Ko Hsiang

Ko Hsiang(approximately 1845-1879), a Taiwanese during the Qing Dynasty. He became a seated mummy after his death, known by various names such as Di Ye Gong Ko Hsiang (帝爺公柯象)and Mummy Ko Hsiang (柯象木乃伊). During his lifetime, Ko Hsiang served as a jitong of the XuantianShangdi Temple (present-day the Beiji Temple in Dade Village, Dapi Township, Yunlin County) in LuzhuHouzhuang. After his death, his body was preserved as a seated mummy, revered by local worshippers as the incarnation of the XuantianShangdi, referred to as Di Ye (帝爺), and enshrined in the Beiji Temple.In 1912, after the Tuku Incident (土庫事件), the Japanese government confiscated Ko Hsiang’s mummified body as evidence of a crime and held it in the custody of the police authorities. After the war, it was preserved at the Taiwan Police College and later transferred to the Taiwan Provincial Museum in 1993. It’s currently exhibitedand enshrined a dedicated exhibition hall in the Beiji Temple in Yunlin, and has been annually exhibited at the National Taiwan Museum since 2012.

Introduction

According to temple steles, documentary records, and oral traditions from local elders, Ke Hsiang originally resided in Dianzikou, Tainan (present-day Baihe District, Tainan City). One day, when a grass-thatched house caught fire, Ko Hsiang rushed into the flames and rescued the XuantianShangdi statue. Later, in 1871, guided by divine signs, Ko Hsiang brought the statue north to LuzhuHouzhuang to be worshipped. Ko Hsiang also served as a jitong in the temple. In 1879, before his death, Ko Hsiang instructed the worshippers to place his body in a house made of mudbricks with a thatched roof and smoke it with firewood. Subsequently, he became a Buddhist mummy and is currently enshrined in the Beiji Temple in Dapi. The temple staff regard Ko Hsiang as a divine incarnation of XuantianShangdi and reveres him as Ko Di Ye, to which followers come to pay respects and worship.

In 1912, Huang Chao, a jitong of the Beiji Temple, claimed to have been visited by Ko Hsiang in a dream and possessed. Huang declared himself the “King of Taiwan” and instigated people to rise up against the Japanese occupation. However, before any uprising occurred, he was arrested by the Japanese police, leading to the Taku Incident. After the incident, Ko Hsiang’s body was confiscated by the authorities as evidence for trial, which was referred to as the “mummy on trial, according to contemporary documents. The body was subsequently preserved at the Police and Prison Officers Training Institute as educational material for police trainees.

After the WWII, the Police and Prison Officers Training Institute was taken over by the Nationalist government and became the Taiwan Police College (originally located on Guangzhou Street, later relocated to its current location in Muzha). Ko Hsiang’s body remained used as an educational material and was placed in the Criminal Investigation Laboratory. In 1982, it was transferred to the Taiwan Provincial Museum (present-day the National Taiwan Museum) for preservation, serving as an educational reference, as well as for exhibition and research purposes.

In 2010, to gain a deeper understanding of Ko Hsiang’s story, the National Taiwan Museum and the Graduate Institute of Taiwan History, National Taiwan Normal University conducted field investigations at the Beiji Temple in Dapi. They discovered inscriptions on temple steles documenting Ko Hsiang’s deeds, which sparked strong reactions from local residents who attempted to bring Ko Hsiang’s body back to the Beiji Temple for worship and initiated communication with the museum. In September 2011, Ko Hsiang’s body was loaned to the Beiji Temple for exhibition, and since then, it has been transferred between the museum and the Beiji Temple annually.

Legend

In Dapi Township, a taxi driver named Zhang Yu, who operated in Xindian, had a dream where he was approached by Ko Hsiang, who said, “My name is Ko Hsiang, and I live in LuzhuHou. Can I go home with you?” Zhang responded, “But I don’t know you.”Ko said, “Go ask the elders, and you’ll know.” Surprisingly, Zhang Yu managed to inquire with the former chairman of the Beiji Temple, who then shared Ko Hsiang’s story with him. According to the chairman, the Japanese police officers in charge of the case informed local dignitaries that Ko’s body was to be transferred to Japan. Afterwards, in their quest to uncover the whereabouts of the body, local residents made multiple trips to Japan, tirelessly searching through various prominent museums, but in vain.

Museum Research

Historical Research

In 2009, Professor Fan Yen-Chiu from the Graduate Institute of Taiwan History, National Taiwan Normal University invited Research Fellow Li Tzu-Ning from the National Taiwan Museum to collaborate on the establishment of the course “Community Cultural Heritage Preservation and Taiwanese History.” The aim was to explore research topics related to museum collections and historical materials, providing students with opportunities to access primary historical sources and objects. Through this collaboration, the museum also sought to discover the potential for utilizing cultural resources. Ko Hsiang also became a subject of study, which has continued to the present day. In 2011, an integrated project titled “The Sociocultural Significance of the Taiwanese Mummy Ko Hsiang” was proposed to the National Science and Technology Council. This project aimed to conduct more comprehensive research on Mummy Ko Hsiang from anthropological, historical, and medical perspectives.

Medical Research

In January 2010, the National Taiwan Museum invited Dr. Hsiao Chung-Kai, an expert in medical imaging, to conduct apreliminary medical examination of Ko Hsiang’s body. The preliminary examination revealed traces of processing on Ko’s head, including the area between the nostrils and the tip of the nose, the appearance of the outer ears, the eyes, and the beard, all showing significant signs of manipulation. Underneath the clothing on the chest, unprocessed desiccated skin can be observed. The clear outline of the sternum is visible beneath the skin, and the blood vessels are also distinctly visible. Dr. Hsiao believed that this provides evidence that the mummification process likely involved the principle of dehydration as a method of preservation.

In September 2011, Deputy Director Shen Wu-Chung from China Medical University Hospital led a team to perform an X-ray scan of Ko Hsiang’s body, which provided preliminary assessments of Ko’s nutritional status, age, occupation, and joint tissue. In August 2012, the body was subjected to a computed tomography scan in an attempt to examine it from different angles using different techniques. However, due to Ko’s seated posture and the body being fixed in plaster, the obtained information was limited.

Clothing

In 2011, the National Taiwan Museum discovered six pieces of textile under Ko Hsiang’s seat: a set of red cape and pants, a decorated divine robe (divine armor), a jacquard cloak, and a set of black robe. After being spread out, cleaned, and repaired, the inscriptions on them became visible, which was beneficial for subsequent research and exhibition.

Exhibition

In 1992, it was exhibited in the “Taiwanese Culture Development Exhibition” at the Taiwan Provincial Museum.

In May 1997, after the renovation of the Taiwan Provincial Museum, it was exhibited in the “Taiwan Museum’s Bizarre Collection Exhibition.”

In December 2012, the National Taiwan Museum launched the exhibition “Death is Just Another Beginning: Legend of the Taiwanese Mummy Ko Hsiang.”

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