Tainan Fahua Temple

　　Tainan Fahua Temple is situated on the north bank of Zhuxi River in the West Central District of Tainan City. It is a third-grade historic site of the Republic of China and one of the Seven Temples and Eight Shrines of Tainan Prefecture. Its predecessor was the residence of Li Maochun, a recluse who came to Taiwan with Zheng Jing in the late Ming Dynasty. Uninterested in fame or status, he planted plum trees and bamboo here, built a garden, and practiced Buddhism, earning the nickname “Bodhisattva Li.” After Li Maochun’s death, his monk friends converted his former home into “Zhunti Nunnery,” dedicated to the Bodhisattva Zhunti. In the Qing Dynasty, in the 23rd year of the Kangxi reign (1684), Jiang Yuying, the prefect of Taiwan, raised funds to build a Buddhist temple here dedicated to the Tathagata Buddha, renaming it Fahua Temple, the name which has been used ever since.

　　The temple faces south and has five axes. The first main section is the Hall of Heavenly Kings, where Maitreya Buddha is enshrined at the front center, Skanda at the back, and the Four Heavenly Kings on both sides. The second section is the Mahavira Hall, housing the Three Jewels of Buddhism, with five bodhisattvas on each side. The third section is the Guanyin Hall, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. On the left side of the temple complex are the mountain gate, inner courtyard, Guan Yu Hall, and the old vegetarian hall, while the right side consists of the mountain gate, the South Pole Hall dedicated to the Jade Emperor of the South Pole, and the Juxian Hall. Additionally, Tainan Fahua Temple features several murals such as “Zhuang Zhou’s Dream of the Butterfly,” “Bodhidharma Facing the Wall,” and “The Three Laughs at Tiger Brook,” all masterpieces by the renowned local artist Pan Lishui. Many visitors come specifically to admire these artworks.

　　Tainan Fahua Temple Reason to visit: One of Tainan’s most famous temples