Ci shrine

A ci shrine (祠) is a semi-religious facility that originated in China and was widely used in the East Asian cultural sphere for traditional folk beliefs, mainly for the worship, sacrifice, deity, ancestor, or sage or martyr, in the form of a temple-style building.

[1] They are a kind of Chinese temple architecture and contrast with Miao shrines which enshrine deities instead of ancestors.

Hero shrines were built to honor the spirit of loyalty and righteousness and to memorialize the martyrs who died for the country.

[4] The memorial shrine in Taiwan was built by the Republic of China government after World War II.

Some places dedicated to Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, or gods and saints of folk beliefs are also named as ci, such as Wong Tai Sin Temple.