Hsinchu City God Temple新竹都城隍庙

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

Taiwan, China · Taiwan · North District, Hsinchu City · No. 75 Zhongshan Road

Coordinates

24.8045, 120.9661 Map ↗

School

Daoism in Taiwan

First built

1748 (13th year of the Qianlong reign of Qing) · Zeng Riying, Sub-prefect of Danshui Sub-prefecture, submitted a memorial requesting its construction in 1747, and it was completed the following year; the temple land was donated by Wang Shijie, a land reclamation household of Zhuqian. Its present layout was established in a major renovation funded by donations raised by Zheng Zhaoji in 1924

Heritage status

Hsinchu City Monument (1985)

Overview

The Hsinchu City God Temple holds the highest rank among City God temples in Taiwan. It was built on the memorial of Zeng Riying, Sub-prefect of Danshui Sub-prefecture, in the thirteenth year of Qianlong of the Qing (1748); the temple land was donated by Wang Shijie, a land reclamation household of Zhuqian, and the temple's affairs were funded by rent from shophouses on Beimen Street. City Gods in Taiwan are ranked by administrative level into Capital City Gods, Prefectural City Gods, and County City Gods; the Hsinchu City God was originally a Sub-prefectural City God. According to temple tradition, in the sixteenth year of Guangxu (1890) Celestial Master Zhang of Mount Longhu observed the celestial signs and petitioned for a rite to avert calamity to be held; the Guangxu Emperor subsequently bestowed by imperial decree the plaque "Bulwark of Jinmen" and elevated the deity's rank to "Duke of Awesome Numen, Capital City God of Hsinchu," making it the highest-ranked City God temple in all of Taiwan. Its present layout was established in a major renovation funded by over one hundred thousand yen raised by Zheng Zhaoji in 1924, in a continuous-gable, three-hall form, flanked on the left by a Guanyin Hall (Falian Temple). The stone lions in front of the temple are carved from Qingdou stone from Huangtang, Yuchang Lake, Hui'an, Quanzhou, which has oxidized over time to a dark green color. The "Zhuqian Zhongyuan City God Festival" in the seventh lunar month, in which the City God personally leads a procession to relieve wandering souls, is an important Hsinchu folk custom. It was designated a historic monument on August 19, 1985, and is presently listed as a municipally designated historic monument.

Highlights

• The imperial "Bulwark of Jinmen" plaque
• The highest-ranked City God in all of Taiwan
• Qingdou stone lions from Hui'an
• The Zhuqian Zhongyuan City God Festival