Wenchang Temple, Taichung City Introduction
Wenchang Temple in Taichung City, located at No. 100, Wenchang Street, Nantun District, once served as a hunting ground for the Bunun people in the Nantun area. After the Qing Dynasty's rule began in 1684, Han settlers increasingly cultivated the land, achieving significant development by the fourth year of the Yongzheng era (1726) with the establishment of Wanhe Temple (now at No. 51, Section 1, Wanhe Road, a designated historical site), which is dedicated to Mazu. Moreover, this area was a midway point on the route from Banxian City (now Changhua) to Hulongdu Street (now Fengyuan), known for producing plowshares and other agricultural tools, hence the name "Plowshare Shop Street." According to the "Chronicles of Changhua County" written during the Daoguang era, there were seven temples dedicated to Wenchang Dijun in Changhua County prior to the Daoguang period, one of which was located on Plowshare Shop Street, built in the second year of the Jiaqing era (1797) by the tribute student Zeng Yuyin and others. It is clear that the "Plowshare Shop Wenchang Temple" was initiated by tribute student Zeng Yuyin in the Jiaqing second year (1797) and is among the earliest Wenchang Dijun temples established in Changhua County, marking the cultural origin of the present Taichung area. At its inception, the land was donated by the Jian clan under the name of their ancestor Jian Huiyi and the well-known ancestor Jian Guixin from Nanjing, funded by tribute student Zeng Yuyin, and the temple was built at the current site of Nantun Market, named "Plowshare Shop Wenchang Temple." According to the religious registry from the Taisho era (1924), the temple associations included the "New Orchid Society" established in the 19th year of Jiaqing (1814) by Chen Rixin, and the "Tengqi Ji" (also known as Wenlin Society) established in the 24th year of Jiaqing (1819) by Zhang Tiande. The "Chongwen Society" was founded in the 6th year of Tongzhi (1867). In the second year of Guangxu (1876), the "Daguan Society" was established by Chen Jihui from Xueqian Village in Wuri District. All the societies pooled resources to purchase land, and the income from renting it out was used to set up a local school within the Wenchang Temple's annex, hiring local scholars to teach and promote cultural development, thus nurturing talents. The temple also held local examinations twice a year, awarding scholarships to facilitate the emergence of local scholars, which fostered its reputation as a cultural origin site in the Taichung area. The Daguan Society is the only surviving society associated with this temple, holding annual ceremonies on the 10th day of the 8th lunar month at the temple. After the cession of Taiwan and Penghu in 1895, they became a colony of Japan. In the 31st year of the Meiji period (1898), the temple was repurposed as the "Plowshare Shop Public School," and in the 38th year of Meiji (1905), the school was relocated to its current site at Nantun Elementary School. The layout and area of the Wenchang Temple, according to the religious registry surveyed during the Taisho period, developed into a structure facing southwest with a main hall flanked by two side rooms and a worship pavilion. A "seen wall" stands in front of the temple, covering an area of approximately 94 ping, and the overall site encompasses about 660 ping, making the temple spacious. The deities originally enshrined included Zitong Dijun, Zhu Yi Dijun, and Kuaidou Jun.
