Chen De-Hsing Hall Introduction
Chen De Xing Hall is the ancestral hall of the Chen family in the Taipei area, designed and built by the renowned craftsman Chen Ying-bin. The front hall features an elegant hipped roof with heavy overhanging eaves, intricate wooden structures, and exquisite dougong brackets. The flowing curves of the eaves and ridge exhibit high artistic value. The front hall's stone-carved twin dragon pillars are considered one of the earliest modern examples of "one pillar, two dragons" in Taiwan, which has had a profound influence on later temple construction. The main hall contains a large deity niche with rich wood carvings, characterized by finely carved balustrades. The complete set of tin ritual utensils and the exquisite immortal candle stand in front of the niche are rare examples in Taiwan. Today, aside from serving as the Chen family's ancestral hall, it is used as a kindergarten, and its maintenance is quite good. It also received the Contribution Award at the 3rd National Cultural Heritage Preservation Award from the Ministry of Culture in 2014, making it worth visiting. After visiting Chen De Xing Hall, you can also stroll over to the nearby Ningxia Night Market, which is full of local Taiwanese flavors! (Part of the content is excerpted from the Taipei City Cultural Bureau website)
