以「平鎮褒忠祠」為中心析論平鎮客籍地區義民信仰狀態

An Analysis of the State of Yimin Belief in the Hakka Areas of Pingzhen : Centered on Baozhong Temple in Pingzhen

本研究以平鎮褒忠祠為中心，探討南桃園東側客家地區義民信仰的發展狀態。義民信仰在北台灣客家族群中具有重要地位，但是不同地區發展程度卻大相逕庭。過往研究指出，位於新竹新埔鎮的枋寮褒忠祠不僅歷史悠久，亦為北部義民信仰的重要根據地，但桃園平鎮的褒忠祠雖同為清代建立的義民廟宇，其影響力與信仰風氣卻遠不及枋寮。本文透過文獻回顧與碑文分析，重新檢視平鎮褒忠祠的建置歷程與其在地方信仰網絡中的位置。平鎮褒忠祠自乾隆五十六年（1791）由宋氏宗族倡建以來，長期以「義民亭」的規模存在，直到咸豐七年（1857）由宋寶雲主持重修，才逐漸擴展為廟宇並納入十三聯庄。但由於其早期發展過度依賴宋氏宗族，導致義民信仰呈現「私人化」色彩，難以凝聚更廣泛的地方社群。相較之下，中壢仁海宮自道光年間因應閩客械鬥而設立，迅速成為中壢十三庄的共同信仰中心，並憑藉媽祖信仰跨越族群分野，使平鎮褒忠祠的地位受到排擠。在地理與族群結構上，平鎮地區信仰分布亦呈現割裂，東勢因漳籍勢力而以開漳聖王信仰為主，西北的新屋與觀音則因語言腔調差異而納入枋寮褒忠祠系統，加之中壢地區早已由仁海宮掌握宗教與經濟主導權，使得平鎮褒忠祠祭祀範圍雖逐步擴大，卻難以形成如枋寮般的強大信仰動員。綜合而言，平鎮褒忠祠之義民信仰未若枋寮興盛，其原因包括：宋氏宗族私人廟宇性質過強使信仰缺乏公共性；仁海宮以媽祖信仰奠定主導地位分散了義民信仰的能量；族群語言與地域因素造成信仰分區；以及建安宮等其他廟宇信仰進一步分割平鎮地區客家族群的宗教依附。本文嘗試釐清平鎮義民信仰的發展樣態，並指出南桃園義民信仰呈現「西盛東衰」格局的可能原因，期望為後續探討客家信仰與地方認同關係提供新的研究視角。

This study centers on Baozhong Temple in Pingzhen to explore the development of Yimin belief in the eastern Hakka regions of southern Taoyuan. Yimin belief occupies a significant position among Hakka communities in northern Taiwan; however, its degree of development varies considerably across different localities. Previous studies have pointed out that the Fangliao Baozhong Temple in Xinpu Township, Hsinchu, not only has a long history but also serves as a major stronghold of Yimin belief in northern Taiwan. In contrast, although the Baozhong Temple in Pingzhen was likewise established during the Qing dynasty, its influence and the vitality of its religious practices have been far less prominent than those of Fangliao.
Through a review of historical literature and an analysis of inscriptions, this article reexamines the establishment process of Pingzhen Baozhong Temple and its position within the local religious network. Since its founding in the fifty-sixth year of the Qianlong reign (1791) by the Song lineage, the site existed for a long period only on the scale of a“Yimin Pavilion.”It was not until the seventh year of the Xianfeng reign (1857), when Song Baoyun presided over its renovation, that it gradually expanded into a full temple and was incorporated into the Thirteen Associated Villages (shisan lianzhuang). However, because its early development relied excessively on the Song lineage, Yimin belief at Pingzhen acquired a“privatized”character, making it difficult to consolidate a broader local community.
By contrast, Renhai Temple in Zhongli was established during the Daoguang reign in response to armed conflicts between Minnan and Hakka groups and quickly became the shared religious center of the Zhongli Thirteen Villages. Through the cross-ethnic appeal of Mazu worship, Renhai Temple consolidated its dominant position, thereby marginalizing the status of Pingzhen Baozhong Temple. From the perspectives of geography and ethnic composition, religious distributions in the Pingzhen area were likewise fragmented: Dongshi, influenced by Zhangzhou-descended groups, primarily centered on the worship of the Sacred Duke of Zhangzhou (Kaizhang Shengwang); Xinwu and Guanyin in the northwest were incorporated into the Fangliao Baozhong Temple system due to differences in Hakka dialects; and Zhongli had long been dominated religiously and economically by Renhai Temple. Consequently, although the ritual sphere of Pingzhen Baozhong Temple gradually expanded, it failed to generate the strong religious mobilization characteristic of Fangliao.
In sum, the relatively limited development of Yimin belief at Pingzhen Baozhong Temple can be attributed to several factors: the overly strong private lineage character of the Song clan temple, which weakened its public nature; the dominance of Renhai Temple through Mazu worship, which dispersed the energies of Yimin belief; divisions caused by linguistic and regional differences; and the further fragmentation of Hakka religious affiliation in Pingzhen by other temples, such as Jian’an Temple. This study seeks to clarify the developmental pattern of Yimin belief in Pingzhen and proposes possible explanations for the“prosperous west, declining east”configuration of Yimin belief in southern Taoyuan, with the aim of providing new perspectives for future research on the relationship between Hakka belief systems and local identity.