Wanhua Temple Introduction
Wanhua Temple was founded in the 23rd year of the Kangxi era during the Qing Dynasty, initiated by General Zhang Guo from Dinghai, Zhejiang. It was built with donations from twelve surnames: Zhang, Liao, Jian, Lai, Huang, Jiang, He, Yang, Dai, Liu, Chen, and Lin, and named Wanhua Temple. The "Mashao Cultural Museum" on the fifth floor of the Wanhua Cultural Building was established on October 24, 2004, under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, by the Wanhua Cultural and Educational Foundation. This is the first private local cultural museum in Taichung City, featuring exhibitions that include: the historical trajectory of Nantun District, the glorious history of ramie, precious collections, ramie culture in Nantun, and a creative art gallery, divided into five major areas. It is positioned as a local history and folk culture museum. The "Mashao Cultural Museum" is open for visits on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar calendar, as well as during weekends and holidays, with guided tours provided by volunteer guides. The basement of the Wanhua Cultural Building houses a restaurant; the first floor contains offices, the second floor serves as a conference room, the third floor is a library, the fourth floor is a museum of cultural relics, and the fifth floor is the Mashao Cultural Museum. The building faces the plaza of Wanhua Temple and is adjacent to the Liudui Stream, standing tall with a magnificent appearance in an elegant environment. An additional floor has been built on the top of the fifth floor as a "Viewing Tower," providing a westward view of the beautiful scenery of Dadu Mountain, an eastward view of Taichung City, and a complete view of the old streets of Nantun, offering a poetic charm. Wanhua Temple, with its long history and thriving incense offerings, still retains the only and nearly two-century-old traditional folk temple festival of the "Zixin Opera" in the country. The Zixin opera performances commenced on the 21st day of the third lunar month of the fifth year of the Daoguang era (1825). The first day featured Zhangzhou opera, the 22nd day Guangdong opera (including Teochew, Jiaying, Huizhou, etc.), the 24th day Quanzhou opera, and the 25th day Tingzhou opera, followed by various surnames' Zixin opera, Xieshen opera, and Bingzai opera, continuing for one to two months, an unbroken tradition throughout the ages that has become an important local traditional folk activity.
