San Chong Temple Introduction
Sanzhong Temple, also known as Sanguang Temple, is located on Zhuangxi Street in Shuangxi District, New Taipei City. This temple honors the statues of three loyal officials 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, a native of Jiangdu Township in Changhai County, Fujian Province, led a group across the sea to Taiwan. He brought with him a statue of Wen Tianxiang and, after traversing mountains and valleys, arrived in Shuangxi, which was then an uninhabited wilderness. The scenery was beautiful, prompting them to settle here, engage in land reclamation, and build a straw hut for worship. Although they were not fleeing from war, the Han Chinese spirit of resisting the Qing Dynasty to restore the Ming Dynasty was strong. Being far from their hometowns and across the ocean, they naturally felt a sense of emptiness and thus entrusted their spirits to the protection of deities for peace and comfort. Consequently, the number of worshippers of the statue of Wen Tianxiang increased. After Lian Yuanqiao arrived in Taiwan, the community decided to create statues of Lu Xiufu and Zhang Shijie to worship alongside Wen Tianxiang, collectively referred to as the Three Loyal Lords. They raised funds to build a temple, which was completed in the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign. In the 83rd year of the Republic of China, the original temple was demolished and rebuilt to accommodate the urban planning for the widening of Datong Road. Since ancient times, Sanzhong Temple has been a center of faith for the people of Shuangxi District, with a thriving incense offering. In addition to the Three Loyal Lords as the main deities, the temple also venerates the Three Generations Ancestors, Mazu, Guandi, Wang Yanzheng, Prince Yanping, Shakyamuni, Guanyin Buddha, among others.
