Since the period that Emperor Jiaqing enthroned the Qing Dynasty, Han Chinese settlements had boomed in Kavalan one after another. Han immigrants had built diverse types of temples according to their various needs. Especially for local towns with economic growth, they usually accompanied with rapid expansion of in-town streets, leading to advancement of temples in the neighborhood. However, researchers invariably bear the question about the relationship between temples and local streets. Were the emergence of temples, with purpose of gods’ worshiping, the motivation for blossom of local streets, or vice versa? Another argument even claims that temples and local streets appeared at the same time but developed reciprocally. From that, this dissertation is a case study of local temples in Kavalan under the reign of Qing dynasty. By reviewing and analyzing related literature and conducting field works, this research hopes to sort out mutual relationship of temples and streets in Kavalan and to conclude it in religious, social and economic aspects. The main points of this dissertation list below: In the first place, the natural environments combined with the study of bequeathed literatures show that there were seven locations in Kavalan with the phenomenon of co-existence of flourishing streets and popular temples. However, each model developed differently. Some models witnessed specific streets be expanded first and the rise of population, followed by construction of temples to utilize the populace. Some cases revealed that temples in certain streets drove a large number of religious followers that eventually promoted the development of streets nearby. Obviously, the diverse models of case study in Kavalan showed the result that the relationship between temples and local streets were highly influenced by a combination of natural, religious, social and economic factors. Secondly, temple itself includes a wide range of topics. No matter about the decision of certain pieties or change of the main worship of the gods, as well as substantial items, such as cultural relics, monuments and plaques, in the temples all contributed to self-developing pattern that temples and neighboring streets were able to take advantage. In addition, temple’s bequeathed cultural relics, monuments and plaques also was hidden with flaws in a possible way. Some temples, in order to highlight the value of long history or to increase the attraction for followers, intentionally fabricated related buildings, documents and items. These misdeeds that some temples’ managers conducted easily made researchers and popular people confused. Thirdly, Qing’s official statistics of temples building years and patterns of worshiping gods confirmed the idea that the expansion of Han settlements corroborated with relevant temples. Once a new town was built, temples’ establishment followed in the adjacent areas. Historical evidences also show that the main worship of the gods could have different functions to serve the believers once the settlements, particularly with niches of economic stability, were firmly anchored.
