The Shengji Pavilion, also called the Jingzi Pavilion or Xizi Pavilion, is a furnace tower expressly used for the burning of written and printed papers. The ancients held that a paper with words written or printed on it should not be discarded casually but rather with a devout heart should be sent to honor Cangjie, the legendary creator of Chinese characters. Accordingly, many places erected a Jingzi (“Respect Writing”) pavilion and at regular intervals held ceremonies to burn papers and send the ashes away. This tradition mainly existed in Taiwan’s Hakka areas. The practice of honoring writing papers arose in Taiwan in the early Qing Dynasty (1636–1912). The manner of dealing with the paper ashes was largely the same in each location, but the times set locally for the ceremony could differ. Some districts performed it once a year, while elsewhere it might be up to 12 years between ceremonies. Every town in Taiwan had a Jingzi pavilion and Taoyuan’s Longtan Shengji Pavilion is one remaining structure of this type that is of a decent size and relatively well preserved.

(Photo: Taoyuan City Government)

Construction on the Longtan Shengji Pavilion began in 1875, initiated by local gentry who held that writing causes civilization to expand, culture to develop and learning to be passed on. The gentry revered Cangjie’s invention and remembered his hard work with gratitude. The exterior of the Longtan Shengji Pavilion as it is seen today was rebuilt in 1925 during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). The overall structure of the Shengji Pavilion is a symmetrical design along a central line, built from stone slabs in three levels. The ground level has eight sides to represent the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), the middle is four-sided to symbolize the Four Symbols and the top level is hexagonal to represent the Six Directions (above, below, north, south, east and west, referring to Heaven and Earth or the universe). The top is crowned with a stone gourd.

In 1985, the government listed the Longtan Shengji Pavilion as a historic site to be preserved and maintained, whose tradition is to be passed down to future generations. In December 1999, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) agreed to pay for the upkeep of the pavilion, setting an example for businesses to show their care about cultural heritage.

This notwithstanding, Jingzi pavilions have mostly fallen out of use with the passage of time and the custom of sending the ashes has likewise faded away. Longtan Shengji Pavilion is one of the few places that still observes the ceremony to this day: every year on March 28 of the lunar calendar, Cangjie’s birthday, local gentry and literati would offer incense to the gods and have officiants chant aloud a prayer for the sending of the ashes. After this, one person retrieves the ashes from the furnace and the ashes are taken to the sacrificial place with proclamations, playing of suona (a traditional wind instrument similar to oboe) and flags leading the way and the participants following behind. After the ceremonial words have been recited, the ashes are poured into the river. From there they will be carried out to sea, sending people’s respects for the written words out to the horizon.