Taiwan Religious Culture Map

Chen Dexing Ancestral Hall is the ancestral shrine of Taipei's Chen Family. The hall was originally located to the east of Wenwu Temple on Wenwu Street in Taipei City during the Qing era. However, during the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese government needed land within the hall's grounds for building the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan (today's Presidential Office), and thus exchanged it with the Chen family for the current site of the hall. The Chen family raised funds to rebuild their ancestral hall in the 1st year of the Taishō era (1912 CE), hiring famed carpenter Chen Ying-pin (1864 - 1944) for the job. Reconstruction of the hall was completed in the 3rd year of the Taishō era (1914 CE). The structural layout of Chen Dexing Ancestral Hall consists of two main structures, two hallways, and two side wings. One of its main structures is seven bays wide while the other sits on its central axis and is three bays wide, i.e., a classic qibaosan layout. The dragon columns of the front gate are some of the earliest in Taiwan to feature two dragons. The roof of the front gate has a jiasichui structure (a hip-and-gable roof built over a gable roof, creating the illusion of two roofs), creating tiers that make the building facade appear even more magnificent, while the wooden architectural structure of the front gate showcases the beauty of carpentry. Chen Dexing Ancestral Hall truly epitomizes the exquisite craftsmanship of famed carpenter Chen Ying-pin.