Beigang Chaotian Temple Partners with National Library to Launch Taiwan’s First Digital Platform for Religious Cultural Heritage
In a pioneering collaboration, Beigang Chaotian Temple and the National Library have created Taiwan’s first digital platform dedicated to religious cultural assets. The initiative has enabled the national-level digital preservation of over 5,000 archival items, comprising more than 60,000 precious images and documents.
Photo courtesy of Chaotian Temple
Beigang Chaotian Temple and National Library Launch Taiwan’s First Digital Platform for Religious Cultural Heritage
Known as the “Little National Palace,” Beigang Chaotian Temple has partnered with the National Library to create Taiwan’s first digital collaboration platform for temple archives. Over the past two years, more than 5,000 archival items—comprising over 60,000 precious images and documents—have been digitally preserved. On January 3, the platform officially went live on the National Library’s Taiwan Memory platform, allowing audiences worldwide to access these rare materials. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the preservation of Taiwan’s religious and cultural heritage.
Titled “Digital Divine Assistance: Preserving a Thousand-Year Legacy”, the launch ceremony took place at the National Library in Taipei on January 3. The event was attended by Chaotian Temple Chairman Cai Yong-cheng and National Library Director Wang Han-ching, who jointly inaugurated the platform, opening a new chapter in interdisciplinary collaboration between religious institutions and academic organizations.
The National Library emphasized that this initiative is not only groundbreaking but also transforms historically hidden temple archives—previously transmitted mainly through oral history—into systematically preserved, well-documented textual records. These archives offer significant scholarly value for studies of Taiwanese history, religious history, architectural history, and socio-cultural research.
Chaotian Temple, the headquarters of Mazu faith in Taiwan, has long been committed to the preservation of religious culture. In collaboration with YunTech University, it established Taiwan’s first artifact restoration center. The temple’s archives include historical documents such as Japanese colonial-era temple ledgers, incense money receipts, meeting minutes, contracts, ritual records, handwritten manuscripts, divination poetry, ritual crossing records, and numerous postcards and historical photographs from the Japanese colonial period—offering a microcosm of Taiwan’s history, society, and culture.
Through this collaboration, these religious documents are now permanently preserved in a national-level database and made accessible globally via the Taiwan Memory platform. Chairman Cai stated that digitalization allows “Taiwan’s most localized faith culture to reach the world,” enabling worshippers and researchers to explore first-hand historical materials and understand the profound impact of Mazu worship on Taiwanese society. He hopes this effort will further promote the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage.
Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in March 2024, Chaotian Temple and the National Library began collaborative work. By 2025, with the assistance of local cultural volunteers, the content of 5,000 archival files and 60,000 images was annotated, professionally scanned, digitally preserved, and cataloged by the National Library. These materials now form a representative collection of religious cultural heritage on the Taiwan Memory platform.
In addition, the National Library has launched a “micro-exhibition” showcasing selected digitized materials, inviting the public to experience the cultural charm of centuries-old faith intertwined with historical documents.
Beigang Chaotian Temple and National Library Launch Taiwan’s First Digital Platform for Religious Cultural Heritage
In a pioneering collaboration, Beigang Chaotian Temple and the National Library have created Taiwan’s first digital platform for religious cultural assets, making previously unseen and invaluable historical materials on Taiwanese religion accessible to audiences worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Chaotian Temple
Beigang Chaotian Temple and National Library Launch Taiwan’s First Digital Platform for Religious Cultural Heritage
In a landmark collaboration, Beigang Chaotian Temple and the National Library have established Taiwan’s first digital platform for religious cultural assets, enabling the national-level preservation of over 5,000 archival items and more than 60,000 precious images and documents.
Photo courtesy of Chaotian Temple
Beigang Chaotian Temple and National Library Launch Taiwan’s First Digital Platform for Religious Cultural Heritage
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Beigang Chaotian Temple and the National Library have established Taiwan’s first digital platform for religious cultural assets, enabling national-level preservation of over 5,000 archival items and more than 60,000 precious images and documents.
Photo courtesy of Chaotian Temple
Beigang Chaotian Temple and National Library Launch Taiwan’s First Digital Platform for Religious Cultural Heritage
Beigang Chaotian Temple and the National Library have partnered to create Taiwan’s first digital platform for religious cultural assets. The successful completion of this cross-sector collaboration was made possible thanks to the dedication and efforts of numerous volunteers.
Photo courtesy of Chaotian Temple
Beigang Chaotian Temple and National Library Launch Taiwan’s First Digital Platform for Religious Cultural Heritage
On January 3, Beigang Chaotian Temple and the National Library officially inaugurated Taiwan’s first digital platform for religious cultural assets at the National Library in Taipei. The platform provides global audiences with access to previously unseen and invaluable historical materials on Taiwanese religion.
Photo courtesy of Chaotian Temple
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