Zongsheng Temple Introduction
During the Qing Dynasty, in the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing, the Zeng clan, originally from Guangdong, China, migrated to Taiwan. After several generations of hard work, their family business prospered. To honor their ancestors and to uphold their family's legacy, the descendants of the Zeng clan built the Zongsheng Temple in 1929. This temple enshrines Zeng Shen, a direct disciple of Confucius known for his filial piety, who has been honored by successive emperors as "Zongsheng Gong." The Zongsheng Temple is an architectural fusion of a traditional Hakka siheyuan layout and lavish Baroque style, and it is one of the largest and most ornately decorated ancestral halls in Taiwan. Together with the Tienshuikang in Beipu, it is considered one of the most significant ancestral halls in northern and southern Taiwan. Covering an area of 1,100 ping, the temple features a siheyuan layout with two halls and two horizontal wings. Various decorative techniques such as pebble washing, mud sculpture, wood carving, painting, calligraphy, and Jiandi pottery are applied to the entrance hall, roof, beams, pillars, and gable walls. For example, the gate tower located at the square, adorned with animal sculptures, gives an impressive appearance. Other features include a swallow-tail roof, water-style horse backs, fire-style horse backs, and Jiandi pottery depicting birds. Notably, on the pillars of the main hall, one can see "bamboo leaf writing," a rare form of calligraphy art created using bamboo leaves. Upon entering the main hall, visitors will find the shrines of ancestors in the center, with an altar designed according to ancient traditions and a plaque reading "Tianjing Diyiyi," which explains the life philosophy of Zeng Zi. On either side, the horizontal halls preserve the sacrificial spaces of the lineage of Zeng Yuzhen and the six major rooms: Jiuling, Xishan, Nanshan, Duantang, Huangkeng, and Shenpo. This ancient structure fully demonstrates the Confucian ideals, values, and social organization of the Hakka people, representing a valuable cultural heritage.
