Taichung Martyrs' Shrine Introduction
Taichung Martyrs' Shrine was originally the second generation of Taichung Shrine during the Japanese colonial period. In 1942, it was relocated from Nishinaka Town (now Taichung Park) to the Shuinan Water Source Park in Nishikō Town (now the area of Taichung Martyrs' Shrine and the Confucius Temple) and was upgraded to a national small shrine. After Taiwan's restoration in 1945, Taichung Shrine was renamed Taichung Martyrs' Shrine. The entrance gate is a three-bay, four-column, seven-story concrete building topped with blue glazed tiles. The inscription "Martyrs' Shrine" is embedded in the center of the lintel, with "Cheng Ren" and "Qu Yi" on either side, serving as the grand entrance for visitors. The mountain gate is also topped with blue glazed tiles, adorned with mythical creatures on the ridges. The beams are painted in the Qing style, and the central entrance is a deep red cypress wooden door, reinforced with ninety-eight bronze door nails and beast-head bronze rings. The couplets on either side of the mountain gate read, "Heroic spirit permeates deities, great achievements commend a shrine for eternity; Ren and Yi endure for thousands of years under the vast sky," presenting a magnificent atmosphere. The front hall features a roof covered with yellow glazed tiles, decorated with mythical beings and creatures. The painted beams depict motifs such as hemp leaf heads, Ba Wang fists, and sparrow perches. On each side, there is a hexagonal pavilion topped with yellow glazed tiles, adorned with finials and mythical beasts, while the lintels display powder-painted designs and the central beam is decorated with passiflora and interlocking auspicious patterns. Inside the pavilion, cloud motifs are painted, and the beams are intricately carved with cypress wood sparrow perches. The main hall emulates a northern palace-style concrete building from the Qing dynasty, covered with yellow glazed tiles, and adorned with mythical creatures along the ridges. It features deep red cypress wooden diamond-patterned doors and windows, surrounded by white concrete columns resembling flower-cut granite, with dragon-headed auspicious vases decorating the railing. The sacrificial altar is laid with dark red granite, while the interior boasts marble flooring and red carpets, with granite slabs on the walls, creating an atmosphere of spiritual elegance and solemnity.
