Yinshan Temple Introduction
Yinshan Temple, built in 1822, is the only well-preserved "Dingguang Buddha Temple" in Taiwan. The Dingguang Buddha is a local deity worshiped by Hakka immigrants from Tingzhou in Fujian, which was brought to Taiwan along with the migration. The Tingzhou immigrants, in order to honor their hometown's guardian deity, the ancient Buddha Dingguang, collectively funded the purchase of land to build this temple, which also served as a meeting hall for fellow Tingzhou villagers. Yinshan Temple is located on Xuefu Road, across from Tamsui MRT Station. Although it is not a large-scale temple, it maintains a complete structure and is a must-visit for many who study traditional temple architecture, featuring the front hall, main hall, Sanshanchuan Hall, and protective dragon. The decorative carvings within the temple are exquisitely crafted. In front of the temple, there is a crescent-shaped water basin, and behind it are two wells on each side, representing a pair of eyes; the crescent water basin resembles a toad's mouth, creating what Feng Shui refers to as the "toad's hole." Friends interested in this should delve deeper into its study. The roof style features a San Chuan ridge design on the main hall and horse-back style designs on the left and right protective rooms, presenting a simple and welcoming aesthetic. The dragon ridge of the main hall forms a beautifully curved rise, while the roof symbolizes the status hierarchy in traditional architecture; the cut clay and mud sculptures on the ridge are rare and exquisite works. The stone carvings of the dragon pillar are characterized by their ancient shapes and beautiful compositions. The colorful mud sculptures on the left and right walls of the corridor in front of the Sanshanchuan Hall are distinct in posture and vivid in expression, making them masterpieces of mud sculpture. The intricately crafted wooden carvings at the top of the stone dragon pillars in the front corridor feature beautiful wooden pendants and vertical logs, which primarily function to distribute the weight of the roof across the pillars, playing a crucial role in traditional buildings. The layout and beams: Entering from the front of the Sanshanchuan Hall, the water corridor and protective rooms are on both sides, creating a complete enclosed courtyard with the main hall, allowing the central yard to present a tranquil and solemn atmosphere. The art of wooden structure in traditional architecture is clearly displayed within the Sanshanchuan Hall, where the two-channel and three-cylindrical roof frame structure is composed of two main beams and three cylindrical rods. Understanding the roof frame structure allows one to further appreciate these finely crafted sculptural arts. It is currently designated as a national historic site.
