Mengjia Longshan Temple Introduction
Longshan Temple, founded in its early years, is grand in scale and exquisitely sculpted. It underwent repairs after a major earthquake in the 20th year of Jiaqing (1815) and was reconstructed again in the 6th year of Tongzhi (1867) due to storm damage. By the 8th year of Taisho (1919), the beams had been infested with termites, and the abbot Master Fuzhi generously donated over 7,000 yuan of his life savings to raise funds for restoration, establishing the temple's current scale. During the Second World War, in the 34th year of the Republic of China, it was severely damaged by air raids, destroying the main hall, yet the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva remained majestically seated on the lotus throne. In the past, during air raids, residents would seek refuge under the lotus seat of Guanyin, but on the eve of this air raid, many returned home because they could not endure the onslaught of mosquitoes, resulting in no casualties when the main hall was destroyed. Residents believe this was the protection of Guanyin Bodhisattva and spread the news, further solidifying Guanyin's status as a spiritual pillar for the people of Wanhua. Longshan Temple faces south and is designed in a square shape, reflecting the palace-style architecture of a traditional Chinese three-entrance courtyard. It consists of the front hall, main hall, rear hall, and left and right wing pavilions. The front hall has 11 openings and is divided into the Three Rivers Hall, Dragon Gate Hall, and Tiger Gate Hall. In front of the Three Rivers Hall stands a pair of bronze coiled dragon columns, the only of their kind in Taiwan. The front wall is made of a mix of granite and blue stone, with stories on the wall primarily derived from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Investiture of the Gods,” rich in educational significance. The roof of the main hall adopts a hip-and-gable style, with a covered corridor supported by 42 columns. The exterior walls feature several stone carvings by famous calligraphers, while the spiral coiling in the ceiling was constructed without nails or iron, relying solely on the interlocking of the bracket sets. The rear hall has a roof designed similarly to the main hall, serving as a place for the worship of Confucian and Daoist deities. The left and right wing pavilions each have a bell tower and drum tower, with uniquely-shaped, flat hexagonal roofs for their canopies. The roofs of the entire temple are adorned with auspicious motifs like dragons, phoenixes, and qilins, decorated with color paper-cutting and glazed pottery, showcasing the essence of Taiwanese paper-cutting art. In the 74th year of the Republic of China, the government announced Wanhua Longshan Temple as a nationally protected second-class historic site, alongside the National Palace Museum and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as one of the three major attractions for international tourists visiting Taiwan. Longshan Temple also constructed a cultural plaza building on Wenhua Road in Banqiao, completed and put into use in the 94th year of the Republic of China, hosting various courses and lectures to promote the cultural values of Buddhism and community education. Every year, Wanhua Longshan Temple regularly holds festive celebrations and folk activities, such as the Lunar New Year lantern exhibition, the Buddha Bathing Festival in April, and the Ullambana Festival in July. Visitors to Wanhua Longshan Temple can not only appreciate the beauty of Taiwanese temple architecture but also enjoy the charm of traditional folk culture. (Source: Official Website of Wanhua Longshan Temple)
