I-min, the martyrs of homelandEstablishing the Fangliao I-min temple is to show respect to folk heroes who died during the lwo most famous civil wars the Ching Dynasty. The two civil wars were declared by Lin Shaun-wen in 1786 A.D. and Dai Chao-tsan in 1861 A.D. Nearly 300 folk heroes were killed during the two wars. They were buried behind the temple. Therefore, this temple is sacred to commemorate the spirit of the voluntary militia who sacrificed their lives to protect their homeland, Taiwan.Nowadays, to worship I-min becomes one of the main religion of Taiwan. It is worthy to mention that I-min belief is the most important one originating inTaiwan for the Hakka people. On July 20th each year, according to Chinese lunar calendar, villages of 15 areas around Hsin-chu and Tao-yaun counties get together to hold an annual offering ceremony to those folk spirits on a rotational basis, and each year onevillage of the 15 areas takes term to lead the ceremony. That is why we regard the I-min Festival being one of the most important festivals in Taiwan.
Pic from http://www.hcc.edu.tw/country/KH/h5/p15.htm