Fayun Temple Ancient Trail Introduction
Fayun Temple is located at the boundary of Gongguan Township and Shitan Township in Wenshui Village, and it is one of the four major Buddhist temples in Taiwan. It was originally built in the first year of the Republic of China but was later damaged by an earthquake and rebuilt. The new Fayun Temple has a solemn and majestic appearance, reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty style. Inside the temple, the Main Hall houses a white jade Buddha statue that stands about 9 feet tall and weighs over 10,000 pounds, donated by Master Hongzong from Singapore. The garden outside the hall is filled with cherry and plum trees, and notably, there is a Bodhi tree beside the temple that symbolizes wisdom, bearing abundant fruit from September to December each year. Additionally, the straw insulation baskets of Wenshui Village are rare handcrafted items. The ancient trail of Fayun Temple starts from the Chenghuang Temple in Kaikuang Village and ends at Dahu Fayun Temple, stretching 1.8 kilometers. It serves as an important transportation route for the ancestors who developed the Shuiwei Ping area in Dahu. The original trail was located behind the current Kaikuang Elementary School, crossing over the saddle of Jintong Mountain (Jianshan) to reach the bridge on the opposite bank of Fayun Temple, leading to Shuiwei Ping in Dahu Township and the Wenshui area in Shitan Township. Later, due to the construction of Fayun Temple, the route was changed to the existing army hiking trail, and the original ancient path is now difficult to trace.
