Tianbao Temple of the Gun Cabinet Introduction
Walking along Provincial Highway 21 from the Tou-she Basin to Shuili Township, you can see on the right side of the road a towering statue of Prince God, which is located at the Chenggui Tianbao Temple in Wudeng Village. There are two theories regarding the origin of the name "Chenggui." One theory suggests that during the Qing Dynasty, indigenous people often attacked travelers near the Land God's ridge on the ancient Shuishalian trail, leading the Qing government to station militia to protect merchants traveling between the two areas. An ammunition depot was set up at that time, hence the name "Chenggui." The other theory posits that after Taiwan was ceded to Japan, residents around Sun Moon Lake defended their territory to prevent Japanese troops from entering, thus they took a defensive position at the Land God's ridge near Chenggui to confront the Japanese army, leading to the name "Chenggui." Tianbao Temple was built during the Japanese colonial period, dedicated primarily to the three main deities (Guandi, Lü Dongbin, and the Kitchen God), and features an impressive structure. In the autumn of the 74th year of the Republic of China, Marshal Prince was appointed to guard Tianbao Temple, and due to his frequent manifestations, the deities indicated to devotees to build a statue of Marshal Prince, standing 6.2 meters tall, behind the temple to demonstrate his miraculous protection of the local residents. The towering statue of Prince God has since become a prominent landmark in Chenggui.
