Some come to worship the main deity, the City God himself, who is said to watch citizens' actions--with help from horse- and ox-headed assistants--and report their mix of good and bad behavior to the authorities in hell, who will pass judgment and devise appropriate punishments. Others pray to the Old Man under the Moon who, it is said, can help supplicants find their true loves. There is even a bodhisattva, normally found in Buddhist temples, whose worship is said to bring wisdom and knowledge.
Near the back of the last table in the temple's smaller room, there is a 40-centimeter tall statue of a portly pig. Most worshipers pass him without a thought, but for some he is the sole reason to visit this temple. He is Jhu Ba Jie, better known as Pigsy, one of the main characters from the 16th century novel Journey to the West, which is perhaps better known as Monkey, from the name of another character.
The novel depicts the travels to India by the monk Suanzang in search of Buddhist sutras. He is accompanied by three main disciples, of which Pigsy, who was previously Marshal Tian Peng, Grand Admiral of the Heavenly River, took responsibility for social events. With his easygoing nature, he blessed the group with jubilance. This also gained him a reputation of living a good life with abundant food and numerous flirtations with women. As Chen Wen-wen, manager of the Siahai temple noted, this makes Jhu Ba Jie "the only deity that the hospitality industry needs to worship."
In addition to its role as an ancient trading area beside the Danshuei River, the Dadaocheng District became famous for the richness of its theaters, restaurants, hotels and gaming dens. People working in the clubs, especially those in the sex industry, would come to worship Pigsy after they finished work when the temple opened in the morning. "Every morning around 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., many ladies and bigwigs driving black Benz cars would come to pray to the deity Pigsy. They tended to dress beautifully and look wealthy," Chen noted, explaining that these people hoped their customers would be as easygoing as Pigsy and would continue to visit their businesses.
Although the area was no longer as affluent as before, and the piano bar trade long ago moved elsewhere, Chen recalled a woman visiting her temple just a few days earlier. "She said she was in charge of arranging girls for customers and admitted she had come here to pray for better business." Chen asked to whom she was praying, to which the middle-aged woman replied "You have the Marshal Tian Peng here." Chen asked if she meant Jhu Ba Jie, and the woman said, yes, that he had been educated and cultivated by his mentor, the monk Suanzang, and had then became the spiritual figure of the hospitality business.