Yuanli Fangli Shuntian Temple ( zh, t=苑裡房裡順天宮, p=Yuànlǐ Fánglǐ Shùntiān Gōng), alternatively Yuanli Shuntian Temple or Fangli Shuntian Temple, is a temple located in

Yuanli Township Yuanli Township is an Township (Taiwan), urban township in southwestern Miaoli County, Taiwan, occupying an area of , with a population of 43,923 in January 2023. Yuanli is known as "Miaoli's Granary." Economy In the past, the economy of the to ...

Miaoli County Miaoli is a county (Taiwan), county in western Taiwan. Miaoli is bordered by Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the north, Taichung to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west. Miaoli is Regions of Taiwan, classified as "central Taiwan" by t ...

, Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to the sea goddess

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She is also known by several other names and titles. Mazu is the deified form of Lin Moniang (), a shamaness from Fujian who is said to ...

, who is the deified form of Lin Moniang.

History

In the early 19th century, conflicts between

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (, ) is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and (with Quanzhou) surrounding the prefecture of Xiamen. Nam ...

and

Quanzhou Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China, People's Republic of China. It is Fujian's largest most populous metropolitan region, wi ...

settlers in Yuanli caused the two groups to separate themselves, with the former occupying current-day downtown Yuanli and the latter in Fangli, a few kilometers south.

City walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

were built around Fangli in 1855 to fend off the rival Zhangzhou population. Since the area's original Mazu temple, , was located outside of the walls in Zhangzhou territory, Quanzhou settlers built their own Mazu temple within Fangli in 1856, naming it Shuntian Temple. The two temples became the cultural centers of their respective population; Shuntian Temple was known as the "Mazu inside the walls" (城內媽祖), while Cihe Temple was the "Mazu outside the walls" (城外媽祖). On 21 October 2010, Shuntian Temple was protected by the

Miaoli County Government The Miaoli County Government () is the local government of the Republic of China that governs Miaoli County Miaoli is a county (Taiwan), county in western Taiwan. Miaoli is bordered by Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the north, Taichung ...

as a historical building. Between 2011 and 2012, the temple underwent renovation to preserve its structural integrity.

Architecture

While renovated twice in 1926 and 1964, Shuntian Temple still retains many of its architectural features from its founding. The building has one story and is made of

rammed earth Rammed earth is a technique for construction, constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as soil, earth, chalk, Lime (material), lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently ...

, but the stone and fir wood used inside are imported from mainland China. There are three plaques hung above doors dating from dating from 1891, 1910, and 1928 respectively. In the main hall, Mazu is seated in the middle alongside Chenghuangye and Zhusheng Niangniang. There are also altars for Xuanwu,

Shennong Shennong ( zh, c=神農, p=Shénnóng), variously translated as "Divine Farmer" or "Divine Husbandman", born , was a mythological Chinese ruler known as the first Yan Emperor who has become a deity in Chinese and Vietnamese folk religion. H ...

, and Wudouxingjun in side halls. Originally, there were two

Chinese banyan ''Ficus microcarpa'', also known as Chinese banyan, Hill's weeping fig, small-fruited fig, Malayan banyan, Indian laurel, or curtain fig, is a species of banyan tree in the family Moraceae. Its native range is from India to China and Japan, thro ...

trees on each side of the temple plaza that were at least one hundred years old. Unfortunately, the 2015 Typhoon Soudelor toppled one of the trees.

References

{{reflist 1856 establishments in China Religious buildings and structures completed in 1856 Historic sites in Taiwan Mazu temples in Miaoli County