San Sheng Gong Introduction
San Sheng Temple, located in the southern part of the Toushe Basin, enshrines the Three Mountain Kings as its main deities. Although the temple is not grand or magnificent, it exudes an ancient charm and serves as the center of faith for the Toushe area. Historical records indicate that the Three Mountain Kings were originally worshiped in homes scattered around the community. In the early days, they were quite effective in helping to fend off threats and in praying for rain, leading residents to advocate for the construction of a temple for communal worship and prayer. The Toushe area was originally part of the territory of the Saisiyat indigenous people, as evidenced by local place names such as "Fan Zi Tomb" and "Fan Zi Store." Therefore, early Han settlers often faced disturbances and fatalities at the hands of the indigenous people. To address this, the settlers invited the Three Mountain Kings to be their guardian deities. From then on, it is said that whenever indigenous people appeared on the nearby hills, the Three Mountain Kings would manifest and lead soldiers in a display of training to scare off the indigenous people, allowing the settlers to live and work in peace. The Three Mountain Kings have a strong Hakka influence and are mostly found in Hakka settlements. However, the Toushe area is predominantly inhabited by Minnan people, and the local residents have uniquely referred to the three mountain deities as the "San Xian Guo Wang," which is quite distinctive.
