and an attempt to restructure East Asian trade networks. In 1624, after an eight-month standoff with the Great Ming, the Dutch chose to relocate to Taiwan, establishing Fort Zeelandia in Tayouan [ now Anping District, Tainan City ], beginning their 38-year rule over Taiwan. Although the Dutch officially departed Penghu for Taiwan, Magong Harbor, with its strategic location, remained a key transit point for Dutch commercial and cargo vessels throughout their rule of Taiwan. This conflict left an indelible mark on the region's colonial history, shaping the subsequent development of both Penghu and Taiwan.
Cultural Memory
The Wandering Souls of Snakehead Hill
[ Shetou Hill ]
Beyond the Dutch conflicts, Shetou Hill accumulated three centuries of historical memory involving military forces from three nations, shaping today's unique local beliefs.
The first layer of historical memory dates back to the Dutch presence in the 17th century. In 1661, Dutch commander Jacob Caeuw led forces to Penghu in an attempt to rescue besieged Dutch troops, resulting in violent confrontations. That same year, when approximately 80 Dutch sailors landed in search of food, they were attacked by Koxinga's forces, leading to 36 Dutch casualties. These foreign souls became the earliest spectral inhabitants of Fenggui.
Two centuries later, the Sino-French War of 1885 opened a new chapter in the hill's history. As the battlefront extended from Vietnam to Taiwan, French forces occupied Penghu. While initial combat casualties were limited, poor sanitary conditions led to a cholera outbreak. According to a military doctor's memoir, nearly 300 French soldiers perished from disease during their two-month occupation. Subsequently, hundreds more bodies were relocated from various mass graves to the Shetou Hill area.
The early 20th century witnessed a third significant event. In 1908, the Japanese warship Matsushima suffered a gunpowder magazine explosion and sank in Penghu's Magong Harbor, claiming the lives of over 200 naval personnel. Many bodies drifted with the ocean currents to Fenggui’s Western Stoneweir Fishing Harbor, becoming part of its historical memory.
Today, Shetou Hill is known in local oral history as "Dead Foreigners' Fortress" [ sí-huan-á-siânn ], a colloquial local expression that, despite its crude literal meaning, reflects how residents preserved the memory of these foreign military presences. Three national monuments stand together here: the Dutch "Shetou Hill Fenggui Dutch Fort Ruins", the French "Penghu French Military Memorial," and the Japanese "Matsushima Shipwreck Memorial." These monuments not only record history, but also form the historical foundation for today's bîng-kun-toh ritual.
Religious Culture
The Formation & Transformation of the Bîng Kun Toh
In present-day Penghu, these historical memories have transformed into a unique cultural heritage. According to local accounts, about a century ago, during an epidemic, residents near Shetou Hill frequently reported hearing the sounds of foreign military drills. The villagers sought help from Wen Wang, the Temple Diety, who instructed them through a spirit medium to prepare special offerings during that year’s Ghost Festival—it was lunar month July, no surviving documentation specifies the exact year. The offerings included over twenty non-traditional food items such as toast, raw beef, raw fish, wasabi, red wine, and foreign cigarettes. Once the offerings were made, the problems in the village gradually subsided and, since then, the locals have believed that these foreign military souls require the observation of specific rituals.
During an interview, Mr. Yen Yong-lu, the ritual translation master tasked with interpreting divine messages delivered through spirit mediums, presented a handwritten note in Japanese listing a series of offerings with great historical significance. The list detailed the following items: seven catties of raw fish, four catties of raw beef, twenty eggs, sugar, MSG, vinegar, soy oil, rice wine, wasabi, six cans of soda, six cans of beer, ten loaves of bread, one carton of cigarettes, ten lighters, twelve packs of four-colored cakes, twelve packs of four-colored candies, seven catties of bananas, four types of fruits (six catties each), one sheep, seven small gold papers, three pairs of straw sandals, and three packs of sunflower seeds. However, observing the ritual today reveals that the current selection of offerings has been simplified, with items like straw sandals no longer present.
These offerings are based on local interpretations of foreign dietary customs: wasabi paired with raw fish to reflect Japanese taste, while bread and raw beef are perceived as typically Western. The assortment of snacks, alcoholic beverages, and cigarettes not only highlights the villagers' efforts to appease these foreign souls, but also illustrates how cultural memory is preserved and transformed within local society.
Historical Context of Ritual Spaces
Today in Fenggui Village, Magong City, Penghu County⚬, three temples lead the Ghost Festival rituals: the Temple of the Golden King [ Jinwang Temple, East Temple ], the Temple of the Three Officials [ Sanguan Temple, West Temple ], and the Temple of Wen King [ Wenwang Temple, Central Temple ]. Initially, the ceremony was held exclusively at Wen King’s temple, as it was his oracle that established the bîng-kun-toh ritual. However, field research reveals that Sanguan Temple, which enshrines the Deities of the Three Officials, also performs this ritual due to its unique history. Sanguan Temple was the original site of Wenwang Temple where, over a century ago, a spirit medium instructed villagers to make offerings to foreign military souls. In 1965, a new Wenwang Temple was constructed in the south of Fenggui, becoming the new residence of Wen King’s statue. The original site retained the statues of the Three Officials and was therefore renamed Sanguan Temple. Although the statue of Wen King had been relocated, the residents of Sanguan Temple continued the bîng-kun-toh ritual, praying for local peace.
This has led to the continuation of the bîng-kun-toh ritual at both temples, forming a unique ceremonial sequence: Sanguan Temple holds its ceremony in the middle of the seventh lunar month during the customary period for the Ghost Festival, while Wenwang Temple combines the ritual with the celebration of Wen King’s birthday in the late seventh lunar month. By combining the ritual with the deity’s birthday, the ceremony at Wenwang Temple has grown into a more complex, large-scale celebration, becoming the primary venue for this ritual in Fenggui Village. The 2024 fieldwork documented a unique incident: during the ceremony at Sanguan Temple [ on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, August 18th, 2024 ], the deity, through spirit possession, expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of offerings. In response, the villagers prepared even more elaborate items for the following ceremony at Wenwang Temple [ on the twenty-sixth day of the seventh lunar month, August 29th, 2024 ] to compensate. This singular timing arrangement gave Fenggui villagers an additional opportunity to appease the wandering souls, unlike other villages in Magong.
This has led to the continuation of the bîng-kun-toh ritual at both temples, forming a unique ceremonial sequence: Sanguan Temple holds its ceremony in the middle of the seventh lunar month during the customary period for the Ghost Festival, while Wenwang Temple combines the ritual with the celebration of Wen King’s birthday in the late seventh lunar month. By combining the ritual with the deity’s birthday, the ceremony at Wenwang Temple has grown into a more complex, large-scale celebration, becoming the primary venue for this ritual in Fenggui Village. The 2024 fieldwork documented a unique incident: during the ceremony at Sanguan Temple (on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, August 18th, 2024), the deity, through spirit possession, expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of offerings. In response, the villagers prepared even more elaborate items for the following ceremony at Wenwang Temple (on the twenty-sixth day of the seventh lunar month, August 29th, 2024) to compensate. This singular timing arrangement gave Fenggui villagers an additional opportunity to appease the wandering souls, unlike other villages in Magong.
⚬ The Ghost Festival rituals are typically organised at the village level. While Magong City, Penghu County, comprises thirty-three villages, only Fenggui continues to uphold the bîng-kun-toh ritual.
Evolution of Names & Cultural Implications
The naming of the bîng-kun-toh reflects an evolution in cultural understanding, as revealed through interviews with Mr. Yen Yong-lu, which provided insight into its deeper implications. Historical documents indicate two alternative writings that share similar pronunciations in Taiwanese: Alliance Army [ mêng-kun ] and Lord of the Underworld [ bîng-kun ]. Mr. Yen argues that the naming bîng-kun-toh most accurately reflects its historical context, as forming alliances [ mêng ] with the deceased is conceptually impossible, particularly with spirits from different historical periods. Instead, Underworld [ bîng ] aptly refers to the realm of spirits. Similarly, Army [ kun ] specifically denotes the military identity of the deceased, rather than the honorific term Lord [ kun ] which implies nobility and is historically inappropriate when referencing military casualties.
Transformation of Faith & Contemporary Significance
According to records, this ritual practice initially aimed to pacify foreign spirits, preventing them from disturbing village life. However, our field interviews reveal that the meaning of the ritual has transformed over the past century: villagers now also view it as a way to bless these foreign souls, hoping that, through divine intervention, they may achieve peaceful reincarnation.
Through studying this unique folk belief, we can observe how local society interprets and preserves historical memory through religious rituals, while also providing new perspectives for contemporary cultural exchange. This is the core objective of our research project: to employ history as a crucial reference for understanding the present and envisioning the future.
Origins
Amongst Taiwanese folk beliefs, the bîng-kun-toh [ Underworld Army Table ] ritual stands out as a unique cultural negotiation—a spiritual dialogue between King Wen, a local deity, and foreign ghosts that reflects how locals have interpreted and transformed historical trauma. In this religious practice, humans play a role beyond that of ritual practitioners; they are meaning-givers who have ingeniously established a cultural mechanism to help wandering foreign spirits find peace through the mediation between Gods & Ghosts.
From a cultural studies perspective, supernatural narratives often function as crucial regulatory mechanisms when humans face the unknown. Historically, solar eclipses were interpreted as a celestial dog devouring the sun, prompting the creation of gong rituals to ward off evil. Drowning incidents, meanwhile, became tales of "water ghosts seeking new victims to take their place", resulting in the development of dragon boat ceremonies. These examples illustrate that even in an era where such phenomena can be scientifically explained, rituals remain essential as emotional anchors and means of fostering community bonds. In this context, supernatural narratives can be seen as metaphors for social structures, reflecting collective anxieties and needs. While many traditional religious rituals have declined with societal changes, their embedded cultural wisdom endures.
Overview
This research project, initiated by artist Lin Szu-Han at the end of 2023, investigates a unique cultural phenomenon in Penghu, Taiwan: the bîng-kun-toh ritual. Held during Ghost Month, this ceremony honors foreign spirits whose practice can be traced back to the 17th century's Age of Discovery, when East and Southeast Asia became hotspots of conflict, leaving many soldiers to perish and wander as spirits in foreign lands.
Despite its cultural significance, this local ritual is excluded from mainstream historical narratives and remains largely unknown, while its ceremonies and procedures are increasingly streamlined by modernization. Through this project, Lin aims to bring this intangible cultural heritage into contemporary discourse, embedding it within global narratives.
Starting at the old ruins "Snakehead Hill" in Penghu, the research includes a series of interviews with local historians, sociologists, villagers, and the master of ceremonies for the 2024 bîng-kun-toh ritual. Beyond preserving these increasingly simplified ceremonies through film documentation before they disappear, the project has established a cross-cultural artistic practice to reinterpret this historical memory in a contemporary context.
The profound influence of these foreign spirits on local rituals is revealed through the juxtaposition of video documentation and contemporary artistic practices, where intangible culture takes on visible, tangible forms to unveil a hidden history.
Action
As the project initiator, artist Lin Szu-Han presents three sets of artworks as 'Dutch spirits’, engaging in dialogue through a two-phase creative relay.
Phase I
Three Taiwanese artists conducted field research, using the Bîng Kun Toh as an entry point. By exploring the tradition through diverse topics—such as folk rituals, marine and plant ecology, and culinary culture—they broadened the understanding of the Bîng KunToh. Their artworks showcase the narratives and materials they collected during this research.
Participating Artists Lin Szu-Han, Lin Wen-Hsuan, Chiang Ping-Fan & Chuang Hsiang-Ching [ in order of pairing ]
Phase II
Based solely on the research and outcomes of their Taiwanese counterparts, three Dutch artists responded with intertextual works. By reversing both chronological and geographical contexts during their production, the dynamics of coloniser and colonised, as well as of active and passive roles, were transformed into a cross-cultural, cross-temporal dialogue.
Participating artists Wessel Verrijt, Jonat Deelstra, Stef Veldhuis [ in order of pairing ]
This two-phase process underscores the geographical contrast between the artists from both regions, echoing moments when Penghu locals first encountered foreign cultures. The works become mediums for wandering souls, enabling them to transcend geographical boundaries and return to their homeland through ritualistic presentations held in The Netherlands.
This cross-cultural practice unfolds through three narrative paths representing three distinct ghost stories. These paths allow each artists’ observations to echo shared visions, and personal experiences to resonate with communal memories. Dutch audiences can explore these narratives within the exhibition, discovering the nuanced ties between culture and history. In a globalised world, this invites reflection on the diverse possibilities of cultural identity.
Exhibition Design
The venue materialises as a theatre, traversing between tangible and intangible dimensions, with a dialectical relationship between 'Host' and 'Ghost' at its core, reflecting the historical trajectories of Taiwan and the Netherlands
In terms of spatial arrangement, a large red offering table is placed at the centre of the space -— the principal stage of the ritual theatre — with the six works by the Taiwanese and Dutch artists presiding as offerings around it. This configuration creates negative spaces that form a ceremonial path, guiding visitors in their circumambulatory experience.
Throughout the exhibition's program of events, this circular offering table transforms into a medium for community convergence; alternating between a platform for forum speakers to articulate their thoughts and a dining table for convivial interactions. This extends the ritualistic space into a dimension of contemporary social engagement.
Within this ritualistic space, each visitor receives a red cushion upon entering—symbolising the plate on which offerings are traditionally served. As visitors place their cushions on the offering table and take their seats, they unconsciously participate in an act of self-offering. The exhibition transforms into a theatre for spiritual entities to observe, where all existences can deconstruct into equal spiritual beings, transcending national borders and boundaries. The visitors become both offerings and recipients, emerging as both subjects and objects of sacrifice, allowing for continued existential dialectics.
Team
Project Director & Producer
Lin Szu-Han
Associate Coordinator
Lin Wen-Hsuan
Exhibition Design
Lin Szu-Han
Website Design
Marwan Al-Anaki
Website Development
Etto
Videography
Yang Peter
Sound Effects
Hsiao Steven
Text Editor
Isa
Social Media
Hsiao Mien-Ting [ Alice ]
Organisers Support
Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
Het Nieuwe Instituut
Partners
Netherlands Office Taiwan
[ 2024 Taiwan-Netherlands Year of Innovation & Culture ]
Bridge Hole
Funding Support
Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
Cultural Affairs Bureau, Penghu County Government
Venue Support
Historical Perspective & Research Significance
History is not just a record of past events; it is a representation of collective human experience. This representation is inherently authentic, as it involves judgments about the human condition that cannot be separated from our ongoing historical experiences. Therefore, a historical narrative goes beyond mere storytelling; it reconstructs truth under specific criteria, aimed at enhancing the readers' understanding of their place in the world.
This research explores the interplay of multiple cultures through the unique cultural lens of Penghu's folk religion practice—the Underworld Army Table [ bîng-kun-toh ] of Fenggui village. What appears to be a modest cultural custom often acts as a bridge connecting past and present, allowing us to feel the pulse of history in our daily lives.
Geographical Space
The Strategic Position of Snakehead Hill
[ Shetou Hill ]
Located at the northern tip of Fenggui, Shetou Hill is more than a simple geographical landmark of the Penghu archipelago: it has witnessed countless fleets traversing its waters since the 12th century. As a crucial maritime channel connecting the East Asian mainland and Taiwan, Penghu possessed rich fishing resources and played a vital role in regional trade networks. By the 17th century, this maritime space became a zone of territorial sovereignty dispute between the Dutch East India Company [ VOC ] and the Great Ming.
Historical Events
The Dutch Power's Expansion & Withdrawal in Penghu
In the early 17th century, East Asian waters were undergoing a significant transformation. The rise of European maritime powers introduced unprecedented challenges to the traditional East Asian maritime order. As the largest multinational trading organisation of the time, The Dutch East India Company [ VOC ], actively sought to establish commercial networks in these waters, with the Penghu archipelago becoming their focal point due to its strategic advantages.
In 1604, Commander Wybrand van Warwijck led the Dutch fleet to Penghu—the first Dutch presence in these waters. Negotiations took place aboard ships, demonstrating how different civilizations approached maritime rights and interests.
Between 1622 and 1624, Dutch activities in Fenggui intensified as they attempted to establish a fortress. A bastion was erected on Shetou Hill, not only to monitor Magong Harbor across the water, but, more importantly, to control the entire shipping route through the Penghu Channel. This occupation represented both a military action and an attempt to restructure East Asian trade networks. In 1624, after an eight-month standoff with the Great Ming, the Dutch chose to relocate to Taiwan, establishing Fort Zeelandia in Tayouan [ now Anping District, Tainan City ], beginning their 38-year rule over Taiwan. Although the Dutch officially departed Penghu for Taiwan, Magong Harbor, with its strategic location, remained a key transit point for Dutch commercial and cargo vessels throughout their rule of Taiwan. This conflict left an indelible mark on the region's colonial history, shaping the subsequent development of both Penghu and Taiwan.
Cultural Memory
The Wandering Souls of Snakehead Hill
[ Shetou Hill ]
Beyond the Dutch conflicts, Shetou Hill accumulated three centuries of historical memory involving military forces from three nations, shaping today's unique local beliefs.
The first layer of historical memory dates back to the Dutch presence in the 17th century. In 1661, Dutch commander Jacob Caeuw led forces to Penghu in an attempt to rescue besieged Dutch troops, resulting in violent confrontations. That same year, when approximately 80 Dutch sailors landed in search of food, they were attacked by Koxinga's forces, leading to 36 Dutch casualties. These foreign souls became the earliest spectral inhabitants of Fenggui.
Two centuries later, the Sino-French War of 1885 opened a new chapter in the hill's history. As the battlefront extended from Vietnam to Taiwan, French forces occupied Penghu. While initial combat casualties were limited, poor sanitary conditions led to a cholera outbreak. According to a military doctor's memoir, nearly 300 French soldiers perished from disease during their two-month occupation. Subsequently, hundreds more bodies were relocated from various mass graves to the Shetou Hill area.
The early 20th century witnessed a third significant event. In 1908, the Japanese warship Matsushima suffered a gunpowder magazine explosion and sank in Penghu's Magong Harbor, claiming the lives of over 200 naval personnel. Many bodies drifted with the ocean currents to Fenggui’s Western Stoneweir Fishing Harbor, becoming part of its historical memory.
Today, Shetou Hill is known in local oral history as "Dead Foreigners' Fortress" [ sí-huan-á-siânn ], a colloquial local expression that, despite its crude literal meaning, reflects how residents preserved the memory of these foreign military presences. Three national monuments stand together here: the Dutch "Shetou Hill Fenggui Dutch Fort Ruins", the French "Penghu French Military Memorial," and the Japanese "Matsushima Shipwreck Memorial." These monuments not only record history, but also form the historical foundation for today's bîng-kun-toh ritual.
Religious Culture
The Formation & Transformation of the Bîng Kun Toh
In present-day Penghu, these historical memories have transformed into a unique cultural heritage. According to local accounts, about a century ago, during an epidemic, residents near Shetou Hill frequently reported hearing the sounds of foreign military drills. The villagers sought help from Wen Wang, the Temple Diety, who instructed them through a spirit medium to prepare special offerings during that year’s Ghost Festival—it was lunar month July, no surviving documentation specifies the exact year. The offerings included over twenty non-traditional food items such as toast, raw beef, raw fish, wasabi, red wine, and foreign cigarettes. Once the offerings were made, the problems in the village gradually subsided and, since then, the locals have believed that these foreign military souls require the observation of specific rituals.
During an interview, Mr. Yen Yong-lu, the ritual translation master tasked with interpreting divine messages delivered through spirit mediums, presented a handwritten note in Japanese listing a series of offerings with great historical significance. The list detailed the following items: seven catties of raw fish, four catties of raw beef, twenty eggs, sugar, MSG, vinegar, soy oil, rice wine, wasabi, six cans of soda, six cans of beer, ten loaves of bread, one carton of cigarettes, ten lighters, twelve packs of four-colored cakes, twelve packs of four-colored candies, seven catties of bananas, four types of fruits (six catties each), one sheep, seven small gold papers, three pairs of straw sandals, and three packs of sunflower seeds. However, observing the ritual today reveals that the current selection of offerings has been simplified, with items like straw sandals no longer present.
These offerings are based on local interpretations of foreign dietary customs: wasabi paired with raw fish to reflect Japanese taste, while bread and raw beef are perceived as typically Western. The assortment of snacks, alcoholic beverages, and cigarettes not only highlights the villagers' efforts to appease these foreign souls, but also illustrates how cultural memory is preserved and transformed within local society.
Historical Context of Ritual Spaces
Today in Fenggui Village, Magong City, Penghu County⚬, three temples lead the Ghost Festival rituals: the Temple of the Golden King [ Jinwang Temple, East Temple ], the Temple of the Three Officials [ Sanguan Temple, West Temple ], and the Temple of Wen King [ Wenwang Temple, Central Temple ]. Initially, the ceremony was held exclusively at Wen King’s temple, as it was his oracle that established the bîng-kun-toh ritual. However, field research reveals that Sanguan Temple, which enshrines the Deities of the Three Officials, also performs this ritual due to its unique history. Sanguan Temple was the original site of Wenwang Temple where, over a century ago, a spirit medium instructed villagers to make offerings to foreign military souls. In 1965, a new Wenwang Temple was constructed in the south of Fenggui, becoming the new residence of Wen King’s statue. The original site retained the statues of the Three Officials and was therefore renamed Sanguan Temple. Although the statue of Wen King had been relocated, the residents of Sanguan Temple continued the bîng-kun-toh ritual, praying for local peace.
This has led to the continuation of the bîng-kun-toh ritual at both temples, forming a unique ceremonial sequence: Sanguan Temple holds its ceremony in the middle of the seventh lunar month during the customary period for the Ghost Festival, while Wenwang Temple combines the ritual with the celebration of Wen King’s birthday in the late seventh lunar month. By combining the ritual with the deity’s birthday, the ceremony at Wenwang Temple has grown into a more complex, large-scale celebration, becoming the primary venue for this ritual in Fenggui Village. The 2024 fieldwork documented a unique incident: during the ceremony at Sanguan Temple [ on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, August 18th, 2024 ], the deity, through spirit possession, expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of offerings. In response, the villagers prepared even more elaborate items for the following ceremony at Wenwang Temple [ on the twenty-sixth day of the seventh lunar month, August 29th, 2024 ] to compensate. This singular timing arrangement gave Fenggui villagers an additional opportunity to appease the wandering souls, unlike other villages in Magong.
This has led to the continuation of the bîng-kun-toh ritual at both temples, forming a unique ceremonial sequence: Sanguan Temple holds its ceremony in the middle of the seventh lunar month during the customary period for the Ghost Festival, while Wenwang Temple combines the ritual with the celebration of Wen King’s birthday in the late seventh lunar month. By combining the ritual with the deity’s birthday, the ceremony at Wenwang Temple has grown into a more complex, large-scale celebration, becoming the primary venue for this ritual in Fenggui Village. The 2024 fieldwork documented a unique incident: during the ceremony at Sanguan Temple (on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, August 18th, 2024), the deity, through spirit possession, expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of offerings. In response, the villagers prepared even more elaborate items for the following ceremony at Wenwang Temple (on the twenty-sixth day of the seventh lunar month, August 29th, 2024) to compensate. This singular timing arrangement gave Fenggui villagers an additional opportunity to appease the wandering souls, unlike other villages in Magong.
⚬ The Ghost Festival rituals are typically organised at the village level. While Magong City, Penghu County, comprises thirty-three villages, only Fenggui continues to uphold the bîng-kun-toh ritual.
Evolution of Names & Cultural Implications
The naming of the bîng-kun-toh reflects an evolution in cultural understanding, as revealed through interviews with Mr. Yen Yong-lu, which provided insight into its deeper implications. Historical documents indicate two alternative writings that share similar pronunciations in Taiwanese: Alliance Army [ mêng-kun ] and Lord of the Underworld [ bîng-kun ]. Mr. Yen argues that the naming bîng-kun-toh most accurately reflects its historical context, as forming alliances [ mêng ] with the deceased is conceptually impossible, particularly with spirits from different historical periods. Instead, Underworld [ bîng ] aptly refers to the realm of spirits. Similarly, Army [ kun ] specifically denotes the military identity of the deceased, rather than the honorific term Lord [ kun ] which implies nobility and is historically inappropriate when referencing military casualties.
Transformation of Faith & Contemporary Significance
According to records, this ritual practice initially aimed to pacify foreign spirits, preventing them from disturbing village life. However, our field interviews reveal that the meaning of the ritual has transformed over the past century: villagers now also view it as a way to bless these foreign souls, hoping that, through divine intervention, they may achieve peaceful reincarnation.
Through studying this unique folk belief, we can observe how local society interprets and preserves historical memory through religious rituals, while also providing new perspectives for contemporary cultural exchange. This is the core objective of our research project: to employ history as a crucial reference for understanding the present and envisioning the future.