Xinzhuang Guangfu Temple Introduction
The San Shan Guo Wang Temple in Xinzhuang was built in the 45th year of Qianlong (1780) by Cantonese people and is the earliest Hakka religious temple in Northern Taiwan, witnessing the participation of Hakka immigrants in the early development of Xinzhuang. Guangfu Temple, formerly known as "San Shan Guo Wang Temple," is not the oldest temple in Xinzhuang but is the only national second-class historic site among the four ancient temples in the old street, preserving the best condition. San Shan Guo Wang is the guardian deity of people from Chaozhou, Guangdong, worshipping the three mountain gods Jinshan, Mingshan, and Dushan. Revered by the local Cantonese community, it has become a widespread belief in Chaozhou. As Hakka people from Chaozhou immigrated to Taiwan, they brought the "incense" from their hometown's San Shan Guo Wang Temple to pray for blessings. The San Shan gods are deities of nature worship and originally had no images, which were established in Taiwan. The temple was built in the 45th year of Qianlong (1780), was destroyed by a fire in the 8th year of Guangxu (1882), and was rebuilt in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888) by Chen Chaowang from Hsinchu Puchao. After renovations in the 25th year of the Republic of China, it was renamed Guangfu Temple.
