Taiwan Religious Culture Map

This temple was founded by members of the Li Family from Xianjing in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, who crossed the ocean to Taiwan in the 17th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing era (1752 CE) and settled in Gongguanwei Village, Sa-kak-eng (now located in northern Sanxia District on the left banks of the Sanxia River). The journey to Taiwan across the strait was a perilous one, and many died in the attempt. In the 42nd year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1777 CE), the seven households of the Li Family raised funds to build Zaishu Temple, not only to worship their patron deity Xuantian Shangdi, but also to honor their ancestors, establishing the "Li Jinxing" gonghao (ancestral worship association) to tend the ancestral tablets from different generations. This integration of worship towards a patron deity and ancestors is extremely rare, and exemplifies the concept of zhuangmiao (community temple). Zaishu Temple was more than just a place of worship. Because the temple's entrance faces Sanxia River, it used to serve as a shipping dock bustling with merchant ships, to such extent that outsiders who came to settle in Taiwan saw the temple as a gathering place. The basic structure of the temple is a sanheyuan, with the deity enshrined in the central worship hall. After numerous renovations and additions, the building has incorporated architectural elements from various eras.