Fayu Temple Ancient Trail Introduction
Fayun Temple is located in Wenshui Village at the junction of Gongguan Township and Shitan Township. It is one of Taiwan's four major Buddhist sites, originally built in the first year of the Republic of China. After being damaged by an earthquake, it was rebuilt. The new Fayun Temple has a majestic and dignified appearance, reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty style. Inside the Grand Hall, there is a white jade Buddha statue approximately 9 feet tall and weighing about 10,000 jin, donated by Master Hongzong from Singapore. The garden outside the hall is filled with cherry plum trees, and notably, there is a Bodhi tree planted beside the temple that symbolizes wisdom, bearing abundant fruits from September to December each year. Additionally, the straw insulation boxes from Wenshui Village are rare handcrafted products. The ancient path of Fayun Temple starts from the Chenghuang Temple in Kaikuang Village and ends at Dahu Fayun Temple, with a total length of 1.8 kilometers. It served as an important transportation route for the ancestors who developed the Shuibao Ping area of Dahu. The original ancient path was located behind the current Kaikuang Elementary School, crossing over the saddle of Jintong Mountain (Jianshan) before reaching the Bianchi Bridge at Fayun Temple, connecting to Shuibao Ping in Dahu Township and the Wenshui area in Shitan Township. Later, due to the construction of Fayun Temple, the path was changed to the current Army hiking trail, and the original ancient path has become difficult to trace.
