New Taipei City holds commendation meeting for outstanding religious groups, Mayor Hou Youyi awards 298 medals

The New Taipei City Government held this year's commendation meeting for outstanding religious groups today (4th). Mayor Hou Youyi awarded 298 medals to commend 71 religious groups and 123 religious figures who were enthusiastic about public welfare and promoted social education last year.

Hou Youyi mentioned in his speech the construction of the Fourth Ring and Eighth Line MRT and the ongoing construction of the New Taipei Yonglian Temple Charity Building donated by Luzhou Yonglian Temple, which will provide services such as a second sports center for local people. Hou Youyi also pointed out that the total charity donations from religious groups in New Taipei City last year reached 482.31 million yuan.

Hou Youyi pointed out that religious groups such as Banqiao Cihui Temple, Banqiao Jieyun Temple, Nanshan Fude Temple, Luzhou Yonglian Temple, Shushulin Zhennan Temple, Shulinshulin Jian Temple, Linkou Zhulinshan Guanyin Temple, and Three Gorges Changfuyan Qingshui Patriarch have invested more than 10 million yuan in donations; religious beliefs are an important force to calm people's hearts, and they are also the core driving force to promote social good and gather public welfare energy.

Director of Civil Affairs Lin Yaochang said that many religious groups are also committed to increasing the capacity of the city's public services, including Luzhou Yonglian Temple donating police surveillance motorcycles and patrol motorcycles, Sanchong Yitian Palace donating garbage trucks, Sanchong Hushan Palace donating rehabilitation buses, Shulin Town Nangong, Shulin Shulin Ji'an Temple and Zhulinshan Guanyin Temple donating fire relief vehicles, ambulances and rescue equipment.

According to the Civil Affairs Bureau, the eldest recipient of the Personal Dedication Award is 92-year-old Li Zhongqing, the director-general of Tamsui Xingzhong Palace. He was responsible for palace affairs and ritual affairs in his early years, and still goes to the temple every morning to serve tea and incense. The youngest is 34-year-old Chen Jingwen, a member of Dongyang Palace in Yingge. , has been involved in temple volunteer service since the age of 14, assisting in caring for the disadvantaged, distributing materials and promoting activities, and cultivating new volunteers; the person with the most senior service experience is Zhong Yongfu, a member of the Pinglin Baoan Temple, who has assisted in temple construction, cultural promotion and local development for 60 years.