Changfu Temple () is a

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

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 (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. 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 Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

in 1767 by

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

immigrants from

Anxi County () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Quanzhou, in southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China with 1,003,599 inhabitants ( 2020 census). It lies adjacent to and directly north of Xiamen city. Anxi is well known for a number ...

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 ...

Municipality,

Fujian Province Fujian is a province in southeastern 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 capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefecture city by population is Qua ...

, in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It had been reconstructed three times, with the most recent reconstruction, started in 1947, was led by

Li Mei-shu Li Mei-shu (; 13 March 1902 – 6 February 1983) was a Taiwanese painter, sculptor, and politician. He was best known for his paintings as well as his restoration attempt of the Changfu Temple. Education Li was born to an upper-class family ...

and was regarded to be his masterpiece.

Festivals

Every sixth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar on Zushi-Gong's birthday, Changfu Temple holds a sacred

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

(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 Mei-shu.

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 the

bagua The ''bagua'' ( zh, c=八卦, p=bāguà, l=eight trigrams) is a set of symbols from China intended to illustrate the nature of reality as being composed of mutually opposing forces reinforcing one another. ''Bagua'' is a group of trigrams—co ...

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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