Fayun Temple Ancient Trail Introduction
Fayun Temple is located in Wen Shui Village at the border of Gongguan Township and Shitan Township, and it is one of the four major Buddhist sites in Taiwan. Originally built in the first year of the Republic of China, it was later destroyed by an earthquake and subsequently rebuilt. The new architecture of Fayun Temple is solemn and majestic, reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty style. Inside the main hall of Fayun Temple, there is a statue of the Buddha made of white jade, which stands about 9 feet tall and weighs around 10,000 pounds. This statue was donated by Master Hongzong from Singapore. The garden outside the hall is filled with cherry blossoms, and notably, there is a Bodhi tree planted next to the temple, symbolizing wisdom, which bears fruit abundantly between September and December each year. Additionally, the straw insulation baskets from Wen Shui Village are rare handcrafted items. The ancient trail of Fayun Temple starts at the Chenghuang Temple in Kaikuang Village and ends at Dahu Fayun Temple, stretching 1.8 kilometers. This trail is an important transportation route for the ancestors who developed the water tail plain of Dahu. The original path was located behind the current Kaikuang Elementary School, crossing over Jintong Mountain (Jianshan) saddle, down to the bridge opposite Fayun Temple, reaching the water tail plain of Dahu Township and the Wen Shui area in Shitan Township. Later, due to the construction of Fayun Temple, the route was changed to the current military hiking trail, and the original ancient path has become difficult to trace.
