Tamshui Qingshuiyan Audio Guide

Danshui Qingshui Temple: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Danshui Qingshui Temple

   Welcome to Danshui Qingshui Temple, known locally as 淡水清水巖, standing at number 87 Qingshui Street in the Danshui district of New Taipei City. Many people call it the Danshui Patriarch Temple, and it is one of the spiritual anchors of this old riverside town. The temple honors Qingshui Zushi, the Clear Water Patriarch, a Buddhist monk from Anxi in Fujian. Over time his worship has blended Buddhist, Daoist and Taiwanese folk traditions. It is counted among the four great temples of Danshui, alongside Yinshan Temple, Fuyou Temple and Danshui Longshan Temple. It is also named among the four great Patriarch temples of greater Taipei. The building is younger than many of its neighbors. Its completion dates to 1937, during the Japanese period, yet it hosts the biggest annual festival in town. Over the next few stops, you will hear how the temple came to be, why its patriarch has such a curious nickname, and how its architecture and its hilltop setting carry their own stories. Opening hours run from half past 4 a.m. until 9 p.m., so early risers are welcome.

2. 02

   Danshui Qingshui Temple: A Temple Built by the Town

   For a long time the Clear Water Patriarch was famous in Danshui but had no temple of his own. His image was kept in private homes, and the townspeople had long wanted a proper hall for him. In 1931 a building committee was formed, and in 1932 local gentry led by Xu Bing and Li Wengui raised funds to build one. The new temple took the place of two smaller shrines nearby. One was the Fumei Xiaofu Wangye temple, which belonged to dock workers. The other was the Xiqin Wangye temple, which belonged to a music society. Both were pulled down, and their deities were enshrined together in the new hall. That is why, even now, the temple honors Lord Xiaofu and the Xiqin Venerable King alongside the patriarch. The temple was finished in 1937 and became a center of local religious and cultural life. It stands at the head of the third of Danshui's Five Tiger Hills. The patriarch himself, Puzu, was a Chan Buddhist monk of the Northern Song dynasty who practiced at Qingshui Yan in Anxi. Local tradition adds a story of six ancient patriarch images carved from a giant block of agarwood, which later generations called the Six Ancient Buddhas.

3. 03

   Danshui Qingshui Temple: The Nose-Dropping Patriarch

   Here is the detail that sets this temple apart. The patriarch worshipped here is nicknamed Luobi Zushi, the Nose-Dropping Patriarch. Tradition says that whenever disaster is coming, the nose of the image drops off as a warning. Another name for the deity is Penglai Laozu. Stories tell of two moments when this paid off. In one, the dropping nose is said to have helped villagers escape an earthquake. In the other, during the Sino-French War of the 1880s, the patriarch is said to have aided Qing troops and local residents in driving off French forces. As the story goes, the Guangxu Emperor was so moved that he bestowed a plaque reading Gong Zi Zheng Ji, which can be read as a tribute to help that rescued many. These are traditions passed down by the faithful, not events recorded in official history, but they explain why the people of Danshui hold this patriarch in such deep trust. The temple's deities are also honored in a set order. In the main hall, Dizang Bodhisattva stands on the dragon side, which is the left, and Baosheng Dadi stands on the tiger side, which is the right.

4. 04

   Danshui Qingshui Temple: Roofs, Halls and a Dragon's Pearl

   Look at the roofline first. The temple has two halls and two side corridors. The front hall and the dragon and tiger side gates are all built in a three-mountain style, and they open into one another without dividing walls. The ridge ends sweep up in round, swallowtail curves, a strong sign of the Zhangzhou school of temple building. The main hall has a swallowtail hard-gable roof, and its back wall is thickened with an extra layer of brick to make room for the shrine. The site also carries a geomancy story. Tradition says the temple faces the Datun and Guanyin mountains, with the Danshui River flowing between them like a golden dragon entering the temple. The temple says this site was chosen by oracle of the patriarch himself. Its seat is said to be the dragon's head. Under the big bell to the right of the main door is a stone wrapped in red cloth, which the temple regards as the dragon's pearl. There is also an old prophecy attributed to the geomancer Lin Lang. He foretold that a great Chan master would arrive and drive away foreign soldiers, and that a monastery would be built for him. In the Japanese period, the townspeople reinterpreted it. The master was the patriarch's image, the soldiers were the French, and the monastery was this temple.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Before you go, think about when to come back. Each year on the fifth and sixth days of the fifth lunar month, the temple stages a great procession in honor of the patriarch's enlightenment. Locals call it the Danshui Great Worship. The tradition is said to have begun after an epidemic struck during the Japanese period. The townspeople turned to the patriarch for protection, and the procession is meant to drive away plague and bring safety. It begins with a night-time visit through the neighborhoods on the evening of the fifth day. The next day, a daytime procession winds through the district. It has been recognized as intangible cultural heritage by the New Taipei City government. Many neighborhood temples take part, which shows how central the patriarch is to the whole town. So, as you leave, look back up the slope. Notice the curve of the roof, listen for the big bell near the door, and ask yourself how a temple finished in 1937 became the heart of a community. Danshui's other great temples are close enough to compare for yourself.