Zhuxi Temple

　　   Zhuxi Temple is situated in the South District of Tainan City and was named after its location near Zhuxi (Bamboo Stream). As a temple of the Linji school of Zen Buddhism, its main hall houses the Three Jewels of Buddhism—Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha), and Amitabha Buddha. It is one of the Seven Temples and Eight Shrines of Taiwan Prefecture and also one of the Four Great Ancient Temples of Tainan, attracting worshippers year-round.

　　   The founding date of Zhuxi Temple is debated. Some say it was built in 1664 or 1665 and was originally called “Little Western Paradise Temple”; others claim it was established in 1684 by Jiang Yu-ying, the prefect of Taiwan Prefecture, or reconstructed in 1692. However, official records, based on research by Taiwanese historian Lu Jiaxing who cited a poem by Shen Guangwen mentioning the temple, date its establishment to the 18th or 19th year of the Yongli era of the Ming Dynasty (1664 or 1665), making it the earliest Buddhist temple in Taiwan. Since its founding, the temple has undergone several renovations. During the Japanese colonial period in 1927, it was rebuilt in a Sino-Western architectural style. After World War II, it was remodeled again in 1973 into its current form, with construction reportedly taking ten years to complete.

　　   Today, only the old mountain gate of Zhuxi Temple remains from the pre-renovation structure, while the rest is designed in traditional Chinese classical style. The new mountain gate is in the form of a paifang (ornamental archway), with an open courtyard between it and the main buildings. The main complex includes a three-bay entrance gate, worship hall, main hall, and rear hall—all three stories high—flanked by bell and drum towers and meditation rooms. Among the temple’s treasures is one of the “Three Famous Plaques of Tainan,” the plaque inscribed with the words “Understanding the World.” Additionally, following the Xilai An Incident during the Japanese colonial period, although Tainan’s Xilai An was demolished, the statue of the Five Blessings King, originally enshrined there, was brought to the temple by monks and has been venerated here ever since.

　　   Zhuxi Monastery Must-visit reason: The earliest Buddhist temple established in Taiwan