San Chung Temple Introduction
San-Chung Temple, also known as San-Gong Temple, is located on Chang’an Street in Shuangxi District, New Taipei City. This temple is dedicated to three loyal ministers from the late Southern Song Dynasty—Wen Tianxiang, Lu Xiufu, and Zhang Shijie. In the 46th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1781), Lian Yuanqiao from Jiangdu Township, Changtai County, Fujian Province, and his followers crossed the sea to Taiwan, bringing with them a statue of Wen Tianxiang. After traversing mountains and valleys to reach Shuangxi, they discovered the area was a desolate wilderness that had yet to be cultivated, but the scenery was beautiful. They decided to settle there, engage in land development, and built straw huts for worship. Although the settlers were not fleeing from war, their Han Chinese spirit of resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty was still fervent. Being far from home and having crossed the ocean, it was inevitable that they felt a deep sense of emptiness, leading them to seek solace and safety through the blessings of deities. Consequently, the number of worshippers of the Wen Tianxiang statue grew significantly. Lian Yuanqiao proposed the creation of statues for Lu Xiufu and Zhang Shijie to be worshipped alongside Wen Tianxiang, collectively known as the Three Loyal Lords, and funds were raised to construct a temple, which was completed in the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign. In the 83rd year of the Republic of China, to accommodate urban planning with the widening of Datong Road, the original temple was demolished and rebuilt. Since ancient times, San-Chung Temple has served as a center of faith for the people of Shuangxi District, with vibrant worship practices. In addition to the Three Loyal Lords as the main deities, the temple also houses statues of the Three Generations Patriarchs, the Heavenly Mother, Guansheng Emperor, Guanzhang Sacred King, Yanping County King, Shakyamuni, and Guanyin Buddha.
