The Penghu Temple's "Young Master's Class", has always been a training ground for kids who are interested in learning about religion. While some children are choosing to spend their summer days in an unconventional yet traditional way, we are seeing a drop of students due to the declining birth rate, which indeed is making it extremely hard for the program to sustain.

These incantations are read one after another, all done in Taiwanese. It is also accompanied by gong, drums and singing. In addition to practice with a bamboo clapper, they also learn to dance.

This young child is a young master as his age is only 8 years old.

These young masters are an important part of Penghu temple culture, with 1 group including 10 individuals, as this course has a hundred years of history and relies upon one generation passing it to another generation.

In the two summer months, these children report daily to the temple, and learn from the early to late in the evening.

Starting with no knowledge at all, they have progressed to this stage, as this group has successfully graduated 15 individuals in a special ceremony.

But as times change, and people now have fewer children, this young masters program is being put to the test.

During its previous peak period, there were 3 young masters groups with 30 young masters though now it is hard to recruit one.

Locals are doing their best to maintain this tradition so that it can survive.

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