The Changfu Temple () is a

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

temple along Sanxia Old Street in

Sanxia District Sanxia District () is a district in the southwestern part of New Taipei, Taiwan. It is the second largest district in New Taipei City by area after Wulai District. Name The old name of Sanxia, ''Sa-kak-eng'' () refers to the meeting of the D ...

New Taipei New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Master Qingshui, known locally as ''Zushi-Gong'' (), is the principal Deity worshiped at Changfu Temple.

History

Changfu Temple was first built during the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

in 1767 by

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

immigrants from

Anxi County () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Quanzhou, in southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It lies adjacent to and directly north of Xiamen. Anxi is well known for a number of varieties of Oolong tea, the best-known of ...

, Quanzhou Municipality,

Fujian Province Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

in China. It has been reconstructed three times. Its last reconstruction, started in 1947, is best known for being the masterpiece of renowned Taiwanese artist, Li Meishu.

Festivals

Every sixth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar on Zushi-Gong's birthday, Changfu Temple holds a sacred pig (神豬; ) contest. Farmers would compete by raising the largest pig, which during the competition day, the pig is decorated with ornaments. The largest pig will then be sacrificed to the mountain deities, then the meat will be distributed among the devotees. In the past few years, this tradition has been met with objection by animal rights activists. While the majority of temples that practice this rite have started using symbolic pigs, Changfu Temple in Sanxia still continues the tradition of using an actual pig.

Architecture

Unique among temples, all of the walls and columns of Changfu Temple are sculpted from stone. The details are also carved with a wide variety of styles from ancient to modern, or even western-influenced, due to the western art education of Li Meishu.

Transportation

The temple is accessible south of Yingge Station of Taiwan Railways.

Gallery

File:新北市三峽區清水祖師廟 - panoramio (3).jpg, Inner Court of Changufu Temple File:Sansia IMG 1699.JPG, Inner Court of Changufu Temple File:Sansia IMG 1654.JPG, Beam Details on Changufu Temple File:Sansia IMG 1720.JPG, Roof Details above entrance File:Roof ornamentation, Zushi Temple.jpg, Roof ornamentation File:Lee-mai-shu-wall-sculpture.jpg, One of the works by Li Meishu File:Sansia IMG 1747 Yin Yang Fish.JPG, Window Details. The fish design forms a Yin Yang symbol, surrounded by Bagua symbol. File:Sansia IMG 1754.JPG, Every column is carved with a different design. File:Sansia IMG 1742.JPG, Painting-like carvings on the walls. File:Altar in Zushi Temple, Sanxia, Taiwan.jpg, Altar in temple File:Ceiling ornamentation, Zushi Temple.jpg, Ceiling in temple File:Prayer papers, Zushih Temple.jpg, Prayer papers for temple worshippers

External links

{{commons category, Zushih Temple
The Art of Changufu TemplePhotographs of Changufu Temple
on

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