Xiyuan Road - Buddhist Supplies Street Introduction
Reflecting on Taiwan's early history, the Minnan people from Fujian crossed the Taiwan Strait to cultivate the land, leaving their homes behind and facing an unfamiliar new world filled with thorns. Their only spiritual reliance was their ancestral home and deities. Immigrants materialized their deities with the faith rituals of their hometown, purchasing Buddha statues, which initiated the development of Buddha statue carving along Section 1 of Xiyuan Road next to Longshan Temple. This short stretch of Xiyuan Road, from the intersection of Guangzhou Street to Guilin Street, is known as the most famous Buddhist supplies street in Taiwan, with a total of 20 Buddhist supply shops on both sides. Among them is a century-old business established in 1895, along with many other old shops that have been passed down through generations. Longshan Temple plays a significant role in the concentration of the Buddha statue carving industry on Xiyuan Road. As people's livelihoods gradually improved and faith in deities became more devout, the number of temples continued to increase, making it more common to invite deities into homes for worship. These factors contributed to the clustering effect of the Buddhist supplies street. In addition to statues, other related items such as altars, incense burners, and lamps are also essential products in these shops, collectively writing a brilliant chapter in the story of Buddhist supplies on Xiyuan Street.
