Shuishan Palace National Historic Site Introduction
Xingang was originally part of the Benkang area and was developed early on. During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong period, it was an important port in Taiwan. As a result, the residents built three grand temples—Shuixian Temple, Benkang Mazu Temple, and Xietian Temple—to pray for successful maritime and commercial ventures. Among them, Shuixian Temple was established in the 4th year of Qianlong (1739) and was originally located on Jiuzhuang Benkang Street. Due to its simplicity, in the 45th year of Qianlong (1780), scholar Lin Kaizhou advocated for fundraising to rebuild it. In the 8th year of Jiaqing (1803), the Beigang River flooded, devastating the Benkang urban area and the three temples. Fortunately, by the 19th year of Jiaqing (1814), locals and craftsmen used some found materials to reconstruct it at the current site, featuring two main halls and left and right side rooms. In the 28th year of Daoguang (1848), a rear hall was added to enshrine the original deity of Xietian Temple, Guandi. The donors' information, including their business names, ship names, and various expenses for this construction, was recorded in detail on a stone tablet in the front hall. A century later, in the 37th year of the Republic of China (1948), Shuixian Temple underwent another renovation. The most recent restoration of the main structure was completed in the 81st year of the Republic of China (1992). Architectural Overview: Entering the Xingang Shuixian Temple, one will pass through four main halls. The outermost is the Front Hall (Sanchuan Hall), separated by a courtyard from the Worship Hall and the Main Hall, which houses a statue of Da Yu (Shuixian Zunwang). The innermost Rear Hall enshrines the statue of Guanyu (Guansheng Dijun). Each hall is three pillars wide and is connected by corridors on both sides. Shuixian Temple is designated as a national historic site and is emphasized and protected by the nation due to its over 200 years of history. It has undergone multiple repairs due to floods and earthquakes, hence various parts of the temple showcase construction styles from the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang periods, and early post-World War II. The temple's ornate carvings and clever wooden structures are also rare examples of traditional architecture. It is noteworthy that the worship of Shuixian in Taiwan is not as prevalent as the belief in Mazu, so temples were only built in the port areas developed by the early immigrants, such as Xingang, Tainan, and Penghu. Therefore, the three largest Shuixian Temples in Taiwan are located in these areas. Architectural Features: One can observe rich wooden carvings and paintings simply by looking up in Shuixian Temple. The wooden carvings depict common themes like the arowana (dragon head with fish body), lions, phoenixes, and flowers, but also include the rarer elephants and dragons. Furthermore, the architectural mechanics of the roof in the front hall utilize a lever principle similar to a seesaw to support the weight at the center of the eaves, a design that is also quite rare in Taiwan. The temple also features murals and door gods painted by the famous Tainan artist Chen Yufeng, which are worth appreciating.
