Wanhe Temple Introduction
Wanhua Temple was established in the 23rd year of the Kangxi era (1684) under the promotion of Zhang Guo, the total general of Dinghai in Zhejiang, and funded by 12 surnames including Zhang, Liao, Jian, Lai, Huang, Jiang, He, Yang, Dai, Liu, Chen, and Lin. It was named Wanhua Temple. The "Matsu Cultural Center" on the fifth floor of the Wanhua Cultural Building was established on October 24, 2004, under the guidance of the Council for Cultural Affairs by the Wanhua Cultural and Educational Foundation. This is the first private local cultural center in Taichung City, showcasing the following five major areas: the historical trajectory of Nantun District, the glorious history of ramie, precious collections, ramie culture in Nantun, and a creative art gallery. It is positioned as a local history and common people's culture center. The "Matsu Cultural Center" opens for visits on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar calendar, as well as on weekends and holidays, with guided services provided by a volunteer tour team. The basement of the Wanhua Cultural Building is a restaurant; the first floor contains offices, the second floor is a conference hall, the third floor is a library, the fourth floor is a museum, and the fifth floor houses the Matsu Cultural Center. The building faces the plaza of Wanhua Temple and is backed by the banks of Litao Stream, standing tall with a magnificent appearance in an elegant environment. An additional floor is built on the top of the fifth floor as a "Viewing Pavilion," offering a westward view of the beautiful Dadu Mountain and an eastward view of downtown Taichung, capturing the scenic view of the old streets of Nantun, creating a poetic ambiance. Wanhua Temple, with its rich history and flourishing incense offerings, still retains one of the few important folk temple fair activities in Taiwan, which has been passed down for nearly 200 years. The Zixingxi (Character surname drama) started performing on March 21 in the fifth year of Daoguang (1825). The first day featured Zhangzhou opera, followed by Guangdong opera (that is, Chaozhou, Jiaying, Huizhou, etc.) on the 22nd, Quanzhou opera on the 24th, and Tingzhou opera on the 25th, followed by various surname character dramas, thank-god dramas, and soldier dramas, lasting for one to two months, continuing to this day as an important traditional local folk activity.
