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Tsai-ming Temple is located in
Yen-shu-lin in Da-shi. Yen-shu-lin is opposite
to Da-shi Street across Da-shi Creek, and was
once known as "Feng-tzu City". Ben-yen
Tseng's family fashioned a settlement from the
wilderness here during the reign of Emperor Jia-ching.
In the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Dao-guang
(1850), a local farmer named A-jia Lee returned
home after living in seclusion as a monk at Fa-yu
Temple of Pu-tuo Mountain. Lee found this place
suitable for meditation, so he built a cottage
here. He worshipped the Guanyin Bodhisattva and
named the temple Fu-feng. In the 12th year of
Emperor Tung-chi's reign (1873), the head monk
of Fu-feng Temple and local public figures raised
funds to reconstruct the temple. They then changed
the name of the temple to Tsai-ming Hall. The
main hall of this temple was enlarged in the
first year of the Daisho Era (1912). The peripheral
buildings were added in the same year. A completion
ceremony was then held subsequent to the renovation.
An ossuary tower was built behind the temple
in the 4th year of the Showa Era (1929). In the
12th year of the Showa Era (1937), Tsai-ming Hall
was renamed Tsai-ming Temple. In addition to the
Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Golden Boy and Girl,
Prince Nan-tsa, the Wei-tuo Buddha, and Emperor
Wu-shien-ling are all worshipped here. The Ministry
of the Interior has designated this temple as
a Class Three Historical Site.
Tsai-ming Temple is a U-shaped triplex with a
lawn in its courtyard. Its roof and walls were
constructed in a manner similar to that of a typical
residence. The temple's plain architectural style
and decoration create a down-to-the-earth appearance,
less fancy when compared to other temples. There
is no corridor in the main hall, which makes Tsai-ming
temple look like a mansion housing pilgrims. The
temple occupies an area of 2.91 hectares. The
XXXX trees and bushes in the compound create a
tranquil atmosphere here. The camellia tree behind
the temple blossoms in autumn and winter each
year, and the tree's white flowers provide a counterbalance
that sets off the temple's decorous simplicity.
The temple grounds abut the fault that defines
the edge of Da-han Creek. On sunny days, you can
see the mountains and the buildings on Da-shi
Street clearly. The topography of the river region
presents a singular view. Then you are reminded
of the bombing of Da-shi Street by the Japanese.
Behind the temple, people used to watch the sun
set famously behind the tower - one of the eight
grand visions of Da-shi. Today, you still can
watch the sunset, but the present tower is a concrete
structure, completely different from the traditional
architecture of the temple. There is a pavilion
down the slope in front of the tower. The 3-story
stone-crafted pavilion was probably built in the
5th year of Emperor Tung-chi's reign (1866). It
is approximately 13 feet tall with a calabash-shaped
roof. On the top and second floors of the pavilion,
there appear Chinese couplets describing the wonder
of words and lauding literary talent. There is
a stone road heading for Da-shi. Local residents
used to take this road to Li-tzu-yen, and then
ford rivers to travel to Da-shi. |