Shun-Tse Temple
SHUN-TSE
TEMPLE (順澤宮, Romanized Taiwanese Pronunciation: Sūn
Te̍k) was built in the Puyan Township during the Kangxi
Emperor’s reigning period (1661~1722) of the Qing dynasty by a local
Chens’ family emigrated from Quanzhou of Fujian Province, China. It served as a place of worship and a gathering
place for the settlers.
The temple honors primarily Xuantian Shangdi (emperor of the mysterious heaven, 玄天上帝), one of the higher-ranking Taoist deities. Also honored are Shennong (Agriculture God, 神農), Nezha (Marshal of the Central Altar, 哪吒), Fudezhengshen (Lord of the Soil and the Ground, 福德正神), and Chenghuangshen (City God, 城隍爺), to name a few. Over the past three centuries, the temple has undergone many reconstructions. The present structure was rebuilt in 1996 and completed in 1998.
This temple with its floor tiles, walls, corridors and pillars all made of stone appears to be quite unique and exquisite. All visitors must climb two arc-shaped stone steps to enter the main hall on the second floor to worship and give thanks, or simpy to explore. And those stone steps are surrounded by stone walls finely curved with dragons.
The temple is extensively decorated with exquisite wood carvings. The front door is carved from a whole solid cedar. Other wood carvings are all from the mainland. The joints of worship room and the “Dougong” (斗拱, structural elements of interlocking wooden brackets) are all connected by mortise and tenon joints without any nails.
Noted in September 2019, soft baseball caps from Shun-Tse Temple have become an overnight sensation after Norwegian triathlete Gustav Iden wore one while crossing the finish line to win the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in France.
“Norwegian triathlete winner Gustav Iden to run in Changhua, Taiwan”, by Geir Yeh Fotland, Norway News (Nov. 1, 2019).
"Norwegian Triathlete’s Hat of Destiny', Taiwan Insider on RTI (Sept. 18, 2019).
"FEATURE: ‘Lucky’ cap wearer a celebrity in Taiwan", Taipei Times (Dec. 4, 2022).
"Norwegian athlete with Changhua temple ‘victory cap’ visits Taiwan again", Formasa TV (2022).
"How Gustav Iden’s Hat Continues to Conquer The Tri World", Tim Heming, Triathelete (Oct. 20, 2022).
Google Street Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dRHeM3CSbtUnCtne9
Executive Director of SpringTree Group





Comments
Post a Comment