The Chenghuang Temple (Ancestral Master Qingshui Temple)

The Chenghuang Temple

The Chenghuang Temple

Since the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Chenghuang Temple has been the religious center of the Sanxia area. As the entire temple structure follows traditional designs and was constructed with the involvement of skilled folk artisans, it features exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters, earning it the reputation of a “palace of folk art.”

The approximately 500-pyeong temple ground is covered with elaborate wood carvings, bronze sculptures, and stone carvings that are a feast for the eyes. Each wood carving draws from classical sources such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Investiture of the Gods, and Journey to the West, and is first painted with a base coat in white, red, or yellow before being gilded with gold leaf — each piece comes vividly to life.

Bronze sculptures include gate gods, bronze deities, and large reliefs; the ten large bronze door gods on the front hall’s gates alone are unique, differing from the flat painting styles commonly seen in other temples. The temple also boasts an exceptional quantity and refinement of stone carvings unmatched by other temples. The 55 pairs of stone pillars vary in material, carving technique, and design, and the calligraphy on the pillars encompasses fonts from various dynasties, including large seal script, small seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script, and cursive script — some even inscribed by master calligraphers. The pillars are also decorated with numerous delicate floral, bird, and plum motifs, as well as striking dragon pillars.

The temple holds the annual ancestral master’s birthday ceremony on the sixth day of the first lunar month, which is the grandest temple fair in the Sanxia area throughout the year. On this day, every household prepares offerings to worship the ancestral master, and there is a competition featuring giant sacrificial pigs, drawing huge crowds in a spectacular event.

Transportation Guide

1. Take a Taichung Bus bound for Sanxia from Taipei’s Guiyang Street, or take a Taipei Bus bound for Sanxia from Zhonghua Road — both routes stop at Sanxia Station.

2. Take a Taipei Bus bound for Sanxia from Xindian and get off at Sanxia.