Zhulian Temple (Hsinchu City) Audio Guide

Zhulian Temple: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Zhulian Temple (Hsinchu City)

   Welcome to Zhulian Temple, a Guanyin temple in the East District of Hsinchu City, at number 100, Zhulian Street. Guanyin is the Goddess of Mercy, and for generations this has been a place where Hsinchu families come to pray to her. This guide stays with the stories about the temple and its immediate neighborhood that are well told. We will look at a drought that gripped the Hsinchu area in the late nineteenth century and the imperial plaque that followed it. Then we will look at the decorative craftsmanship, and at the old lanes beside the temple. Some of the temple's long history is not part of this tour, so we will keep to what is clear. As you settle in, listen to the city around you. This temple sits in a living neighborhood, with older houses close by and worshippers coming and going. The stories ahead explain why people have trusted this particular Guanyin for so long.

2. 02

   The Drought and the Imperial Plaque

   Zhulian Temple's most famous story begins in 1887. The Hsinchu area was reeling from a terrible drought. A local official named Fang Zu-yin turned to the divine for help. He prayed to the City God, to the Dragon King of a Dragon King Temple that was later dismantled, and to Guanyin of Zhulian Temple. The story goes that his prayers were answered and the much-needed rain arrived. The news traveled far. The incident was reported to Liu Ming-chuan, the Governor of Taiwan, who presented a memorial on the subject to Emperor Guangxu in Beijing. In grateful recognition of Guanyin's help, the emperor bestowed a plaque on Zhulian Temple. It reads Kindness and Mercy, in Chinese dahai ciyun. Hsinchu's City God Temple received a plaque of its own, reading Protected by Guardians, which still hangs above its main hall. So a drought in one corner of Taiwan ended with a calligraphic gift from the imperial court. That plaque is the reason this temple holds such standing in local memory.

3. 03

   Three Sacred Statues and a Pilgrimage

   The temple's statues carry their own story. Inside you will find more than one statue of Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea. The First Mazu, the one sitting farthest back, is the original Guanyin statue of Zhulian Temple. The Second Mazu was brought from Fayu Temple in Zhejiang, China. This second statue has its own place in the drought story. It was the one carried on the 1888 pilgrimage in Hsinchu, after promising rainfall to end the drought. Picture the scene: a sacred image carried through the streets of a thirsty town while people hoped for rain. As you look at the altars, notice how the devotion of one era is layered on the next. The original Guanyin sits at the back, and a statue from across the Taiwan Strait stands in front of it. Together they connect this Hsinchu neighborhood to the wider world of Chinese temple traditions.

4. 04

   Craftsmanship and the Old Lanes of Heijinting

   Look closely at the temple's decoration. The wall friezes, the vivid color, the cut-and-paste porcelain known as jiannian, and the sculptures inside all add to its architectural importance. Cut-and-paste porcelain is made by setting small pieces of colored ceramic into figures and ornaments, so that they glitter in the light. Much of the jiannian and the Koji ceramics here were added in a major renovation in 1951, sponsored and led by local residents. Most of that work was by Jhu Chao-fong, a native of the Hsinchu area. He was the only Taiwanese apprentice of the renowned craft master Su Yang-shui, who lived from 1894 to 1961. When you step outside, explore the neighborhood next to the temple, known as Heijinting. Black-tiled Japanese low houses stand beside red-brick buildings in traditional Min style. Behind the temple is an ancient well more than a century old, once the main water source for local residents. Its opening is sealed now, but it still marks how people lived here every day.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Zhulian Temple holds many layers: a Goddess of Mercy honored by an emperor, a statue carried through the streets in a dry season, and a renovation carried out by local hands. Another layer is the community's calendar. The temple is known for the Qiniangma Festival, which is held every year on the Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, and draws devoted crowds. Before you leave, look up at the rooflines and wall friezes once more. Then wander the lanes of Heijinting and ask yourself how many hands, from craftsmen to neighbors, have kept this corner of Hsinchu going. There is plenty more to notice in the details.