Wusheng Temple Introduction
Located in the Zhongshan District of New Taipei City, the Zhuang Wu Sheng Temple is recognized as a cultural asset of New Taipei City. It is one of the three major temples in New Taipei City along with Ciou Temple and Guangfu Temple. Established in the 25th year of the Qianlong reign (1760 AD) by the scholar Hu Zhuoyou from Tingzhou, the temple was built on land donated by him on the Rice Street in Xinzhuang. According to Lian Heng (1878-1936) in "Taiwan General History": "The Xinzhuang Wu Sheng Temple was founded in the 25th year of the Qianlong reign (1760 AD) by scholar Hu Zhuoyou in the Xingzheng Fort, honoring the Han Shou Pavilion Marquis Guan Yu." This indicates that the Xinzhuang Wu Sheng Temple was established earlier than the Hsinchu Guandi Temple, making it the earliest "Guandi Temple" in northern Taiwan, locally referred to as the "Guandi Jun Temple." The main entrance of the Wu Sheng Temple is generally not open, but it opens on specific days: from the first to the third day of the lunar new year, the eleventh to the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, and from the twentieth to the twenty-fourth day of the sixth lunar month. During the Lantern Festival each year, "Firecracker Platform" events are held in front of the temple to showcase the well-being of the people. A notable architectural feature of the Wu Sheng Temple compared to other temples is that it does not depict door gods on its main door. This is because the Holy Emperor Guan himself is a master of martial arts and does not require the protection of door gods. However, the main door is adorned with 108 nail heads; these were originally used to conceal the nail heads on the door planks, but now serve primarily as decoration. The number 108 is a multiple of nine, and nine is considered the greatest auspicious number, following the traditional method of making door panels.
