Hsinchu City God Festival features historical 'Peace Walk'

Hsinchu City celebrated its annual "City God Festival" with a "Peace Walk" event that connected four ancient city gates, allowing participants to explore the historical landscape of the old Hsinchu city.

The carnival-style event, centered around the theme of a peaceful walk, began and ended at the Longli Square in front of the Hsinchu City God Temple. Participants traversed historical landmarks including the East Gate, South Gate, West Gate, and North Gate ruins. The walk was designed to blend the City God's spirit of "protecting the territory and ensuring the people's peace" with the historical and cultural heritage of Hsinchu.

Limited to 350 participants, the walk included four themed checkpoints where attendees could complete challenges and collect blessings. This initiative encouraged people to re-discover the old city on foot and extend the City God's blessings from the temple into the urban streets.

Participants who completed the walk received exclusive acrylic standees and commemorative badges for this year's festival. Additionally, they were entered into a raffle with prizes such as a 55-inch 4K television, a folding bicycle, and limited-edition Hsinchu City God Temple figurines.

Hsinchu City God Temple manager Cheng Lai-sheng highlighted the temple's nearly 300-year history of safeguarding Hsinchu. He explained that the carnival aims to offer a more relaxed and accessible way for people to engage with the City God faith, ensuring the deity's blessings permeate daily life beyond traditional ceremonies.