Zhaoling Temple Introduction
Chaolin Temple is dedicated to the deity Nezha (commonly known as Prince Nezha), and it serves as a combined temple for the communities of Silin, Sichun, and Lundong in Chaozhou Township, Pingtung County. The temple guards the village through the traditional Min-nan settlement layout known as "Five Camps" formed by its East, West, South, and North precincts. Therefore, Chaolin Temple possesses not only the value of traditional architectural craftsmanship but also the cultural characteristics of village settlement and spiritual belief. As the common faith center for the three villages, it is quite rare in Taiwan and has been designated as a county-level historical site in Pingtung. According to legend, the deity of Chaolin Temple was invited from the mainland about two hundred years ago. Due to a lack of medical resources at that time, the deity would daily come forth to offer remedies to villagers. However, because residents lived in poverty, they could not build a temple for him. One day, the deity appeared and instructed the villagers to collect floating cedar wood from the river between Silin and Lundong to construct a temple, marking the origin of Chaolin Temple's establishment. Both the front and rear halls of the temple feature a swallow-tail roof. The front hall's roof is adorned with decorative cuttings of a fire dragon and a carp, while the rear hall's roof depicts twin dragons and gourds. The gables showcase lion-head shaped cuttings at the front hall and clay sculptures of the four arts (go, chess, calligraphy, and painting) at the rear hall. Above the door arches on either side, the roof is decorated with cute fruit and seafood motifs made from traditional ceramics. Inside the main hall, the central ridge features a painted phoenix, and at its center is a unique fish-shaped tai chi design.
