Xinzhuang Guangfu Temple Introduction
The San San Guo Wang Temple in Xinzhuang was built by Cantonese immigrants in the 45th year of the Qianlong reign (1780 AD), making it the earliest Hakka religious temple in northern Taiwan, witnessing the participation of Hakka people in the early immigration and reclamation of Xinzhuang. The Guangfu Palace, formerly known as the San San Guo Wang Temple, is not the oldest temple in Xinzhuang but is the only national second-class historical site and is the most well-preserved among the four ancient temples in the old street. The San San Guo Wang is a guardian deity for people from Chaozhou, Guangdong, with the main deities being the mountain gods of Jinshan, Mingshan, and Dushan. It has been honored by the local Cantonese people and has become a prevalent belief in Chaozhou. With the immigration of Chaozhou Hakka people to Taiwan, they also brought the "incense" from their hometown's San San Guo Wang Temple to seek blessings. The gods of the three mountains symbolize nature worship and originally had no physical form, leading to the creation of statues when they arrived in Taiwan. The temple was built in the 45th year of the Qianlong reign (1780), was destroyed by fire in the 8th year of the Guangxu reign (1882), and was rebuilt in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign (1888) initiated by Chen Chaowang from Hsinchu Puzhao. After restoration in the 25th year of the Republic of China, it was renamed Guangfu Palace.
