Tanshui Pavilion Introduction
Tanshui Pavilion, which has a history of over 200 years, is located in Tanyali, Tanzi District, Taichung City, and serves as the faith center of the area. During the Qianlong period, a wooden Guan Yin statue drifted down to the lower Tanza, glowing at night; the ancestors built a small stone temple under a bamboo grove by the pond as a place of worship. In the sixth year of the Jiaqing era (1801), villagers, noticing the increasing number of worshippers, pooled resources to build a pavilion by the pond for worshiping at "Tanshui Pavilion," thus beginning its history. In the fourth year of the Daoguang era (1824), it was renovated, and the villagers erected a plaque to commemorate the event. In the fourth year of the Guangxu era (1878), donations from Lin Qinchun and others for renovation and expansion of the worship pavilion were made, and since then, the temple has remained intact with a continuous flow of worshippers. In the ninth year of the Republic of China, floods damaged the walls and beams, leading villagers Lin Qiongzhang, Fu Jiqi, and others to propose relocating the temple. With a donation of land from Lin Fengyuan, the temple was rebuilt in April of the same year, and completed in the twelfth year. In the fifty-seventh year of the Republic, due to constant leaks in the roof, local philanthropist Dai Chunbo initiated fundraising for renovation. Devout worshippers enthusiastically donated, and faithful believer Wu Tian generously offered land of 41 ping at the temple front for access, leading to renovations and expansion in July of the same year, completed in the winter of the sixty-fifth year. A management committee was established in the seventieth year. Another half-century has passed, with Chairman Dai working diligently to gather resources. In the eightieth year, 11 houses behind the temple were purchased and converted into the Main Hall, completed in the ninetieth year. The original rear hall and side rooms often leaked, prompting the establishment of a construction team in the ninety-third year, which expanded and renovated it into the central hall, preserving the main hall (Guan Yin Hall) to become a rare temple-within-a-temple structure. In May of the ninety-sixth year, 160.8 ping of land was acquired for the temple courtyard, completed by the end of the ninety-sixth year, resulting in the present appearance of the temple, followed by the grand ceremonies for the reconstruction and dedication. The Tanshui Pavilion has unique temple-within-a-temple features, with the front hall dedicated to Guanyin, accompanied by the dragon girl Shancai, all splendidly adorned. The rear hall on the second floor enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha, Amitabha, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, the protector bodhisattva Weituo, and the bodhisattva of Kalpa, while the sides feature the Eighteen Arhats and a wall of ten thousand Buddhas. The first floor houses Ksitigarbha and another wall of ten thousand Buddhas; the central hall's third floor enshrines the Jade Emperor, while the second floor features the Three Officials, the God of Agriculture, Xuantian Shangdi, Doumu Xianjun, Southern and Northern Dipper Lords, and the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui. The first floor houses the Heavenly Mother, General Guan, the Ancestral Mother, the Most Holy Master, Wenchang Dijun, the Ingenious Master, City God, Zhenjun of Life, the God of Wealth, and the Marshal of the Central Altar, with meeting rooms, offices, and service counters on both sides. Tanshui Pavilion's vast grounds and majestic architecture provide a solemn place for teachings and beneficence, with its structure intact and rich in ancient charm. A green-tiled cultural corridor (now dismantled) was built at the north end, while a quaint hexagonal pavilion was constructed in the southwest, surrounded by lush greenery, making it a spiritually significant and auspicious place for local residents. Source: Tanshui Pavilion Guanyin Temple.
