Chaolin Temple Introduction
Zhaoling Temple enshrines the Marshal of Central Altar, Nezha (commonly known as Prince Ye), serving as the joint temple of the communities of Silin, Sichun, and Lundong in Chaojhou Township, Pingtung County. This temple, along with the east, west, south, and north camps, forms a protective boundary of a traditional Minnan settlement through the five-camp framework. Therefore, Zhaoling Temple not only possesses cultural asset value in traditional architectural craftsmanship but also features a cultural characteristic of establishing boundaries for village location and spiritual belief. As a common faith center for the three villages, it is quite rare in Taiwan and is currently designated as a county-level historic site in Pingtung County. According to legends, the deity of Zhaoling Temple was invited to Taiwan from the mainland about two hundred years ago. Due to the scarcity of medical resources at that time, the deity would daily use divination to prescribe herbal remedies for the villagers. However, due to the difficult living conditions of the locals, they were unable to build a temple for worship until one day, the deity descended into a medium and instructed the villagers to collect drifting cypress wood from the river between Silin and Lundong for temple construction, marking the origin of Zhaoling Temple. The front and rear halls of Zhaoling Temple feature a swallow-tail style roof, with the front hall's roof adorned with cut-and-paste decorations of fire dragon pearls and carp spitting water, while the rear hall showcases double dragons and gourd cut-and-paste decorations. On the gable walls, the front hall features lion head-shaped cut-and-paste designs, while the rear hall is decorated with bas-relief patterns of musical instruments and calligraphy. The roofs above the left and right door canopies are embellished with charming fruits and seafood made from Chaozhou ceramics. Inside the main hall, the central ridge presents a painted phoenix design, with a uniquely designed fish-shaped Tai Chi pattern at the center.
