Chien Yun Temple Introduction
Jieyun Temple is located on Ximen Street in Banqiao District and is dedicated to the Bodhisattva Guanyin. It was originally established in Yongzheng's reign as Ciyun Rock at Shibi Lake in Zhonghe, making it over two hundred years old if calculated from that time. In the third year of Xianfeng, Ciyun Rock was burned down by people from Quanzhou. In the sixth year of Xianfeng, it was relocated to the northwest corner of Banqiao city by Lin Guofang. Due to the construction of the Lin Benyuan residence, it was later moved to its current site, where it became a temple for worship. Consequently, Jieyun Temple replaced the former Ciyun Rock and became the center of faith for the Bajie Thirteen Villages (present-day Banqiao, Zhonghe, Yonghe, Tucheng, etc.). The name Jieyun means "to welcome" or "to receive incense," and the fact that Ciyun Rock was destroyed but not rebuilt at its original site indicates that Banqiao, under the development of the Lin family, had replaced Zhonghe as the center of commerce, faith, and self-defense in the Bajie Fort area at that time. The temple houses many precious ancient plaques and couplets, and the sides of the main hall's roof feature numerous wooden carvings of celestial beings wrapped in gold foil, making them quite dazzling. Additionally, the unique long oval-shaped coffered ceiling design adds significant historical and religious value.
