Taiwan Religious Culture Map

Sanyuan Temple in Hukou, Hsinchu is located by Hukou Old Street. Hukou has been a prosperous area since the Qing era. It was one of the stops of Taiwan's earliest railway line, built during the reign of Guangxu Emperor in the Qing era. The increased traffic spurred local development, after which Sanyuan Temple was constructed. Sanyuan Temple originated from changhui (shareholding worship associations) in the Hukou area. These include the Sanguan changhui and Cifu changhui, which worshiped the Three Great Emperor-Officials. Built during the Japanese colonial period, Sanyuan Temple was constructed using both traditional timber frames and brick columns with reinforced concrete beams. The use of building technology new to the time is one of the temple's many characteristics. Each year, Sanyuan Temple holds a prayer ceremony on Shangyuan (the 15th day of the 1st lunar month) and a year-end blessing ceremony on Xiayuan (the 15th day of the 10th lunar month). Six villages in the area take turns hosting these events to preserve old traditions. In addition, the south-bound pilgrimage and village journey held in the first lunar month each year are also important parts of local religious culture. The Hsinchu County Government made Sanyuan Temple a county-designated historic site in 2001 CE.