During temple construction, Mafu, a renowned sculptor from Quanzhou in Fujian Province across the Taiwan Strait, received a visit from the Five Lords in a dream. Instructed to carve statues for the new temple, Mafu divided the tree trunk that had arrived with the idols into six sections. He created images of each temple lord from the first five and carved Zhong Junfu, the temple’s messenger god, with the last. Today, these statues are known, collectively, as Kaiji Zhengshen.

Once completed, the Five Lords commanded that a formal dedication ceremony commence at noon on the auspicious date of 26 April. Their spirits ‘awakened’ with dots of ink, the statues began to quiver, with the Third Lord reportedly shaking most vigorously. The phenomenon continued unabated for a full hour.

Work on Nankunshen Temple continued until its completion in 1662. As the very first temple built on the island, Nankunshen is also known as ‘Kaishan’ – which means ‘Opening the Wilderness’. Today, the Five Lords are also called the ‘Lords of Nankunshen’.