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Introduction-A Palace Dedicated to a Philanthropic Doctor
Bound feet, another legacy of the past.

The 800-year-old Ciji Palace is an imposing structure that towers over the Jiulong River in Baijiao Village in Longhai County. Inside the temple is a statue of Wu Tao, a Song-dynasty doctor greatly revered by the local people. The palace was held in such high esteem by Zhangzhou natives that those who followed Zheng Chengong (Koxinga) on his expedition to Taiwan 300 years ago built a replica of the palace in the city of Tainan, Every year on the 11th day of the third lunar month, the day that Koxinga's army landed on Taiwan, the descendants of his soldiers gather at the temple in Tainan and make offerings to their ancestors, whose images are enshrined in the original Ciji Palace across the Taiwan Straits.

  
This huge sword kept in the Zhao Family Palace's main hall was handed down from the Song dynasty imperial family.
Stories about the philanthropic doctor are still very much alive on the lips of local people. One tale tells of a time when the doctor, while on his rounds, stopped over in Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng), then the capital of the Song Dynasty. Emperor Renzong's (r.1023-1063) mother happened to be suffering from a breast ailment, and Wu Tao was summoned to the imperial palace. He cured the empress dowager, and the emperor showed his gratitude by offering to make him an imperial doctor. He turned down the offer and, when word came that an epidemic disease was running rampant in his hometown, he immediately left for home.		  
One of a kind:a Zhang zhou crib.
A recent face-lift to Ciji Palace has given it an even grander appearance, with colourful decorations and glazed rooftops. The front gate is supported by six stone pillars with exquisitely carved winding dragons, said to be shipped over from Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty.
Wu's birthday falls on the 15th day of the third lunar month. On that day local people and visitors from overseas flock to the palace for a ceremony to pay their respects to Doctor Wu and ask for his blessings. For three days, the village roads are crowded with people holding flags, dancing dragon dances and beating gongs and drums. A huge stage is propped up in the square in front of the palace to entertain the faithful with round-the-clock performances. 		 
   
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