Zongsheng Temple Introduction
During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong and Jiaqing eras, the Zeng clan, originally from Guangdong, China, migrated to Taiwan. After several generations of hard work and perseverance, their family business eventually flourished. To honor their ancestors and demonstrate their pride in their heritage, the descendants of the Zeng clan constructed the Zongsheng Temple in 1929. The temple enshrines Zeng Shen, a direct disciple of Confucius known for his filial piety, who was conferred the title of "Zongsheng Gong" by successive emperors. The Zongsheng Temple is an architectural masterpiece that blends the traditional Hakka quadrangle layout with ornate Baroque elements. It is currently one of the largest and most elaborately decorated clan temples in Taiwan, alongside the Tianshui Hall in Beipu, northern Taiwan, marking it as a significant cultural site in both northern and southern Taiwan. Spanning an area of 1,100 ping (about 3,630 square meters), the temple adopts a two-hall and two-aisle quadrangle architecture. Various decorative techniques, such as pebble washing, clay sculpture, wood carving, painting, calligraphy, and cuttlebone pottery, are employed throughout the entrance, roof, beams, and gable walls. For instance, the entrance pavilion, adorned with animal sculptures, presents an impressive façade; alongside features like the swallow-tail roof, horse-shaped water ridge, fire-shaped horse ridge, and cuttlebone pottery birds, the most remarkable is the "bamboo leaf script" visible on the surfaces of the pillars in the main hall, representing a rare form of calligraphic art. Upon entering the main hall, a shrine housing the ancestral tablets of past generations is centrally located, with the ritual offering table designed according to ancient customs, suspended with the plaque "Heavenly Principles and Earthy Justices," which expresses the life philosophy of Zeng Zi. The adjoining side halls preserve the ritual spaces of their ancestor Zeng Yuzhen's lineage and six major branches, namely Jiuling, Xishan, Nanshan, Duantang, Huangkeng, and Shenpo. This ancient building fully showcases the cultural values, Confucian ethos, and social organization of the Hakka people, serving as a valuable cultural heritage.
