Sanxia Changfu Yan Qingshui Zushi Temple - one of the oldest Zushi temples in Taiwan

Changfu Yan was built in 1761 (32nd year of Qianlong Era in Qing Dynasty). The principal god worshiped here is “Qingshui Zushi” Chao-Ying Chen. This is the local religious center in Sanxia and one of the oldest Zushi temples in Taiwan. The temple has been reconstructed three times; it has a five-door three-hall pattern; the architecture is built using wood for the top and stone for the base and everything is processed by applying fine tenon structures.

▲Qingshui Zushi is the spiritual sustenance of the people in Sanxia

Master Mei-Shu Li was in charge of the third reconstruction in 1947. He invited multiple Taiwanese artiste, including the Three Juveniles of Taiwan Exhibition, i.e. Yu-Shan Lin, Hsueh-Hu Kuo and Jin Chen, and Hao-nian Ou, Hui-Kun Chen, You-Ren Yu, Jing-De Jia and Shi-Shan Yan to inscribe and paint for Zushi Temple, while craftsmen carved flower-and-bird paintings and Chinese couplets on walls and stone columns, respectively. Furthermore, the exquisite wood, stone and copper carvings were works by Zai-Mu Jiang, Gui-Li Huang and Song-Lin Li. The architecture can be said to be a representative of the perfect combination between religion and art, thus it is also known as the “palace of oriental art”.

▲《Winning Heroes》 by Xi-Chen Huang (YIMU Carving Workshop)

Every 6th day of the 1st month of the Chinese lunar calendar on Qingshui Zushi’s birthday, the temple holds a Pigs of God Contest, which has been a tradition for over two hundred years and is one of the most characteristic annual festivals in Taiwan. In addition, the Greeting Angkong Fiesta held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar preserves the pilgrimage pattern that immigrants from Quanzhou used for celebrating a fruitful year.

”Sanxia Changfu Yan Qingshui Zushi Temple” has been designated as a Level Three Ancient Monument by New Taipei City Government on April 13, 2018. It is also a “New Taipei City Cultural Heritage”.

▲Come to Sanxia and see the big pigs on the sixth day of the first month; this is one of the most characteristic religious events in northern Taiwan.

【Festivals】

6th day of the 1st month: Qingshui Zushi’s birthday

6th day of the 5th month: ceremony for Qingshui Zushi’s enlightenment, godchildren ritual

14th & 15th day of the 7th month: celebrate Ghost Festival, water lantern parade, and Pudu rite

14th-18th day of the 8th month: Greeting Baoyi King & Baoyi Doctor pilgrimage (Greeting Angkong Fiesta)

29th day of the 12th month: Chinese New Year’s Eve, rite of burning the first incense stick

【Visitation Information】

Address: No. 1, Changfu St., Sanxia Dist., New Taipei City

TEL: 02-2671-1031

Time: Every day from 04:00-22:00

Fee: Free, feel free to make a donation for incense and joss paper

Parking: Changfu Parking Lot (No. 1, Guangmin Rd., Sanxia Dist.)