Taiwan Religious Culture Map

The shoulder-to-shoulder Chang Ho and Shui Xian Temples give viewers a singular opportunity to view two parallel temples with similar interior architecture. Despite a gap in construction of well over a century, the two look as if they had been designed by the same architect. Chang Ho Temple follows a classic design of three jin and three kaijian (jin and kaijian are traditional Chinese architectural units; the former refers to the number of doors one must go through to reach the main part of the building and the latter denotes to the size of a building’s façade). An additional two corridors run along the sides. The main hall has a rounded roof ridge and lion sculptures in the deidou style, which is a type of architectural bracket. Large flagstones for worshippers to stand on while praying are embedded along the center line of the floor. The four main columns upholding the roof support a three-beamed five-strut load-bearing system; secondary columns at the rear of the hall form the enclosed shrine. The rear hall is the Zhu An Shrine that houses Guanyin. It was constructed with the same three-beamed five-strut system, but the roof is slightly lower than the main hall. Shui Xian Temple, constructed in the 19^th century, has two halls with a courtyard and two corridors. It is connected to Chang Ho Temple with a door formed by yuanguang (an architectural element consisting of a highly decorated horizontal beam connecting two columns that forms a throughway). The yuanguang under the eaves stands out for its unique scroll shape. The wooden structures at the front and back of the Sanchuan (front) hall mirror each other; such a design is rarely seen in temple architecture. Shui Xian Temple was also designated as one of Hsinchu’s municipal historical sites in 1998.

According to records, when Mazu passed away in 987 C.E., Meizhou Mazu Temple preserved some tresses of Her hair. The hair was separated into three portions to create the hair for three statues of Mazu, all of which had movable limbs. Thus it is believed that the chignon on the Mazu statue enshrined in the main hall of Chang Ho temple is an actual relic of Mazu herself, making it extremely precious. The phoenix crown and robes of rank, the gown, the three-tsun lotus shoes, and the embroidered purse that were originally brought across from China have a history of over 270 years and are now stored in the temple collections.

The large bronze incense burner currently kept by the temple is a replica of the original one made in the 15^th century and is notable for its rustic simplicity. The Red Jade Incense Burner is the original; it was made with the finest craftsmanship in 1820. The four characters carved into its surface mean “The Holy Mother Above,” another appellation for Mazu.

The paintings in Chang Ho Temple and Shui Xian Temple are the works of Pan Yue-xiong (1943 – present), the son of the great painter Pan Li-shui (1914 – 1995). The paintings were created with a traditional Chinese method involving rubbing a wood surface with ash and spackling over any holes or cracks, then covering the wood with a linen canvas which is primed with alternating layers of ash and tung oil, similar to a gesso coating, until the surface is flat and smooth. The paintings include portraits of the two door gods—Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong—at the front gate, palace maids at the side doors, and other historical figures along with depictions of plants and animals on the beams and columns. Paintings can be found everywhere in the two temples.