Jibei Wu Temple Introduction
Jibei Island is the largest island in the northern sea of Penghu, with the village settlement primarily concentrated around Guanyin Temple to Wusheng Temple. Like most areas in Penghu, early residential structures on Jibei were commonly built using coral stone or basalt. Coral stone is limestone that accumulates on the seabed after coral dies, and when the salinity of the rock decreases, it can be used as a building material. During construction, iron rods were first nailed to the ground, and rope was used to outline the stone wall area, followed by neatly stacking the stones to complete the construction, which is a characteristic of Penghu architecture. The Wusheng Temple at the center of the settlement is the earliest temple in Jibei and is a two-story building dedicated to the main deity, Wenheng Shengdi, who is also known as Guan Yu or Guansheng Dijun. Nearby, Guanyin Temple serves as another center of faith for the villagers. According to legend, over a hundred years ago, a red light appeared on the eastern sea surface of Jibei, and the villagers discovered a golden statue of Guanyin, which they brought back to place in Wusheng Temple. They later raised funds to build the current Guanyin Temple, which helped Jibei become more prosperous. Behind the settlement, many vegetable farms can be seen, a type of building made with basalt or coral stone walls that can withstand strong winds, allowing crops to grow successfully. Heading north to the coast, beautiful beaches and sandbars can be seen. In recent years, notably, due to sediment transported by ocean currents, the sandbar at the northwest edge of Jibei Island is continuously growing, forming a lagoon-like terrain, and it has almost connected to the land, significantly increasing the size of Jibei Island!
