Ziyun Temple Introduction
Ziyun Temple is a famous third-level historical monument in the Chiayi area, located at the edge of the Alishan Mountain Range, about seventeen kilometers from Chiayi City. Among the Buddhist temples in Taiwan, it is one of the older historical sites, founded in the 21st year of the Kangxi era (1682), with a history of over three hundred years. Ziyun Temple faces southeast and features a temple building with five open bays, two compartments, and corridors on both sides with dragon guardians. In front of it lies a spacious temple courtyard, with two bell-and-drum towers, each two stories high, flanking the water corridors. The columns of the main hall are inscribed with "Ziguang Kuisexiang, Yunying Yingchanxin," and the exterior eaves are decorated with intricate carvings above the three frameworks, while to the left and right of the central door stand a pair of stone-carved qilin. The craftsmanship of Ziyun Temple is exceptionally delicate, with impressive carvings on the dragon pillars, phoenix tails, roof rafters, and more. Between the gables, there are eight ancient steles, including the "Buddha Incense Lamp Stele" (established by Master Juefeng in 1765, clarifying the temple's property boundary), the "Fantian Rock Reconstruction Stele" (erected by Guo Zhuohai in 1857), and records of the construction of the Qing Hall and the "Buddha Stele of Fantian Rock," with inscriptions still legible today. In front of the temple stand two ancient plum trees over two hundred years old, known as the "Mandarin Duck Plums." Surrounding the temple are several hectares of paulownia and tung trees, which, during the flowering season, create a sea of white flowers, filling the air with their delightful fragrance, invigorating all who visit.
