Fahua Temple

TAIWAN, Tainan

The temple was initially the hermitage of Li Maochun, who came to Taiwan with Zheng Jing during the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644). He later donated the hermitage to a monk for conversion to a temple. It has been expanded and repaired a number of times throughout its history. It was severely damaged in wartime in 1945, leaving only the Avalokitesvara Hall and memorial hall intact. It was completely rebuilt in its previous form in 1949. It is listed as a Municipal Heritage Site.
The south-facing temple is a long compound with three courtyards. Along the central axis from south to north there are the main temple gate, Heavenly King Hall, Great Hero Hall, and Avalokitesvara Hall. To the left and right of the Great Hero Hall, there are the Lord Guan Shrine and Fire Deity Shrine. To the sides of the Avalokitesvara Hall there are the Earth Deity Shrine and the Shrine of Sages. There are two pavilions and walkways that connect the Great Hero Hall with the other halls.
The Heavenly King Hall has a hip-and-gable roof covered in red tiles. The same roof type is found on the side gateways to the left and right, but they have yellow tiles instead. These two side roofs appear more complex and decorated than the main roof of the Heavenly King Hall. The Great Hero Hall houses statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and the Medicine Buddha. Along the sides there are the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and Skanda, as well as Dharma protectors. The Avalokitesvara Hall contains statues of the Bodhisattvas Cundi, Water-Moon Avalokitesvara, Samantabhadra, and Manjusri.
Despite the numerous reconstructions, the overall layout and appearance of the temple remain largely as it was when first completed. The building features include the red roof tiles, the main roof ridges, the sloping ridges, as well as other ornamental elements. The main ridges curve upwards at the ends, which is typical of the southern Fujian style during the early Qing dynasty (1644–1911).