Lianzuo Mountain Guanyin Temple Introduction
Locally known as Guanyin Pavilion, it is currently a third-level historic site. Although the temple has undergone multiple renovations since its establishment, it has maintained the appearance and scale of over 200 years ago, becoming a precious cultural asset. In 2013, it was selected as one of Taiwan's “One Hundred Religious Scenic Spots” by the Ministry of the Interior, holding significant historical meaning. Lianzuo Mountain stands alone in the Dahan River, resembling a lotus flower emerging from the water, hence its name. In the third year of the Jiaqing era (1797), it was funded and established by Zhong Shangyi and others, who collected donations to build a Buddhist temple on the mountain rock, dedicating it to Guanyin Bodhisattva and the eighteen golden statues of Arhats, named Guanyin Temple. In 1904 (Meiji 37), local gentry from Daxi, seeing the risk of the temple collapsing, raised funds for major renovations and constructed a worship pavilion. In 1925 (Taisho 14), they raised funds again for thorough repairs. In 1934 (Showa 9), the original worship pavilion was converted into a gable-roofed pavilion, continuing to this day. The architecture of Guanyin Temple on Lianzuo Mountain is limited by the terrain, preventing vertical development, thus it is a five-gate single hall temple. The roof features a San Chuan ridge, and there is a worship pavilion in front of the main hall, which is the most significant architectural feature of Guanyin Temple. Its roof adopts a double-eaved gable style and has an octagonal coffer in its interior. The temple's cut clay, mud sculpture, wood carvings, stone carvings, and paintings are all ancient and elegant. To the right of the temple, within a 10-meter shaded area, stands the Jing Sheng Pavilion (Xi Zi Pavilion), which is also an important ancient structure, named "Kui Xing Tower," built in 1936 (Showa 11). It enshrines Wenchang, the deity of literature, and is a three-tiered pavilion made of red bricks. The upper and middle tiers have couplets inscribed on them, and the pavilion body features vivid stone carvings of dragons and tigers, with exquisite cut clay and sculptures. To the right of the temple, there is also a Kui Xing Tower that prays for the prosperity of literature, worshiping Kui Xing from the Big Dipper, the deity protecting literary success. This Kui Tower also serves the function of a Xi Zi Pavilion, hence it combines the structure of a paper-burning stove and the flying eaves and tile style of a temple, ornately adorned with auspicious beast tiles and reliefs. Next to the Kui Tower, there is a small pavilion dedicated to the God of Wealth and the Tree God. This small temple appears simple and unadorned, yet it is said to have existed before the establishment of Guanyin Temple, and thus also holds historical significance. Source: The Bureau of Cultural Affairs, this government.
