Guang'an Temple Introduction
The Guang'an Temple was established early on and is one of the ancient temples among the more than seventy temples dedicated to the Kaizhang Shengwang in Taiwan. It houses many ancient artifacts, particularly a pair of unique small stone lion candle holders that are rare today and are said to be antiquities from the time of its establishment, over two hundred years ago. Inside the temple, the shrine features an intricately carved golden dragon, and the Kaizhang Shengwang sits majestically in the center, with a red face and long beard, exuding an imposing aura. The two generals, Fushun and Fuxin, hold swords, standing solemnly on either side. The left shrine is dedicated to the revered Guan Sheng Dijun, who is portrayed as benevolent and noble, while the right shrine honors the friendly and approachable deity, Caishen. It is said that during the Taisho period of Japanese rule (1912-1926), the statues of the Kaizhang Shengwang were taken to the Jinding Shengwang Temple (Bishanyan Kaizhang Shengwang Temple in Neihu) for a consecration ceremony. After the ceremony was completed, the devotees placed the statues in a palanquin (carried by two men) to bring them back to the Jinbaoli Street temple. However, the palanquin unexpectedly flew out of the temple and disappeared. The worried devotees hurriedly climbed mountains and crossed valleys to return to the temple. On their way, they heard from passersby about a palanquin that was seen flying towards Jinbaoli Street carrying a statue. When they returned to the temple, they found the two king statues and the palanquin already on the altar. The devotees were amazed, and to this day, the annual Gongguanlun temple fair celebrates the welcoming of the two kings for worship at that site.
