戰後臺灣水仙尊王信仰之研究討論

A Look at the Research on Post-war Taiwan's Shui-xian Zun Wang Faith

水仙尊王信仰在明清的臺灣曾經興盛，與海洋相關的船員、水師、郊商都是其信仰者，也因為郊商的經濟支持，得以興建華美的水仙宮。現今臺灣的水仙尊王信仰沒落，其原因可能與臺灣政治、社會、經濟的變動有關。本文蒐集數篇戰後關於臺灣水仙尊王的二手研究，試圖探討其研究之發展脈絡，以及在研究方法中，田野調查可能提供文獻以外的歷史資訊。

The Shui-xian Zun Wang (Dukes of the Seas) faith was prevalent in Taiwan during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It drew believers from all areas related to maritime activities, such as sailors, members of the navy, and merchant guilds. Financial support from the merchant guilds was abundant to the extent of facilitating the construction of the grandiose Shui-xian Temple. In contemporary Taiwan, however, the Shui-xian Zun Wang faith is in decline. The reasons for this decline, which may pertain to changes in Taiwan's political, social, and economic situation, are worthy of further exploration. This article surveys a number of articles related to the Shui-xian Zun Wang faith in Post-war Taiwan, and attempts to explore the context within which this research developed. It further looks at various research methodology and suggests that, in addition to the use of historical documents, fieldwork might be able to provide valuable historical data to further our understanding in this field.